Why did Livy believe Roman morality had declined over time?

Livy believed that Roman morality had declined over time because he viewed history through a personal and moral lens, contrasting the perceived integrity of Rome's ancestors with the skepticism and vices of his own era.1

In his preface, Livy explicitly invited readers to trace the "sinking of the foundations of morality" as traditional teachings were abandoned, eventually leading to a collapse where modern Romans could neither endure their vices nor face the necessary remedies. He lamented that the modesty, fairness, and nobility of mind once characteristic of the entire Roman people had vanished, replaced by a modern skepticism that interpreted solemn compacts to suit personal convenience.1

For Livy, this decline was a matter of passionate concern. He believed that the study of history was "wholesome and profitable" because it provided examples of past virtues to serve as warnings against contemporary moral failings. By focusing on character and representative individuals, he sought to illustrate how the loss of traditional moral qualities—which he and other thinkers of the Augustan age believed had originally made Rome great—threatened the stability and spirit of the state.1