for pay, would not suffer iuch as he judged could never become orators, to lose their labour with him; and he Bent them away with cshortatioiiB and encouragements to each of tliem to pursue that peculiar urt far which he thought hiux naturally qualified. To the acquirement of other arts it is sufficient for a person to resemble a man, and to be able to comprehend in hiii mtnd, and retain in his memory, what is instUled, or, if he ia very dull, inculcated into him; no volu- bility of tongue is requisite, no quickness of utterance; nous of those things which we camiot form for ourselves, aspect^_^ comitenance, look, voioe. But in an orator, the acuteness"M~ the logicians, the wiedom of the philosophera, the language almost of poetry, the memory of lawyers, the voice of tra- gedians, tho gestuTO almost of the best actors, is required. Nothing therefore is more rarely found among mankind than a consummate oratorjjfor qualifications which professors of other arts are commended for acquiring in a moderate degree, each in his respecti've pursuit, will not be praised in the orator, unless they are all combined in him in the highest poeaible excellence."
"Yet observe," said Crassus, "how much more diligence is used in one of the light and trivial arts than in this, which is acknowledged to bo of the greatest importance; for I often hear Rosoius Bay, that ' he could never yet find a scholar that he was thoroughly satisfied with; not that some of them were not worthy of approbation, but because, if they had any fiiult, he himself could not endure it.' Nothing indeed IB so much noticed, or makes an impreEsion of such lasting continuance on the momory, as that in which you give any sort of offence. To judge therefore of the accompliahmenta of the orator by comparison with this stage-plajer, do you not observe how everything ia done by him uneiccptionably; everything with the utmost grace; everything in such a. way as ia becoming, and as moves and dehghts all) He has accordingly long attained such distinction, that ia whatever pursuit a man excels, he ia called a Roscius in his art For my own part, while I desire tikis finish and perfection in an orator, of which I fall so far short myself, I act audaoioualy; for I wish indulgence to be granted to myself, while I grant none to others; for I think that he who has not abditieB, -who is iaulty in action, whoj in short, wants a graceful TE ORAIORE; Oli, TE ORAIORE; Oli, manner, should be sent offj as ApoUonius ndviBed, to tliafc fi*' which he bos a capacity."
XXIX. " Would you then," said Sulpicius, " desire me, or our friend Cotta, to learn the civil law, or the military art?^ for who can ever possibly arrive at that perfection of youta, that high eicelleuoe in every accomplishment 1" "It was," replied Craasna, "because I knew that there was in both of you eiceUent and noble taleota for oratory, that I have expressed myself fully on these matters; nor have I adapted my remarks more to deter those who had not abilities, than to encourage you who had; and though I perceive in you both consummate capacity and industry, yet I may say that the advantage of personal appearance, on which I have perhaps said more than the Greeks are wont to say, are in you, Sulpicius, even godlike. For aoy person better qualiiied for this profeasioii by gracefiilness of motion, by his very carriage and figure, or by the fiilness and sweetness of his voice, I think that I have never heard speak;Undowmenta which those, to whom they are granted by nature inferior degree, may yet succeed in managing, it measure as they possess them, with judgment and skill, in such a manner aa not to be unhecommg; for that is what- ia chiefly to be avoided, and concerning which it is most dif- ficult to give any rules for instruction, not only for me, who talk of these matters like a private citizen, but even for Roscius himself, whom I often hear say, 'that the most essential part of art is to be beeominff,' which yet ia the only thing that cannot be taught by axtj But, if it is agreeable, let us change the subject of conversation, and talk like our- selves a little, not like rhetoricians."
" By no means," said Cotta, " for we must now iutreat you. (since you retain us in this study, and do not dismiss us to any other purauit) to tell us something of your own abilities, whatever they are, in speaking; for we are not inordinately ambitious; we are satisfied with that mediocrity of eloquence »E yours; and what we inquire of you is (that we may not attain mora than that humble degree of oratory at which you have aiTivod)^ what you think, since you say that the eudoi * The ytningRoniui noblt atudiBB, juriBprudenoe. elnqaoi * Cotts apcals iromcBll}'.
aenta ^u3l , aiwH what ■ THE CHARACTER OF THE OHATOB.
nients to be derived from nature ore not Tciy deficient iu ub, we ought to endeavour to acquire in addition."
XXX. Crassua, Broiling, replied, " What do jou thiuk is wEiutiug to you, Cotta, but a passionate indination, and a sort of ardour like tliat of love, without which u ever attain anything great in life, and especially sucit dis- tinction aa you desire! Yet I do not see that you need any encour^ment to this pursuit; indeed, as you press rather hard even upon me, I consider that you bum with an extra- ordinarily fervent affection for it. But I am aware that a desire to reach any point avails nothing, unless you know what will lead and bring you to the mark at which you aim.J Since therefore you lay but a ligbt burden upon me, and do not question me about the whole art of the orator, but about my own ability, httle ns it is, 1 will set before you a course, not very obscure, or very difficult, or grand, or imposing, the course of my own practice, which I was accustomed to pursue when I had opportunity, in my youth, to apply to such studies."
"0 day much wished for by ns, Cotta!" exclaimed Sul- pioius; " for what I could never obtain, either by entreaty, or Stratagem, or scrutiny, (so that I was unable, not only to see what Crassus did, with a view to meditation or composition, but even to gain a notion of it from his secretory and reader. Diphilus,) I hope wo have now secured, luid that we shall learn from himself all that we have long desired to know."
XXXI. "I conceive, however," proceeded Crassus, "that when yon have heard me, you will not so much admire what I have said, as think that, when you desired to hear, there was no good reason for your desire; for I shall.say nothing abstruse, nothing to answer your expectation, nothing either previously unheard fay yoii, or new to any oao. In the first place, I wiU not deny tliat, as becomes a man well born ", and Uberally educated, i.£ learned those trite and common ' precepts of teachers in general; first, that it is the busiuess I of an orator to speak in a manner adapted to persuade; next, that every speech is either upon a question concerning a matter in general, without specification of persons or times, or concerning a matter referring to certain persons and times. But that, in either case, whatever falls under controversy, vjAb question with regard to it is usually, whether such a DE okatore; OB, thing has been done, or, if Lt haa been done, of what nature it is, or by what name it sliould bo called; or, as some add, whether it seems to have been done rightly or not. That ooQtroverEieB arise nlso on the interpretation of writing, in which anything has been eJipressed ambiguouBiy, or contra- dictorily, or BO that what is written is at variance with the writer's evident intention; and that there are certain hnes of argument adapted to all these caaes. Eut that of such suh- jeotB as are distinct &om general qnestionB, pari: come under the head of judicial proceedings, part under that of delibe- rations; and that there is a third kind which is employed in praising or censuring particular persona. That there are also certain common places on which we may insist in judicial proceedings, in which equity is the object; others, which we may adopt in deliberations, all which ore to be directed to the advantage of those to whom we give counsel; othera in pan^yrio, in which all must be referred to the d^ity of the persona commended- That Mnce all the business and art of an orator is divided into five parts.^ he ought first to find out wbat he should say; tiest, to dispose and arrange his matter, not only in a certain order, but with a sort of power and judgment; then to clothe and deck his thoughts with language; then to secure them in his memory; and lastly, to deliver them with dignity and grace, I had learned and understood also, that before we eater upon the main subject, the minds of the audience should be conciliated by an exor- dium; next, that the case should be clearly stated; then, that the point in controversy sliould be established; then, that what we maiiitain sho^^d be supported by proof, and that whatever was said on the other side should be refilled; and that, in the conclusion of our speech, whatever was in our &vour should be amplified and eaforced, and whatever made for our adversaries should be weakened and invalidated.
XXXII. " I had heard also what is taught about the costume of a speech; in regard to which it is first directed that we should speak correctly and in pure I^tin; nest, intelligibly and with perspicuity; then gracefully; then suitably to the dignity of the subject, and as it were becom- ingly; and 1 had made myself acquainted with the rules J ^^^^Ekni.] OS THE CHARACTER OF THG ORATOR. 179 ^M relating to every particular. Moreover, I Lnd seen ttrt applied ^M to those thinga which are properly endowments of nature; ^M for I had gone over some precepts concerning action, and ^| some concerning artificial memory, which were short indeed, hut requirii^ much exercise; matters on which almost all the learning of those artificial orators is employed; and if I ^ould Bay that it is of no assistance, 1 should say what is not true; for it conveys BOmo hints to admonish the orator, as it were, to what he should refer each part of his speech, and to what points he may direct his view, so as not to wander from the ohject whioh ho has proposed to himself. But I consider that with, regard to all precepts the case is this, not tliat orators hy adhering to them have obtained dis- f tinction in eloquence; but that certain persons have noticed 1 ■what meu of eloquence practisiad of their own accord, and formed rules accordingly;' so that eloquenca has not sprung from art, but art from eloquence; not that, as I said before, I entirely reject art, for it is, though not essentially necessary to oratory, yet proper for a man of liberal education to learn. And by you, my young fricnda, some preliminary exercise must be undergone; though indeed you are already on the course; but those* who are to enter upon a race, and those who are preparing for what is to be done in the forutn, as their field of battle, may alite previously leard, and try their powers, by practising in sport." "That sort of exercise," said Snlpicins, "is just what we wanted to understand; hut we desire to hear more at large what you have briefly and cursorily delivered concerning art; though such matters are not strange even to us. Of that subject, however, we shall inquire hereafter; at prsseat w« wish to kimr-youv eea- tiaienta on exercise."
XXXIII. " I like that method," replied Ci-assua, " whioh yon are accustomed to practise, namely, to lay down a case simjlnr to those which are brought on in the fOrum, and to > Atgyt id egUle. Stost critica Hava mppoaed ihiiBO words in some way feiilty. Qeaner conjacturad, (Wgae digeadsaej LEUnbinua, atijae m ariem rtdegUst; Emeati, ad artemqne red^iue. EUendt Bappoacs that id egiase nmy raean ei rei aperam dsiJiwe.
' Sed iU, qui ingrtdiimlJir. Orellius and EUendt retab tliis reading fhnvigb Emesti 'bbd long before observed that there U do verb aa nMiih. tit con be couaidered as dependent^ and that wa must read ii or ^ as I I DB OBATORE; OB, Bpeak upon it, as nearly as possible, as il But in such, efforts the generality of studenta eierciso only their Yoioe (and not even that skilfullj), and try their strength of lungs, and volubility of tongue, and please them- selves with a torrent of their own words; in which exercise what they have heard deceives them, that men hy speaking succeed in becoming tpeakers. For it is truly said also. That Toen by speaking badly make ture of becoming bad speakers. In those exerciaea, tlierefore, although it be useful even fre- quently to Bpeok on the sudden, yet it is more advantageons, ^er taking time to consider, to speak with greater prepara- tion and accuracy. But the chief point of all is that which (to say the truth) we hardly ever practise (for it requires great labour, which moat of us avoid); 1 mean, to write as much as possible. Writing is said to fae,^ hest and meet excellmt modeller and teacher o/' oratory Jand not without reason; for if what is meditated and considered easily surpasses sudden and extemporary speech, a constant and diligent habit of' writing will surely be of more effect than meditation and consideration itself; since all the arguments relating to the subject on which we write, whether they are suggested by art, or by a certain power of genius and understanding, will present themselves, and occur to us, while we esamine and contemplate it in the full light of our inteUectj and all the thoughts and words, which are the most expresuve of tbeur kind, must of necessity come under and submit to the keen- ness of our judgment while writing; and a fair arrangement and collocation of the words is effected by writing, in a certain rhythm and measure, not poetical, but oratoricaL Such are the qualities which bring applause and admiration to good orators; nor will any man ever attain them, unless after long and great practice in writing, however resolutely ho niay have exercised himself in extemporary speeches; and he who comes to speak after practice in writing brings this advantage with him, that though he speak at the call of the moment, yet what he says will bear a resemblance to something written; and if ever, when he comes to apeak, he brings anything with him in writing, the rest of his speech, when he departs from what is written, will flow on in a similar strain. Aa, when accommodali, " iritli as jaa6L adapto- J ( TEE OHAB&OTHB OT THB OBATOB.
a boat has once been impelled forward, though the roirers Buapend their efforts, the vessel herself still keeps her motion and coiiTEe during the intermiseion of the impulse and force of the oars; so, in a oontinued stream of oratory, when written matter fails, the rest of the speech maintains a similar flow, being impelled by the resemblance and force acquired if ODi what waa written.
XXXIV. " But in my doily enercisea I used, when a youth, to adopt chiefly that method which I knew that Caiua Carbo, my adversary,' generally practised; which was, that,! having selected some nervona piece of poetry, or read over such a portion of a speech as I could retain in my memory, 1 used to declaim upon what I had been reading in other words, chosea with aU the judgment that I possessed^ But at length I perceived that in that method there was this inconvenience, that Ennius, if I eiercised myself on his verses, or Gracchus, if I laid one of his orations before me, had forestalled such words as were peculiarly appropriate to the subject, and such as were the most elegant and altogether the beat; so that, if I used the same words, it profited nothing; if others, it waB even prejudicial to me, as I habituated myself to use such as were less eligible. Afterwards I thought proper, and continued the practice at a rather more advanced age,* to ,- (translate the orations of the* best Greek orators;Sl by filing I upon which I gained this advantage, that while I rendered into tatia what I bad read in Greek, I not only used the best words, and yet such as were of common occurrence, but also formed some words by imitation, which would be new to our countrymen, taking care, however, that they were unob- jectionable.
1*^ As to the eiertion and esercise of the voice, of the breatbj of the whole body, and of the tongue itself, they do not BO much require art as labour; but in those matters wo ought to be particularly caEeful whom we imitate and whom we woidd wish to reaemblej Not only orators are to be observed by «8, but even actors, leat by vicious habits we contract any awkwardness or ungracefuinesa. The memory is also to he I I 1 Saac • A practice reoomiQended by QuintiliaB, i if Corbo, hi 3 ORATOSB; OR, exercised, by loaming accurately by heart as masyof our own writiuga, and those of others, as we can. In esercisiDg the memory, too, I ahuJl not object if you accustom yourself to adopt tlmt plan of referring to places and figures which is taught in troatisee on the art.' Your language muBt then be brought forth from this domestic and retired exercise, into the inidst of the field, into the dust and clamour, into the camp and military array of the forum; you must acquiro practice in everything; you Etiuat try the strength of your understanding; and your retiredJucubraJionajpuBt be ex- posed to the light of reality. The poets must^aEo be studied; an aotjuatntonce must be fotmed with histoty; the writcra aud teachers in all the Ubeml arts and sciences must be read, and turned over, and must, for the sake of exercise, bo praised, interpreted, corrected,' censured, reiiited; yon must dispute on both sides of every question; and whatever may seem maintainable on any point, must be brought forward aud illustrated. The civil law must be thoi-oughly studied; laws in general must be understood; all antiquity must be known; the usages of the senate, the natui-e of our govenunent, the rights of our allies, our treaties and conventionF, and whatr ever concerns the interests of the state, must be learned. A certain intellectual grace must also be extracted &om eveiy kind of refinement, with which, as with salt, every oration must be seasoned, I have poured forth to you all I had to say, and perhaps any citizen whom you had laid hold of in any company whatever, would have replied to your inquiries .enTthese subjects equally well."
XXXV. When Crassua had uttered these words a aileuoa ensued. But though enough seemed to havo been said in the opinion of the company present, in reference to what had been proposed, yet they thought that ho had concluded hia speech more abruptly than they could have wished. Scaivola . then said, " What ia the matter, CottaT why are yon silent % Does nothing more occur to you which you would wish to ask Crosaual" "Nay," rejoined he, "that is the very thing of which I am thinking; for the rapidity of his words was Bueh, and hia oration was winged with such speed, that though I perceived its force and energy I could scarcely eee See alao Quinii v.] OS THE OHAEACTEB OF THE ORATOR. " 183 its track and coiirse; and, bs if I had come into Eome rich and well-ftimiahed house, where the ftimiture ' ■was not un- packed, nor the plate set out, nor the pictures and statues placed in view, but a multitude of aU these magnificent things laid up and heaped together; so just tiow, in the speech of CraaBUB, I saw his opulence and the riches of his genius, through veils and curtains as it were; but when I desired to take a nearer view, there wna scarcely opportunily for taking a glance at them; I can therefore neither say that 1 am wholly ignorant of what he poBBesses, nor that I have plainly ascerttuned and beheld it." " Then," said Scsevola, " why do you not act in the same way aa you would do, if yon had really eome into a house or villa full of rich Sai- nitm^l If everything was put by aa you describe, and you had a great curiosity to sea it, you would not hesitate to ask the master to order it to he brought out, especially if he was your friend; in like manner you vnH now surely ask Craasus to bring forth into the hght that profusion of splendid objects which are his property, (and of which, piled together in one place, we have caught a glimpse, aa it were through a lattice,' as we passed by,) and set everything in its proper situation."
" I radier ask you, ScfflTola," aaya Cotta, "to do that for me; (for modesty forbids Sulpicius and myself to ask of one of the most eminent of mankind, who has ever held in contempt this kind of disputation, such things as he perhaps regards only aa mdimenta for children;) but do jou oblige us in this, Scfflvola, and prevail on Crassua to unfold and enlarge upon those matters which he has crowded together, and crammed into so small a space in bis speech." " Indeed," s^d Soevola, "I desired that before, more upon your account than my own; nor did I feel so much longing for thia diacusaion from Crassua, as I experience pleasure from hia orations in pleading. But now, CraasuB, I ask you also on my own account, that since we have so much moro leisure than has been allowed us for a long time, you would not think it troubleaome to complete the edifice which you have commenced; for I see a finer ' Yate. Under this word a incliided tapeBtry, ooTeringa of conches, and other thiagB of' that eort.
' An illnatration, eaya Prouat, borrowed frora the practice of traders, who allow gooda, on which Hiej set a high Tolue, to be aeen onlf tbfough I ^^^BM HE ORATOREJ OR, [^-i>^| and better plaa of the ttIioIq work than I could havo iin»-^| giued, and une of which I Btrongly approre." ^H XXXVI. "I cannot sufGoiently wonder," saya Crassi%^| "that cTen you, Sotevok, should require of me that which I do not understand like those who teach it, aud which is of such a nature, that if I understood it ever so well, it would be unworthy of yoar wisdom and attention," "Say yoii Eol" replied Scievola. "If you think it scarcely worthy of my ago to listen to those ordinaiy precepts, commonly known everywhere, can ws possibly n^Iect those other matters which you said must be known hy the orator, respecting the dispo- sitions and manners of mankind, the means by which the minds of men are excited or calmed, history, antiquity, the administration of the republic, and finally of our own civil law itself J For I knew that all this science, this abundanoa of knowledge, was within the compass of your understanding^ but had never seen such rich furniture among the equipmenta- of the orator."
" Can you then," Bays Crassus, "(to omit other thiags numerable and without limit, and come to your study, the civil Jaw,) can you account them orators, for whom Scievola,' though in haste to go to the Campus Martins, waited several hours, sometimes laughing and sometimes angry, while Hyp- Biens, in the loudest voice, and with a multitude of words, wttB trying to obtain of Marcus Crassus, the prtetor, that the par^ whom he defended might be allowed to lose hia suit; and Ciioius Octavius,Q,man of consular dignity, in a speech of equal length, refused to consent that his adversary should lose his cause, and that the party for whom he was speaking should be released from the ignominiouB charge of having been un- faithful in his guardianship, and from all trouble, tbrougli the folly of his antagonistl"^ " I should have thought eucli ' Kot Quintas Sca^oia the augur, ths fatber-in-law of Ctobsus, in whose proseiioe Craeaus la Hpeaking, but uiother Quintue Sctevola, who wne an emiaeut lawyer, and held Oie office of poatifez; but at the timo to which CraaauB alludes he was tribune of the people, B,c, 1D6. iVoutt, ' The cauHB waa aa f&llowa:— Aa SoKVok the pontiff waa going into the Geld of Man, to the election of conaula, he passed, in hia way, through the forum, where he found two oratora in much litigation, and btundenug grieTOuely through iguorauce of the civil law. One of them wu Hypneus, the other Cneiua lictaviue, who had been consul B.C. 123. HjpBfflUB was BoouBii^ soma guardian of mal-ai'""'"""^""'' ~ ' "" ^^Rnrvn.] ON THE CHAIIACTEB OF THE ORATOR. 1S5 ^M men," replied Soasyola, " {for T reTQembei- Mucius'^ told me the ^H story,) not only unworthy of the name of orators, but na- ^| worthy even to appear to plead in the forum." "Yet," ^1 rqoined Craaaus, "those advocates neither wanted eloquence, nor method, nor abundance of words, but a knowledge of the civil law -. for in this case one, in bringing his suit, sought to recover more dam^es than the law of the Twelve Tables allowed, and, if he had gained those damages, would have lost his cause: the other thought it unjust that he himself should be proceeded against for more than was allowed in that sort of action, and did not understand that his adversary, if he proceeded in that manner, would lose his suit.
XXXVII. "Within these few days,'' while we were sitting