Laudator Temporis Acti

Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953), Short Talks with the Dead and Others (London: Jonathan Cape, 1928), p. 45:

Yet again, Livy is the father of those (good luck to them!) who write, and write, and write, and write, and write, and write, and write—and then go on writing. Whether he was compelled to do so or simply did it from wantonness, I know not; but, at any rate, he did it, and in this way may be regarded as the ancestor of those Fathers of the Church who produced so gigantic a volume of volumes that one would think they did nothing but dictate—which was, indeed, the case. Yes, even in their sleep.

Surely also Livy must have dictated. Had it become the fashion by his time? I don't know. At any rate, if he was not too prolix in style (and some say he was; God knows: I do not), he was exceedingly productive of thousands of words. I hope he got his price. This man Livy (I am beginning to grow enthusiastic) shovelled out work by the ton, and another literary fellow living a little after his time complained that his library was not large enough to house the total Livy. Take heart, therefore, you my fellow hacks, and when men jeer at you for writing and still writing, answer over your right shoulder: "Livy," and turn to the task again.