JjXXVI. " Caius Siciniua, then, who was a grandson of the censor Quintua Pompey, by one of his daughters, died after his advancement to the qu^storship. He was a speaker of some merit and reputation, which he derived from the ^atem of Hermagoros; who, though ho furnished bnt Uttle assist- ance for acquiring an ornamental style, gave many useful precepts to expedite and improve the invention of an orator. For in this system we Lave a collection of fixed and determi- nate mlea for public speaking; which are delivered indeed without any show or parade, (and I might have added, in a trivial and homely form,) but yet are so plain and me- thodical, that it is almost impossible to mistake the road. By keeping close to these, and always digesting bis subject before he ventured to speak upon it, (to which we may add, that he had a tolerable fluency of expression,) he so far suc- ceeded, without any other assistance, as to be ranked among the pleaders of the day. As to Caius ViseUius Varro, who ■ -was my cousin, aud a contemporary of Sicinius, he was a man of great learning. He died while he was a member of the court of inquests, into which he had been admitted after the expiration of his tedileship. The public, I confess, had not the same opinion of his abilities that 1 have: for he never passed aa a man of sterling eloquence aoaong the people. His speech was eacessively quick and rapid, and consequently indistinct; for, in fact, it was embarrassed and obscured by the celerity of its course; and yet, after all, you will scarcely find a man who had a better choice of words, or a richer vein of seo- timent. He had besides, & complete f^nd of polite literature, and a thorough kuowlec^e of the principles of jimsprudence, which be learned from his fixther Aculeo. To proceed in our account of the dead, the nest that presents himself is Lucius Torquatua, whom you will not so readily proaounoe a proficieut in the art of speaking (though he was by no means deatituto of elocution), us what is called hy the Greeks, o politkal adept. He had a plentiful stock of I BEtJTUS; OB, learning, not indeed of tbe common sort, but of a d abstruse and curious nature; bo had likewise an adminble memory, and a very sensible and elegaut turn of expresuoii; all whicb qualities derived on additional grace from the dignity of bis deportment, tmd tbe integrity of his mannoB. I was also highly pleased with the style of his contemportty TriariuB, which eitpreased to perfeotion the character of a worthy old gentleman, who bad beea thoroughly polished hj the retincments of literature. What a venerable seveii^ was there in bis look! what forcible solemnity in his lan- guage I aud how thoughtful and deliberate every word be spoke!" At the mention of Torquatus and Triarius, for ei of whom he had tbe most aSectionate veneration, " It filh my heart with anguish," said Brutus, " (to omit a thousand other circumstances,) when 1 reflect, as I cannot help doing, on your mentioning the names of these worthy men, that your long-respected authority was insufficient to procure an acoommodation of our differences, Tbe republic would not otherwise have been deprived of these, and many other excellent citizens." "Not a word more," said I, " on this melancholy subject, which can only aggravate our sorrow; for OS the remembrance of what is fjready past is painfiil enough, the prospect of what is yet to come is still more afflicting. Let us, therefore, drop our unavailing complaints, and (agreeably to our plan) confine our attention to tbe forensic merifa of our deceased friends.
LXXVII. " Among those, then, who lost their lives in this unhappy war, was Marcus ^ibnlus, who, though not a pro- fessed orator, was a very accurate writer, and a. solid and experienced advocate; and Appiua Claudius, your father-in- law, and my colleague and intimate acquaintance, who was not only a bard student, and a man of learning, biit a prac- tised orator, a skilful augurist and civilian, and a thorou^ adept in the Koman liistory. As to Lucius Somitius, he was totally unacquainted with any rules of art; but be spoke bis native language with parity, and had a great freedom of address. We had likewise the two Lentuli, men of consular dignity; one of whom, (I mean Publiiis,) the avenger of mj wrougs, and tbe author of my restoration, derived all liB powers and accompliabments from the assistance of art, ani not from the bounty of nature; but he had such a great and Boblo disposition, that he claimed aU tbe honours of the most BEMAKES OS EMINENT OBATOBa h the utmoBt ■ itulus) was aa H nuch, perhaps, ^ illuEitrioiiB citizens, and supported them with dignity of character. The other (Lucius Lentulus) \ animaited speaker, for it would be sayiug too much, ] to call him an orator; but, imhappilj, be had an utter aver- aon to the trouble of thinking. His voice was sonorous; and iiis language, though not absolutely hareh and forbidding, was warm and vigorous, and carried in it a kind of terror. In a judicial trial, you would probably have wished for a more agreeable and a keener advocate; but in a debate on matters of government, yoa would have thought his abUitiea BufBcient. Even Titus Postumius had Buch powers of utter- ance aa were not to be despised; but in political matters, he spoke with the same unbridled ardour he fought with; ia siort, he was much too warm; though it must ho owned he possessed an extensive knowledge of the laws and constitution of his country."
" Upon my word," cried Atticus, " if the persons you have mentioned were still living, I should be apt to imagine that you were endeavouring to solicit their iavour. For you intro- duce everybody who bad the courage to stand up and speak his mind; so that I almost begin to wonder how Marcus Serviliua has escaped your notice." LXXVIII. " I am, indeed, very sensible," replied I, "that there have been many who never spoke in pubho, that were much better qualified for the task, than those orators I have taken the pains to enumerate;^ but I have, at least, answered one pur- pose by it, which is to show you, that in this populous city we have not had very many who had the resolution to speak at all; and that even among these, there have been few who were entitled to our applause. I camaot, therefore, ni^leot to take some notice of those worthy knights, and my intimate friends, very lately deceased, Publius Cominius Spoletinus, against whom I pleaded in defence of Caius Cornelius, and who was a methodical, spirited, and ready speaker; and Tiberius Aceius, of Pisaurum, to whom I replied in behalf of Aulus CIuentiuB, and who was an accurate, and a tolerably copious advocate: he was also well instructed in the precepts of Herm^oras, which, though of little service to embellish and enrich our elocution, furnish a variety of argument^ which, like the weapons of the hght infantry, may bo readily ndanaged, and are adapted to every subject of debate. I must ' TluB WS£ prababl; iatended oe an indirect oampUineiit to Attioa' BBDTCS; OB, add, that I never knew a mnn of greater industry and appli- cation, Ab to Caiua Piao, my aon-iu-law, it ia scarcely possible to mention any one who was blessed with o, finer capacity. He was constantly employed either in public epeaking, sod private declamatory exercises, or, at least, in writing and thinking: and, conaequeatly, he raade such a rapid progreffi, that he rather seemed to £y than to run. He bad an el^ont choice of eipreasion, and tbo structure of his periods was perfectly neat and harmouioua; he had an astonishing Tariety and strength of ailment, and a lively and agreeable turn of thought; and his gesture was naturally so graceful, that it appeared to have been formed (which it really ■was not) by t&B nicest rules of art. I am rather fearful, indeed, that I should be thought to have been prompted by my affection for him to have given him a greater character than he deserved; but this is so iar from being the case, that I might justly have ascribed to liim many qualities of a different and more valuable nature; for in continence, social ardour, and every other kicd of virtue, there was scarcely any of his contemporaries who was worthy to be compared with him.
LXXIX " Marcas Cadiua too must not pass unnoticed, not with stimding the unhappy change, either of hia fortune or disposition, which marked tbe latter part of his life. As long as ho was directed by my influence, he behaved himself so well as a tribune of the people, that no man supported the interests of the senate, and cf all the good and virtuous, in opposition to the factious and unruly madness of a set of abandoned citizens, with more firmness than he did; a part in which he was enabled to exert himself to great advantage, by the force and dignity of his language, and his lively, humour and polite address. He spoke several harangues in a very sensible style, and three spirited invectives, which originated from our political disputes; and hia dcfenuve speeches, though not equal to the former, were yet tolerably good, and had a degree of merit which was far fi-om being contemptible. After be had been advanced to the Eedileship, by the hearty approbation of all the better sort of citizens, m he had lost my company (for I was then abroad in Cilicia) h9 likewise lost himself; and entirelyaunk his credit, by imitat- ing the conduct of those very men, whom he had before 80 successfully opposed. But Marcus Calidius has a more particular claim to our notice for the singularity of hia character; EBMAHK8 ON EMINENT OBATOBB.
wKicb cannot bo properly bo said to iiavo entitled him to a place among our other orators, as to distinguish him from the whole fraternity; for ia him we beheld the moat lujcommon and the moat delicate sentiments, arrayed in the softest and finest language imaginable. Nothing could he eo easy as the turn and compass of his periods; nothing so ductile J nothing more pliablo and obsequious to his will; bo that he Lad a greater command of words than any orator what- ever. In short, the flow of his language was so pure and limpid, that nothing could be clearer; and so free, that it ■vras never clogged or obstructed. Every word was exactly in the place where it should be, and disposed (as Luciliua expresses it) with ns much nicety -as in a curious piece of mosaic work. We may add, that he had not a single expres- sion which was either harsh, unnatural, abject, or iar-fetched; and yet he was so far from confining himself to the plain and ordinary mode of speafciug, that he abounded greatly in the metaphor, — but such metaphors as did not appear to usurp a post that belonged to another, but only to occupy their own. These delicacies were displayed, not in a loose and eSeminate style, but in such a one as waa strictly nujnerotis, without either appearing to he so, or running on with a dull uni- formity of sound. He was likewise master of the Tarioua omamouts of ]ang;uage and thought which the Greeks call Agures, whereby he enlivened and embellished his style as with BO many forensic deoorations. We may add that he readily discovered, upon all occasions, what was the real point of debate, and where the stress of the argument lay; and that his method of ranging his ideas was extremely artful, his action gentlemanly, and his whole manner very engaging and very aensible. LXXX. Ia short, if to speak agreeably ia the chief merit of an orator, you will find no one who waa better qualified than Calidius.
"But as we have observed a little before, that it is the ' business of an orator to instruct, to please, and to mow the pattiona; ho was, indeed, perfectly master of the first two; for no one could better elucidate his subject, or charm the atten- tion of his audience. But as to the third quahfication, the moving and alarming the passions, which is of much greater ef&cacy than the former, he waa wholly destitute of it. He had no force, no exertion; either by his own choice, and from an opinion that those who had a loftier turn of ezprer \ BEtnruB; on, rarrn and apiriteii action, were little better ■ because it was contrary to his natoral habitttal practice; or, lastly, because it wss beyond the Btrength of his abititiee. If, indeed, it is a uselMa quality, his want of it waa arealeicellence; but if otherwise it waa certainly a defect. I particularly remember, that when he prosecuted Quintus Galliua for an attempt to poiaoa him, and pretended that he had the plainest proofs of it, and could produce many lettera, witnesses, informations, mi other ovidenees to put the truth of his charge beyond a doubt, interspersing many aenaible and ingenious remarks on the nature of the crime; — I remember, I Bay, that when it came to my turn to reply to him, after urging every argu- ment which the case itself.suggested, I insisted upon it as a materia.] circumatance in favour of my client, that the prose- cutor, while he charged him with a design against his life, and assured us that he had the most indubitable proofs of it tbea in hia hands, related his story with as much cose, and as much calmness and indifference, as if nothing had happened. 'Would it have been pofaible,' said I, (addressing myself to Calidius.) 'that you should apeak with this air of unconcern, unless the charge was purely au invention of your ownl And, above all, that jou, whose eloijuence has oStea vindicated the wrongs of other people with so much spirit, should speak to oooUy of a crime which threatened your life) Where wM that expression of i-esentment which is bo natural to the in- jured! Where that ardour, thnt eagerness, which extorts the ittOBt pathetic language even from men of the dullest capSr cities? There waa no visible disorder in your m.ind, no emotion in yoiu: looks and gesture, no smiting of the thigh or the forehead, nor even a single stamp of the foot. You were, therefore, so far from interesting our feelings iu your iavi that we could scarcely keep our eyes open, while you t relating the dangers you had so narrowly escaped.' Thus employed the natural defect, or, if you please, the sena' calmness of an ezoeUent orati^, as an argument to irtvali< bis charge." " But is it possible to doubt," cried feutm^ " whether this wna a sensible quality, or a defeoti For as the greatest merit of an orator is to be able to inflame the pasttions, and give them such a bias as shall best answer hie purpose; he who is destitate of this must certainly be de- fident in tha most capital part of his profession."
were idaH^^I REMARKS ON EMINENT ORATORS. 487 LXXXI. " I am of the same opinion," aaid I; "hnt let us now proceed to him (HortensiviB) who is the only remaining orator worth noticing; after whidi, 09 you seem to insist upon it, I shall say something of myself. I muat first, how- ever, do justice to the memory of two promising youths, who, if they had lived to a riper age, would have aoqiiired the hi^Qst reputation for their eloqueueo." " You mean, I Huppose," said Brutus, " Caius Curio, and Caius Licinius Calvua." " The very same," replied I. " One of them, besides bia plausible manner, had such an easy and volable flow of expression, and such an ineihaustihle variety, and some- times accuracy of Bentiraent, that he was one of the most ready and ornamental speakers of his time. Though he had received but little instruction from the professed masterB of the art, nature had furnished him with an admirable capa- city for the practice of it, I never, indeed, discovered in him any great degree of application; hut he was certainly very ambitious to dbtinguidi himself; and if he had continued to listen to my advice, aa he had begun to do, he would have preferred the acquisition of real honour to that of untimely grandeur." " What do you mean t" said Brutus; " or in what manner are these two objects to be distinguished 1" " I dis- tinguish them thus," replied I; " as honour is the reward of virtue, conferred upon a man by the choice and affection of his fellow-citizens, he who obtains it by their free votes and Buflrages is to be considered, in my opinion, aa an honourable member of the community. But he who acquires his power and authority by taking advantage of every unhappy incident, and without the consent of his fellow-citizens, as Curio aimed to do, acquires only the name of honour, without the sub- Btance. Whereas, if he had hearkened to me, he would have risen to the highest dignity, ia an honourable manner, and with the hearty approbation of all meu, by a gradual advance- ment to public ofSces, as his father and many other eminent citizens had done before. I often gave the same advice to Publius Crassus, the son of Marcus, who courted my friend- ship in the early part of his life; and recommended it to him very warmly, to consider tliat as the truest path to honour which had been already marked out to him by the example of his ancestors. For he had been extremely well educated, and was perfectly versed in every branch of polite literature; be had likewise a peaetratiDg genius, and an elegant vari' I BRUTBs; OK, of espreasion; and appeared grave and Bententious ■without arrogance, and modest and diffident without dqection. But like many other young men, he was carried away by the tti of ambition; and after aoi'vinga ehort time with repulaC as a volunteer, nothing could eatiBfy him but to try his tune as a general, an employment which was confined by wisdom of our ancestors to men who had arrived at a age, and who, even then, were obliged to submit thi tonsioas to the uncertain issue of a public decision, Tbiis, by exposing himself to a fatal catoGtrophe, while he was oadea- vouring to rival the fame of Cyrua and Alexander, who lived to finish their desperate career, he lost all resemblance of Lucius Crasaua, and hb other worthy progenitors. LXXXII. But let us return to Calvus, whom we have just mentioned, an orator who bad received more literary improvemeats than Curio, and had a more accumte and delicate nianuer of speak- ing, which he conducted with great taste atid elegance; bnt^ (by being too minute and nice a critic upon himself,) while he was labouring to correct and refiue his langun^, he suf- fered al! the force and spirit of it to evaporate. In short, it was BO exquisitely polished, as to charm the eye of every eldlfal observer; but it was little noticed by tho common people in a crowded forum, which is the proper theatre of eloquenca" " His aim," said Brutus, " was to he admired aa an Attic orator; and to' this we must attribute that accurate exility of style, which he constantly affected." " This, indeed, wb professed character," replied I; " but he was deceived self, and led others iuto the same mistake. It is true, over supposes that to speak in the Auic taste, is to avoid ei awkward, every harsh, every vicious expression, has, in this sense, an undoubted right to fefuse his approbation to eveiy- thiug which is not strictly Attic. For he must naturally detest whatever is insipid, disgusting, or incorrect; whilo he considers correctness and propriety of lauguaga as thd religion and good-manners of an orator; and every one n" pretends to speak in public should adopt the same opinii But if he bestows the name of Atticism on a meagre, a diy, and a niggardly turn of expression, provided it is neat, eon and polished, I cannot say, indeed, that be bestows it properly; as the Attic orators, however, had many qualities of a more important nature, I would advise him to be caref ' that be does not overlook their different kinds and degrees him^ who^H BEMAltES OK BUINENT merit, and their great extent and variety of character. The Attio speakeia, he will tell me, are the modela upon which ho -wiebes to form his eloquence. But which of tbem does he mean to fix uponl for they are not all of the s Who, for iuBtance, could be more unlike each other than Demosthenes and Ljsiaal or than Demosthenes and Hy- perides? Or who more different from either of them, than jEschineaJ Which of them, then, do you propose to imitated If only one, this 'will be a tacit implication, that none of the rest were true masters of Atticism; if all, how can you possibly succeed, when their chajactera are so opposite 1 Let me further oak you, whether Demetrius Phalereus spoke in the Attic style I In my opinion, his orations have the very taste of Athena. But he is certainly more florid than cither Hyperidea or Lysias; partly from the natural turn of hia genina, and partly by choice.
LXXXIII. " There were likewise two others at the tima we are speaking of, whose characters were equally dissimilar; and yet both of them were truly Altie. The first (Charisius) was the author of a number of speeches, which he composed for his friends, professedly in imitation of Lysiaa; and the other (Democharcs, the nephew of Demosthenes) wrote several orations, and a regular history of what wns transacted in Athens under his own observation; not so much, indeed, in the style of an historian, as of an oiutor. Hegesios took the former for hia model, and was so vain of his own taste for Atticism, that he considered his predecessors, who were really masters of it, as mere ruatica in comparison of himself But what can be more insipid, mora fidvolons, or more puerile, tlian that very concinnity of eipreasioa which he actually acquired 1 ' But still we wish to resemble the Attic speakers.' Do BO by all means. But were uot those, tlien, true Attio speakers, we have just been mentioning 1 'Nobody denies it; and these are the men we imitate.' But howl when they ai-e so very different, not only fi-om each other, but from all the rest of their contemporaries i ' True; but Thucydides is our leading pattern.' This, too, I can aUow, if you design to compose histories, instead of pleading caus^. For Tim- cydides was both an exact and a stately historian; but he never intended to write models for conducting a judicial pro- ceas. I will even go bo far as to add, that I have often com- mended the speeches which he has inserted in his history