A lay is a ballad intended to be sung or recited. With the Lays of Ancient Rome, eminent Victorian Thomas Babington Macaulay beautifully composed an account of the beginnings of the great empire of antiquity. The Lays have inspired, enthralled, and educated generations of British readers, selling hundreds of thousands of copies since being published in 1842.

The episodes from Roman history included here played a large role in stirring national pride in England during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.