Institutio Oratoria (Quintilian)

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	Institutio Oratoria Author: Quintilian	Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
343	Unde etiam ille mos , ut in conviviis post cenam circumferretur lyra ; cuius cum se imperitum Themistocles confessus esset ut verbis Ciceronis utar , est habitus indoctior .	From the importance thus given to music also originated the custom of taking a lyre round the company after dinner, and when on such an occasion Themistocles confessed that he could not play, his education was (to quote the words of Cicero) "regarded as imperfect."
344	Sed veterum quoque Romanorum epulis fides ac tibias adhibere moris fuit . Versus quoque Saliorum habent carmen . Quae cum omnia sint a Numa rege instituta , faciunt manifestum , ne illis quidem , qui rudes ac bellicosi videntur , cura musices , quantum illa recipiebat aetas , defuisse .	Even at the banquets of our own forefathers it was the custom to introduce the pipe and lyre, and even the hymn of the Salii has its tune. These practices were instituted by King Numa and clearly prove that not even those whom we regard as rude warriors, neglected the study of music, at least in so far as the resources of that age allowed.
345	Denique in proverbium usque Graecorum celebratum est , indoctos a Musis atque a Gratiis abesse .	Finally there was actually a proverb among the Greeks, that the uneducated were far from the company of the Muses and Graces.
346	Verum quid ex ea proprie petat futurus orator , disseramus . Numeros musice duplices habet in vocibus et in corpore , utriusque enim rei aptus quidam modus desideratur . Vocis rationem Aristoxenus musicus dividit in ῥυθμόν et μέλος , quorum alterum modulatione , alterum canore ac sonis constat . Num igitur non haec omnia oratori necessaria ? quorum unum ad gestum , alterum ad collocationem verborum , tertium ad flexus vocis , qui sunt in agendo quoque plurimi , pertinet :	But let us discuss the advantages which our future orator may reasonably expect to derive from the study of Music. Music has two modes of expression in the voice and in the body; for both voice and body require to be controlled by appropriate rules. Aristoxenus divides music, in so far as it concerns the voice, into rhythm and melody, the one consisting in measure, the latter in sound and song. Now I ask you whether it is not absolutely necessary for the orator to be acquainted with all these methods of expression which are concerned firstly with gesture, secondly with the arrangement of words and thirdly with the inflexions of the voice, of which a great variety are required in pleading.
347	nisi forte in carminibus tantum et in canticis exigitur structura quaedam et inoffensa copulatio vocum , in agendo supervacua est ; aut non compositio et sonus in oratione quoque varie pro rerum modo adhibetur sicut in musice .	Otherwise we must assume that structure and the euphonious combination of sounds are necessary only for poetry, lyric and otherwise, but superfluous in pleading, or that unlike music, oratory has no interest in the variation of arrangement and sound to suit the demands of the case.
348	Namque et voce et modulatione grandia elate , iucunda dulciter , moderata leniter canit , totaque arte consentit cum eorum quae dicuntur adfectibus .	But eloquence does vary both tone and rhythm, expressing sublime thoughts with elevation, pleasing thoughts with sweetness, and ordinary with gentle utterance, and in every expression of its art is in sympathy with the emotions of which it is the mouthpiece.
349	Atqui in orando quoque intentio vocis , remissio , flexus pertinet ad movendos audientium adfectus , aliaque et collocationis et vocis ( ut eodem utar verbo ) modulatione concitationem iudicis , alia misericordiam petimus ; cum etiam organis , quibus sermo exprimi non potest , adfici animos in diversum habitum sentiamus .	It is by the raising, lowering or inflexion of the voice that the orator stirs the emotions of his hearers, and the measure, if I may repeat the term, of voice or phrase differs according as we wish to rouse the indignation or the pity of the judge. For, as we know, different emotions are roused even by the various musical instruments, which are incapable of reproducing speech.
350	Corporis quoque aptus et decens motus , qui dicitur εὐρυθμία , et est necessarius nec aliunde peti potest ; in quo pars actionis non minima consistit , qua de re sepositus nobis est locus .	Further the motion of the body must be suitable and becoming, or as the Greeks call it eurythmic, and this can only be secured by the study of music. This is a most important department of eloquence, and will receive separate treatment in this work.
351	Age , non habebit imprimis curam vocis orator ? Quid tam musices proprium ? Sed ne haec quidem praesumenda pars est . Uno interim contenti simus exemplo C . Gracchi , praecipui suorum temporum oratoris , cui contionanti consistens post eum musicus fistula , quam τονάριον vocant , modos , quibus deberet intendi , monstrabat .	To proceed, an orator will assuredly pay special attention to his voice, and what is so specially the concern of music as this? Here too I must not anticipate a later section of this work, and will content myself by citing the example of Gaius Gracchus, the leading orator of his age, who during his speeches had a musician standing behind him with a pitchpipe, or tonarion as the Greeks call it, whose duty it was to give him the tones in which his voice was to be pitched.
352	Haec ei cura inter turbidissimas actiones vel terrenti optimates vel iam timenti fuit . Libet propter quosdam imperitiores etiam crassiore , ut vocant , Musa dubitationem huius utilitatis eximere .	Such was the attention which he paid to this point even in the midst of his most turbulent speeches, when he was terrifying the patrician party and even when he had begun to fear their power. I should like for the benefit of the uninstructed, those "creatures of the heavier Muse," as the saying is, to remove all doubts as to the value of music.
353	Nam poetas certe legendos oratori futuro concesserint : num igitur hi sine musice ? ac si quis tam caecus animi est , ut de allis dubitet , illos certe , qui carmina ad lyram composuerunt . Haec diutius forent dicenda , si hoc studium velut novum praeciperem .	They will at any rate admit that the poets should be read by our future orator. But can they be read without some knowledge of music? Or if any of my critics be so blind as to have some doubts about other forms of poetry, can the lyric poets at any rate be read without such knowledge? If there were anything novel in my insistence on the study of music, I should have to treat the matter at greater length.
354	Cum vero antiquitus usque a Chirone atque Achille ad nostra tempora apud omnes , qui modo legitimam disciplinam non sint perosi , duraverit , non est committendum , ut illa dubia faciam defensionis sollicitudine .	But in view of the fact that the study of music has, from those remote times when Chiron taught Achilles down to our own day, continued to be studied by all except those who have a hatred for any regular course of study, it would be a mistake to seem to cast any doubt upon its value by showing an excessive zeal in its defence.
355	Quamvis autem satis iam ex ipsis , quibus sum modo usus , exemplis credam esse manifestum , quae mihi et quatenus musice placeat , apertius tamen profitendum puto , non hanc a me praecipi , quae nunc in scenis effeminata et impudicis modis fracta non ex parte minima , si quid in nobis virilis roboris manebat , excidit , sed qua laudes fortium canebantur , quaque ipsi fortes canebant ; nec psalteria et spadicas , etiam virginibus prolis recusanda , sed cognitionem rationis , quae ad movendos leniendosque adfectus plurimum valet .	It will, however, I think be sufficiently clear from the examples I have already quoted, what I regard as the value and the sphere of music in the training of an orator. Still I think I ought to be more emphatic than I have been in stating that the music which I desire to see taught is not our modern music, which has been emasculated by the lascivious melodies of our effeminate stage and has to no small extent destroyed such manly vigour as we still possessed. No, I refer to the music of old which was employed to sing the praises of brave men and was sung by the brave themselves. I will have none of your psalteries and viols, that are unfit even for the use of a modest girl. Give me the knowledge of the principles of music, which have power to excite or assuage the emotions of mankind.
356	Nam et Pythagoran accepimus concitatos ad vim pudicae domui adferendam iuvenes , iussa mutare in spondeum modos tibicina , composuisse ; et Chrysippus etiam nutricum illi , quae adhibetur infantibus , adlectationi suum quoddam carmen assignat .	We are told that Pythagoras on one occasion, when some young men were led astray by their passions to commit an outrage on a respectable family, calmed them by ordering the piper to change her strain to a spondaic measure, while Chrysippus selects a special tune to be used by nurses to entice their little charges to sleep.
357	Est etiam non inerudite ad declamandum ficta materia , in qua ponitur tibicen , qui sacrificanti Phrygium cecinerat , acto illo in insaniam et per praecipitia delato accusari , quod causa mortis extiterit ; quae si dici debet ab oratore nec dici citra scientiam musices potest , quomodo non hanc quoque artem necessariam esse operi nostro vel iniqui consentient ?	Further I may point out that among the fictitious themes employed in declamation is one, doing no little credit to its author's learning, in which it is supposed that a piper is accused of manslaughter because he had played a tune in the Phrygian mode as an accompaniment to a sacrifice, with the result that the person officiating went mad and flung himself over a precipice. If an orator is expected to declaim on such a theme as this, which cannot possibly be handled without some knowledge of music, how can my critics for all their prejudice fail to agree that music is a necessary element in the education of an orator?
358	In geometria partem fatentur esse utilem teneris aetatibus . Agitari namque animos et acui ingenia et celeritatem percipiendi venire inde concedunt , sed prodesse eam non ut ceteras artes , cum perceptae sint , sed cum discatur , existimant : ea vulgaris opinio est .	As regards geometry, it is granted that portions of this science are of value for the instruction of children: for admittedly it exercises their minds, sharpens their wits and generates quickness of perception. But it is considered that the value of geometry resides in the process of learning, and not as with other sciences in the knowledge thus acquired. Such is the general opinion.
359	Nec sine causa summi viri etiam impensam huic scientiae operam dederunt . Nam cum sit geometria divisa in numeros atque formas , numerorum quidem notitia non oratori modo , sed cuicunque saltem primis litteris erudito necessaria est . In causis vero vel frequentissime versari solet ; in quibus actor , non dico , si circa summas trepidat , sed si digitorum saltem incerto aut indecoro gestu a computatione dissentit , iudicatur indoctus .	But it is not without good reason that some of the greatest men have devoted special attention to this science. Geometry has two divisions; one is concerned with numbers, the other with figures. Now knowledge of the former is a necessity not merely to the orator, but to any one who has had even an elementary education. Such knowledge is frequently required in actual cases, in which a speaker is regarded as deficient in education, I will not say if he hesitates in making a calculation, but even if he contradicts the calculation which he states in words by making an uncertain or inappropriate gesture with his fingers. Again linear geometry is frequently required in cases, as in lawsuits about boundaries and measurements.
360	Ilia vero linearis ratio et ipsa quidem cadit frequenter in causas ( nam de terminis mensurisque sunt lites ) , sed habet maiorem quandam aliam cum arte oratoria cognationem .	But geometry and oratory are related in a yet more important way than this.
361	Iam primum ordo est geometriae necessarius ; nonne et eloquentiae ? Ex prioribus geometria probat insequentia , ex certis incerta ; nonne id in dicendo facimus ? Quid ? illa propositarum quaestionum conclusio non fere tota constat syllogismis ? Propter quod plures invenias , qui dialecticae similem quam qui rhetoricae fateantur hanc artem . Verum et orator etiamsi raro non tamen nunquam probabit dialectice .	In the first place logical development is one of the necessities of geometry. And is it not equally a necessity for oratory? Geometry arrives at its conclusions from definite premises, and by arguing from what is certain proves what was previously uncertain. Is not this just what we do in speaking? Again are not the problems of geometry almost entirely solved by the syllogistic method, a fact which makes the majority assert that geometry bears a closer resemblance to logic than to rhetoric? But even the orator will sometimes, though rarely, prove his point by formal logic.
362	Nam et syllogismo , si res poscet , utetur et certe enthymemate , qui rhetoricus est syllogismus . Denique probationum quae sunt potentissimae γραμμικαὶ ἀποδείξεις vulgo dicuntur : quid autem magis oratio quam probationem petit ?	For, if necessary, he will use the syllogism, and he will certainly make use of the enthymeme which is a rhetorical form of syllogism. Further the most absolute form of proof is that which is generally known as linear demonstration. And what is the aim of oratory if not proof?
363	Falsa quoque veris similia geometrica ratione deprehendit . Fit hoc et in numeris per quasdam , quas ψευδογραφίας vocant , quibus pueri ludere solebamus . Sed alia maiora sunt . Nam quis non ita proponenti credat ? " Quorum locorum extremae lineae eandem mensuram colligunt , eorum spatium quoque , quod iis lineis continetur , par sit necesse est . "	Again oratory sometimes detects falsehoods closely resembling the truth by the use of geometrical methods. An example of this may be found in connexion with numbers in the so-called pseudographs, a favourite amusement in our boyhood. But there are more important points to be considered. Who is there who would not accept the following proposition? " When the lines bounding two figures are equal in length, the areas contained within those lines are equal. " But this is false, for everything depends on the shape of the figure formed by these lines,
364	At id falsum est . Nam plurimum refert , cuius sit formae ille circuitus ; reprehensique a geometris sunt historici , qui magnitudinem insularum satis significari navigationis ambitu crediderunt . Nam ut quaeque forma perfectissima ita capacissima est .	and historians have been taken to task by geometricians for believing the time taken to circumnavigate an island to be a sufficient indication of its size. For the space enclosed is in proportion to the perfection of the figure.
365	Ideoque illa circumcurrens linea si efficiet orbem , quae forma est in planis maxime perfecta , amplius spatium complectetur quam si quadratum paribus oris efficiat , rursus quadrata triangulis , triangula ipsa plus aequis lateribus quam inaequalibus .	Consequently if the bounding line to which we have referred form a circle, the most perfect of all plane figures, it will contain a greater space than if the same length of line took the form of a square, while a square contains a greater space than a triangle having the same total perimeter, and an equilateral triangle than a scalene triangle.
366	Sed alia forsitan obscuriora ; nos facillimum etiam imperitis sequamur experimentum . lugeri mensuram ducentos et quadraginta longitudinis pedes esse dimidioque in latitudinem patere , non fere quisquam est qui ignoret , et qui sit circuitus et quantum campi claudat , colligere expeditum .	But there are other points which perhaps present greater difficulty. I will take an example which is easy even for those who have no knowledge of geometry. There is scarcely anyone who does not know that the Roman acre is 240 feet long and 120 feet broad, and its total perimeter and the area enclosed can easily be calculated.
367	At centeni et octogeni in quamque partem pedes idem spatium extremitatis sed multo amplius clausae quattuor lineis areae faciunt . Id si computare quem piget , brevioribus numeris idem discat . Nam deni in quadram pedes , quadraginta per oram , intra centum erunt . At si quini deni per latera , quini in fronte sint , ex illo , quod amplectuntur , quartam deducent eodem circumductu .	But a square of 180 feet gives the same perimeter, yet contains a much larger area within its four sides. If the calculation prove irksome to any of my readers, he can learn the same truth by employing smaller numbers. Take a ten foot square: its perimeter is forty feet and it contains 100 square feet. But if the dimensions be fifteen feet by five, while the perimeter is the same, the area enclosed is less by a quarter.
368	Si vero porrecti utrinque undeviceni singulis distent , non plures intus quadratos habebunt , quam per quot longitudo ducetur ; quae circumibit autem linea , eiusdem spatii erit , cuius ea quae centum continet . Ita quidquid formae quadrati detraxeris , amplitudini quoque peribit .	On the other hand if we draw a parallelogram measuring nineteen feet by one, the number of square feet enclosed will be no greater than the number of linear feet making the actual length of the parallelogram, though the perimeter will be exactly as that of the figure which encloses an area of 100 square feet. Consequently the area enclosed by four lines will decrease in proportion as we depart from the form of a square.
369	Ergo etiam id fieri potest , ut maiore circuitu minor loci amplitudo claudatur . Haec in planis . Nam in collibus vallibusque etiam imperito patet plus soli esse quam caeli .	It further follows that it is perfectly possible for the space enclosed to be less, though the perimeter be greater. This applies to plane figures only: for even one who is no mathematician can see that, when we have to consider hills or valleys, the extent of ground enclosed is greater than the sky over it.
370	Quid quod se eadem geometria tollit ad rationem usque mundi ? in qua , cum siderum certos constitutosque cursus numeris docet , discimus nihil esse inordinatum atque fortuitum ; quod ipsum nonnunquam pertinere ad oratorem potest .	But geometry soars still higher to the consideration of the system of the universe: for by its calculations it demonstrates the fixed and ordained courses of the stars, and thereby we acquire the knowledge that all things are ruled by order and destiny, a consideration which may at times be of value to an orator.
371	An vero , cum Pericles Athenienses solis obscuratione territos redditis eius rei causis metu liberavit , aut cum Sulpicius ille Gallus in exercitu L . Paulli de lunae defectione disseruit , ne velut prodigio divinitus facto militum animi terrerentur , non videtur usus esse oratoris officio ?	When Pericles dispelled the panic caused at Athens by the eclipse of the sun by explaining the causes of the phenomenon, or Sulpicius Gallus discoursed on the eclipse of the moon to the army of Lucius Paulus to prevent the soldiers being seized with terror at what they regarded as a portent sent by heaven, did not they discharge the function of an orator?
372	Quod si Nicias in Sicilia scisset , non eodem confusus metu pulcherrimum Atheniensium exercitum perdidisset ; sicut Dion , cum ad destruendam Dionysii tyrannidem venit , non est tali casu deterritus . Sint extra licet usus bellici , transeamusque , quod Archimedes unus obsidionem Syracusarum in longius traxit .	If Nicias had known this when he commanded in Sicily, he would not have shared the terror of his men nor lost the finest army that Athens ever placed in the field. Dion for instance when he came to Syracuse to overthrow the tyranny of Dionysius, was not frightened away by the occurrence of a similar phenomenon. However we are not concerned with the uses of geometry in war and need not dwell upon the fact that Archimedes singlehanded succeeded in appreciably prolonging the resistance of Syracuse when it was besieged.
373	Illud utique iam proprium ad efficiendum quod intendimus , plurimas quaestiones , quibus difficilior alia ratione explicatio est , ut de ratione dividendi , de sectione in infinitum , de celeritate augenda , linearibus illis probationibus solvi solere ; ut , si est oratori ( quod proximus demonstrabit liber ) de omnibus rebus dicendum , nullo modo sine geometria esse possit orator .	It will suffice for our purpose that there are a number of problems which it is difficult to solve in any other way, which are as a rule solved by these linear demonstrations, such as the method of division, section to infinity, and the ratio of increase in velocity. From this we may conclude that, if as we shall show in the next book an orator has to speak on every kind of subject, he can under no circumstances dispense with a knowledge of geometry.
374	Dandum aliquid comoedo quoque , dum eatenus , qua pronuntiandi scientiam futurus orator desiderat . Non enim puerum , quem in hoc instituimus , aut femineae vocis exilitate frangi volo aut seniliter tremere .	XI. The comic actor will also claim a certain amount of our attention, but only in so far as our future orator must be a master of the art of delivery. For I do not of course wish the boy, whom we are training to this end, to talk with the shrillness of a woman or in the tremulous accents of old age.
375	Nec vitia ebrietatis effingat neque servili vernilitate imbuatur nec amoris , avaritiae , metus discat adfectum ; quae neque oratori sunt necessaria et mentem , praecipue in aetate prima teneram adhuc et rudem , inficiunt .	Nor for that matter must he ape the vices of the drunkard, or copy the cringing manners of a slave, or learn to express the emotions of love, avarice or fear. Such accomplishments are not necessary to an orator and corrupt the mind, especially while it is still pliable and unformed. For repeated imitation passes into habit.
376	Nam frequens imitatio transit in mores . Ne gestus quidem omnis ac motus a comoedis petendus est . Quanquam enim utrumque eorum ad quendam modum praestare debet orator , plurimum tamen aberit a scenico , nec vultu nec manu nec excursionibus nimius . Nam si qua in his ars est dicentium , ea prima est , ne ars esse videatur .	Nor yet again must we adopt all the gestures and movements of the actor. Within certain limits the orator must be a master of both, but he must rigorously avoid staginess and all extravagance of facial expression, gesture and gait. For if an orator does command a certain art in such matters, its highest expression will be in the concealment of its existence. What then is the duty of the teacher whom we have borrowed from the stage?
377	Quod est igitur huius doctoris officium ? In primis vitia si qua sunt oris emendet , ut expressa sint verba , ut suis quaeque litterae sonis enuntientur . Quarundam enim vel exilitate vel pinguitudine nimia laboramus , quasdam velut acriores parum efficimus et aliis non dissimilibus sed quasi hebetioribus permutamus .	In the first place he must correct all faults of pronunciation, and see that the utterance is distinct, and that each letter has its proper sound. There is an unfortunate tendency in the case of some letters to pronounce them either too thinly or too fully, while some we find too harsh and fail to pronounce sufficiently, substituting others whose sound is similar but somewhat duller.
378	Quippe et Rho litterae , qua Demosthenes quoque laboravit , Labda succedit ( quarum vis est apud nos quoque ) ; et cum c ac similiter g non evaluerunt , in t ac d molliuntur .	For instance, lambda is substituted for rho, a letter which was always a stumbling-block to Demosthenes; our l and r have of course the same value. Similarly when c and g are not given their full value, they are softened into t and d.
379	Ne illas quidem circa s litteram delicias hic magister feret , nec verba in faucibus patietur audiri nec oris inanitate resonare nec , quod minime sermoni puro conveniat , simplicem vocis naturam pleniore quodam sono circumliniri , quod Graeci καταπεπλασμένον dicunt .	Again our teacher must not tolerate the affected pronunciation of s with which we are painfully familiar, nor suffer words to be uttered from the depths of the throat or rolled out hollow-mouthed, or permit the natural sound of the voice to be over-laid with a fuller sound, a fault fatal to purity of speech; the Greeks give this peculiarity the name καταπεπλασμένον (plastered over), a term applied to the tone produced by a pipe,
380	Sic appellatur cantus tibiarum , quae praeclusis quibus clarescunt foraminibus , recto modo exitu graviorem spiritum reddunt .	when the stops which produce the treble notes are closed, and a bass note is produced through the main aperture only.