Institutio Oratoria (Quintilian)

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	Institutio Oratoria Author: Quintilian	Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
419	Et ne diutius disseram , quando sit rhetori tradendus , sic optime finiri credo ; cum poterit . Sed hoc ipsum ex superiore pendet quaestione . Nam si grammatices munus usque ad suasorias prorogatur , tardius rhetore opus est . At si rhetor prima officia operis sui non recusat ,	is this, "When he is fit." But this question is really dependent on that previously raised. For if the duties of the teacher of literature are prolonged to include instruction in deliberative declamation, this will postpone the need for the rhetorician. On the other hand if the rhetorician does not refuse to undertake the first duties of his task, his instruction will be required from the moment the boy begins to compose narratives and his first attempts at passages of praise or denunciation.
420	a narrationibus statim et laudandi vituperandique opusculis cura eius desideratur . An ignoramus antiquis hoc fuisse ad augendam eloquentiam genus exercitationis , ut theses dicerent et communes locos et cetera citra complexum rerum personarumque , quibus verae fictaeque controversiae continentur ? Ex quo palam est , quam turpiter deserat eam partem rhetorices institutio , quam et primam habuit et diu solam .	We know that the orators of earlier days improved their eloquence by declaiming themes and common-places and other forms of rhetorical exercises not involving particular circumstances or persons such as provide the material for real or imaginary causes. From this we can clearly see what a scandalous dereliction of duty it is for the schools of rhetoric to abandon this department of their work, which was not merely its first, but for a long time its sole task.
421	Quid autem est ex iis , de quibus supra dixi , quod non cum in alia , quae sunt propria rhetorum , tum certe in illud iudiciale causae genus incidat ?	What is there in those exercises of which I have just spoken that does not involve matters which are the special concern of rhetoric and further are typical of actual legal cases? Have we not to narrate facts in the law-courts? Indeed I am not sure that this is not the most important department of rhetoric in actual practice.
422	An non in foro narrandum est ? qua in parte nescio an sit vel plurimum . Non laus ac vituperatio certaminibus illis frequenter inseritur ? Non communes loci , sive qui sunt in vitia derecti , quales legimus a Cicerone compositos , seu quibus quaestiones generaliter tractantur , quales sunt editi a Quinto quoque Hortensio : ut , Sitne parvis argumentis credendum ,	Are not eulogy and denunciation frequently introduced in the course of the contests of the courts? Are not common-places frequently inserted in the very heart of lawsuits, whether, like those which we find in the works of Cicero, they are directed against vice, or, like those published by Quintus Hortensius, deal with questions of general interest such as "whether small points of argument should carry weight," or are employed to defend or impugn the credibility of witnesses?
423	et pro testibus et in testes , in mediis litium medullis versantur ? Arma sunt haec quodammodo praeparanda semper , ut iis , cum res poscet , utare . Quae qui pertinere ad orationem non putabit , is ne statuam quidem inchoari credet , cum eius membra fundentur . Neque hanc ( ut aliqui putabunt ) festinationem meam sic quisquam calumnietur , tanquam eum , qui sit rhetori traditus , abducendum protinus a grammaticis putem .	These are weapons which we should always have stored in our armoury ready for immediate use as occasion may demand. The critic who denies that such matters concern an orator is one who will refuse to believe that a statue is being begun when its limbs are actually being cast. Some will think that I am in too great a hurry, but let no one accuse me of thinking that the pupil who has been entrusted to the rhetorician should forthwith be withdrawn from the teacher of literature.
424	Dabuntur et illis tum quoque tempora sua , neque erit verendum , ne binis praeceptoribus oneretur puer . Non enim crescet sed dividetur , qui sub uno miscebatur , labor , et erit sui quisque operis magister utilior ; quod adhuc obtinent Graeci , a Latinis omissum est , et fieri videtur excusate , quia sunt qui labori isti successerint .	The latter will still have certain hours allotted him, and there is no reason to fear that a boy will be overloaded by receiving instruction from two different masters. It will not mean any increase of work, but merely the division among two masters of the studies which were previously indiscriminately combined under one: and the efficiency of either teacher will be increased. This method is still in vogue among the Greeks, but has been abandoned by us, not perhaps without some excuse, as there were others ready to step into the rhetorician's shoes.
425	Ergo cum ad eas in studiis vires pervenerit puer , ut , quae prima esse praecepta rhetorum diximus , mente consequi possit , tradendus eius artis magistris erit ;	II. As soon therefore as a boy has made sufficient progress in his studies to be able to follow what I have styled the first stage of instruction in rhetoric, he should be placed under a rhetorician. Our first task must be to enquire whether the teacher is of good character.
426	quorum in prinis inspici mores oportebit . Quod ego non idcirco potissimum in hac parte tractare sum aggressus , quia non in ceteris quoque doctoribus idem hoc examinandum quam diligentissime putem , sicut testatus sum libro priore ; sed quod magis necessariam eius rei mentionem facit aetas ipsa discentium .	The reason which leads me to deal with this subject in this portion of my work is not that I regard character as a matter of indifference where other teachers are concerned, (I have already shown how important I think it in the preceding book), but that the age to which the pupil has now attained makes the mention of this point especially necessary.
427	Nam et adulti fere pueri ad hos praeceptores transferuntur et apud eos iuvenes etiam facti perseverant ; ideoque maior adhibenda tum cura est , ut et teneriores annos ab iniuria sanctitas docentis custodiat et ferociores a licentia gravitas deterreat .	For as a rule boys are on the verge of manhood when transferred to the teacher of rhetoric and continue with him even when they are young men: consequently we must spare no effort to secure that the purity of the teacher's character should preserve those of tenderer years from corruption, while its authority should keep the bolder spirits from breaking out into licence.
428	Neque vero sat est summam praestare abstinentiam , nisi disciplinae severitate convenientium quoque ad se mores astrinxerit .	Nor is it sufficient that he should merely set an example of the highest personal self-control; he must also be able to govern the behaviour of his pupils by the strictness of his discipline.
429	Sumat igitur ante omnia parentis erga discipulos suos animum , ac succedere se in eorum locum , a quibus sibi liberi tradantur , existimet . Ipse nec habeat vitia nec ferat . Non austeritas eius tristis , non dissoluta sit comitas , ne inde odium hinc contemptus oriatur . Plurimus ei de honesto ac bono sermo sit ; nam quo saepius monuerit , hoc rarius castigabit . Minime iracundus , nec tamen eorum , quae emendanda erunt , dissimulator , simplex in docendo , patiens laboris ,	Let him therefore adopt a parental attitude to his pupils, and regard himself as the representative of those who have committed their children to his charge. Let him be free from vice himself and refuse to tolerate it in others. Let him be strict but not austere, genial but not too familiar: for austerity will make him unpopular, while familiarity breeds contempt. Let his discourse continually turn on what is good and honourable; the more he admonishes, the less he will have to punish. He must control his temper without however shutting his eyes to faults requiring correction: his instruction must be free from affectation, his industry great, his demands on his class continuous, but not extravagant.
430	assiduus potius quam immodicus . Interrogantibus libenter respondeat , non interrogantes percontetur ultro . In laudandis discipulorum dictionibus nec malignus nec effusus , quia res altera taedium laboris ,	He must be ready to answer questions and to put them unasked to those who sit silent. In praising the recitations of his pupils he must be neither grudging nor over-generous: the former quality will give them a distaste for work, while the latter will produce a complacent self-satisfaction.
431	altera securitatem parit . In emendando , quae corrigenda erunt , non acerbus minimeque contumeliosus ; nam id quidem multos a proposito studendi fugat , quod quidam sic obiurgant quasi oderint .	In correcting faults he must avoid sarcasm and above all abuse: for teachers whose rebukes seem to imply positive dislike discourage industry.
432	Ipse aliquid immo multa cotidie dicat , quae secum auditores referant . Licet enim satis exemplorum ad imitandum ex lectione suppeditet , tamen viva illa , ut dicitur , vox alit plenius praecipueque eius praeceptoris , quem discipuli , si modo recte sunt instituti , et amant et verentur . Vix autem dici potent , quanto libentius imitemur eos , quibus favemus .	He should declaim daily himself and, what is more, without stint, that his class may take his utterances home with them. For however many models for imitation he may give them from the authors they are reading, it will still be found that fuller nourishment is provided by the living voice, as we call it, more especially when it proceeds from the teacher himself, who, if his pupils are rightly instructed, should be the object of their affection and respect. And it is scarcely possible to say how much more readily we imitate those whom we like.
433	Minime vero permittenda pueris , ut fit apud plerosque , adsurgendi exultandique in laudando licentia ; quin etiam iuvenum modicum esse , cum audient , testimonium debet . Ita fiet , ut ex iudicio praeceptoris discipulus pendeat ,	I strongly disapprove of the prevailing practice of allowing boys to stand up or leap from the seats in the expression of their applause. Young men, even when they are listening to others, should be temperate in manifesting their approval. If this be insisted upon, the pupil will depend on his instructor's verdict and will take his approval as a guarantee that he has spoken well.
434	atque id se dixisse recte , quod ab eo probabitur , credat . Illa vero vitiosissima , quae iam humanitas vocatur , invicem qualiacunque laudandi , cum est indecora et theatralis et severe institutis scholis aliena , tum studiorum perniciosissima hostis . Supervacua enim videntur cura ac labor , parata , quidquid effuderint ,	The worst form of politeness, as it has come to be called, is that of mutual and indiscriminate applause, a practice which is unseemly, theatrical and unworthy of a decently disciplined school, in addition to being the worst foe to genuine study. For if every effusion is greeted with a storm of ready-made applause, care and industry come to be regarded as superfluous.
435	laude . Vultum igitur praeceptoris intueri tam , qui audiunt , debent , quam ipse qui dicit ; ita enim probanda atque improbanda discernet ,	The audience no less than the speaker should therefore keep their eyes fixed on their teacher's face, since thus they will learn to distinguish between what is praiseworthy and what is not: for just as writing gives facility, so listening begets the critical faculty.
436	si stilo facultas continget , auditione indicium . At nunc proni atque succincti ad omnem clausulam non exsurgunt modo uerum etiam excurrunt et cum indecora exultatione conclamant . Id mutuum est et ibi declamationis fortuna . Hinc tumor et vana de se persuasio usque adeo , ut illo condiscipulorum tumultu inflati , si parum a praeceptore laudentur , ipsi de illo male sentiant .	But in the schools of to-day we see boys stooping forward ready to spring to their feet: at the close of each period they not merely rise, but rush forward with shouts of unseemly enthusiasm. Such compliments are mutual and the success of a declamation consists in this kind of applause. The result is vanity and empty self-sufficiency, carried to such an extent that, intoxicated by the wild enthusiasm of their fellow-pupils, they conceive a spite against their master, if his praise does not come up to their expectation.
437	Sed se quoque praeceptores intente ac modeste audiri velint ; non enim iudicio discipulorum dicere debet magister sed discipulus magistri . Quin , si fieri potest , intendendus animus in hoc quoque , ut perspiciat , quae quisque et quomodo laudet , et placere , quae bene dicet , non suo magis quam eorum nomine delectetur , qui recte iudicabunt .	But teachers must also insist on receiving an attentive and quiet hearing from the class when they themselves declaim. For the master should not speak to suit his pupil's standard, but they should speak to suit his. Further he should, if possible, keep his eyes open to note the points which each boy praises and observe the manner in which he expresses his approval, and should rejoice that his words give pleasure not only for his own sake, but for that of those who show sound judgment in their appreciation.
438	Pueros adolescentibus permixtos sedere , non placet mihi . Nam etiamsi vir talis , qualem esse oportet studiis moribusque praepositum , modestam habere potest etiam iuventutem , tamen vel infirmitas a robustioribus separanda est , et carendum non solum crimine turpitudinis verum etiam suspicione .	I do not approve of boys sitting mixed with young men. For even if the teacher be such an one as we should desire to see in charge of the morals and studies of the young, and can keep his youthful pupils under proper control, it is none the less desirable to keep the weaker members separate from the more mature, and to avoid not only the actual charge of corruption but the merest suspicion of it.
439	Haec notanda breviter existimavi ; nam ut absit ab ultimis vitiis ipse ac schola , ne praecipiendum quidem credo . Ac si quis est , qui flagitia manifesta in eligendo filii praeceptore non vitet , iam hinc sciat cetera quoque , quae ad utilitatem iuventutis componere conamur , esse sibi hac parte omissa supervacua .	I have thought it worth while to put my views on this subject quite briefly. For I do not think it necessary even to warn the teacher that both he and his school must be free from the grosser vices. And should there be any father who does not trouble to choose a teacher for his son who is free from the obvious taint of immorality, he may rest assured that all the other precepts, which I am attempting to lay down for the benefit of our youth, will be absolutely useless to him, if he neglects this.
440	Ne illorum quidem persuasio silentio transeunda est , qui , etiam cum idoneos rhetori pueros putaverunt , non tamen continuo tradendos eminentissimo credunt , sed apud minores aliquamdiu detinent , tanquam instituendis artibus magis sit apta mediocritas praeceptoris , cum ad intellectum atque ad imitationem facilior tum ad suscipiendas elementorum molestias minus superba .	III. I do not think that I should pass by in silence even the opinion of those who, even when they regard boys as ripe for the rhetorician, still do not think that they should at once be placed under the most eminent teacher available, but prefer to keep them for a while under inferior masters, on the ground that in the elementary stages a mediocre instructor is easier to understand and to imitate, and less reluctant to undertake the tiresome task of teaching the rudiments as being beneath his notice.
441	Qua in re mihi non arbitror diu laborandum , ut ostendam , quanto sit melius optimis imbui , quanta in eluendis quae semel insederint vitiis difficultas consequatur , cum geminatum onus succedentes premat et quidem edocendi gravius ac prius quam docendi .	I do not think that I need waste much time in pointing out how much better it is to absorb the best possible principles, or how hard it is to get rid of faults which have once become engrained; for it places a double burden on the shoulders of the later teacher and the preliminary task of unteaching is harder than that of teaching.
442	Propter quod Timotheum clarum in arte tibiarum ferunt duplices ab iis , quos alius instituisset , solitum exigere mercedes , quam si rudes traderentur . Error tamen est in re duplex : unus , quod interim sufficere illos minores existimant , et bono sane stomacho contenti sunt ;	It is for this reason that the famous piper Timotheus is said to have demanded from those who had previously been under another master a fee double the amount which he charged for those who came to him untaught. The mistake to which I am referring is, however, twofold. First they regard these inferior teachers as adequate for the time being and are content with their instruction because they have a stomach that will swallow anything:
443	quae quanquam est ipsa reprehensione digna securitas , tamen esset utcunque tolerabilis , si eiusmodi praeceptores minus docerent non peius ; alter ille etiam frequentior , quod eos , qui ampliorem dicendi facultatem sint consecuti , non putant ad minora descendere , idque interim fieri , quia fastidiant praestare hanc inferioribus curam ,	this indifference, though blameworthy in itself, would yet be tolerable, if the teaching provided by these persons were merely less in quantity and not inferior in quality as well. Secondly, and this is a still commoner delusion, they think that those who are blest with greater gifts of speaking will not condescend to the more elementary details, and that consequently they sometimes disdain to give attention to such inferior subjects of study and sometimes are incapable of so doing.
444	interim quia omnino non possint . Ego porro eum qui nolit in numero praecipientium non habeo , posse autem maxime , si velit , optimum quemque contendo ; primum , quod eum , qui eloquentia ceteris praestet , illa quoque , per quae ad eloquentiam pervenitur , diligentissime percepisse credibile est ;	For my part I regard the teacher who is unwilling to attend to such details as being unworthy of the name of teacher: and as for the question of capacity, I maintain that it is the most capable man who, given the will, is able to do this with most efficiency. For in the first place it is a reasonable inference that a man blest with abnormal powers of eloquence will have made careful note of the various steps by which eloquence is attained, and in the second place the reasoning faculty,
445	deinde , quia plurimum in praecipiendo valet ratio , quae doctissimo cuique plenissima est ; postremo , quia nemo sic in maioribus eminet , ut eum minora deficiant . Nisi forte Iovem quidem Phidias optime fecit , illa autem , quae in ornamentum operis eius accedunt , alius melius elaborasset , aut orator loqui nesciet aut leviores morbos curare non poterit praestantissimus medicus .	which is specially developed in learned men, is all-important in teaching, while finally no one is eminent in the greater things of his art if he be lacking in the lesser. Unless indeed we are asked to believe that while Phidias modelled his Jupiter to perfection, the decorative details of the statue would have been better executed by another artist, or that an orator does not know how to speak, or a distinguished physician is incapable of treating minor ailments.
446	Quid ergo ? non est quaedam eloquentia maior quam ut eam intellectu consequi puerilis infirmitas possit ? Ego vero confiteor : sed hunc disertum praeceptorem prudentem quoque et non ignarum docendi esse oportebit summittentem se ad mensuram discentis ; ut velocissimus quoque , si forte iter cum parvulo faciat , det manum et gradum suum minuat nec procedat ultra quam comes possit .	"Yes" it may be answered " but surely you do not deny that there is a type of eloquence that is too great to be comprehended by undeveloped boys? " Of course there is. But this eloquent teacher whom they fling in my face must be a sensible man with a good knowledge of teaching and must be prepared to stoop to his pupil's level, just as a rapid walker, if walking with a small child, will give him his hand and lessen his own speed and avoid advancing at a pace beyond the powers of his little companion.
447	Quid ? si plerumque accidit ut faciliora sint ad intelligendum et lucidiora multo , quae a doctissimo quoque dicuntur ? Nam et prima est eloquentiae virtus perspicuitas , et quo quis ingenio minus valet , hoc se magis attollere et dilatare conatur , ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur et plura infirmi minantur .	Again it frequently happens that the more learned the teacher, the more lucid and intelligible is his instruction. For clearness is the first virtue of eloquence, and the less talented a man is, the more he will strive to exalt and dilate himself, just as short men tend to walk on tip-toe and weak men to use threats.
448	Nam tumidos et corruptos et tinnulos et quocunque alio cacozeliae genere peccantes certum habeo non virium sed infirmitatis vitio laborare , ut corpora non robore sed valetudine inflantur et recto itinere lassi plerumque devertunt . Erit ergo etiam obscurior , quo quisque deterior .	As for those whose style is inflated or vicious, and whose language reveals a passion for high-sounding words or labours under any other form of affectation, in my opinion they suffer not from excess of strength but of weakness, like bodies swollen not with the plumpness of health but with disease, or like men who weary of the direct road betake them to bypaths. Consequently the worse a teacher is, the harder he will be to understand.
449	Non excidit mihi , scripsisse me in libro priore , cum potiorem in scholis eruditionem esse quam domi dicerem , libentius se prima studia tenerosque profectus ad imitationem condiscipulorum , quae facilior esset , erigere ; quod a quibusdam sic accipi potest , tanquam haec , quam nunc tueor ,	I have not forgotten that I stated in the preceding book, when I urged that school was preferable to home education, that pupils at the commencement of their studies, when progress is as yet but in the bud, are more disposed to imitate their schoolfellows than their masters, since such imitation comes more easily to them. Some of my readers may think that the view which I am now maintaining is inconsistent with my previous statement.
450	sententia priori diversa sit . Id a me procul aberit ; namque ea causa vel maxima est , cur optimo cuique praeceptori sit tradendus puer , quod apud eum discipuli quoque melius instituti aut dicent , quod inutile non sit imitari , aut si quid erraverint , statim corrigentur ;	But I am far from being inconsistent: for my previous assertion affords the strongest reason for selecting the very best teachers for our boys; since pupils of a first rate master, having received a better training, will when they speak say something that may be worthy of imitation, while if they commit some mistake, they will be promptly corrected. But the incompetent teacher on the other hand is quite likely to give his approval to faulty work and by the judgment which he expresses to force approval on the audience.
451	at indoctus ille etiam probabit fortasse vitiosa et placere audientibus iudicio suo coget . Sit ergo tam eloquentia quam moribus praestantissimus , qui ad Phoenicis Homerici exemplum dicere ac facere doceat .	The teacher should therefore be as distinguished for his eloquence as for his good character, and like Phoenix in the Iliad be able to teach his pupil both how to behave and how to speak.
452	Hinc iam , quas primas in docendo partes rhetorum putem , tradere incipiam , dilata parumper illa quae sola vulgo vocatur arte rhetorica . Ac mihi opportunus maxime videtur ingressus ab eo , cuius aliquid simile apud grammaticos puer didicerit .	I shall now proceed to indicate what I think should be the first subjects in which the rhetorician should give instruction, and shall postpone for a time our consideration of the art of rhetoric in the narrow sense in which that term is popularly used. For in my opinion it is most desirable that we should commence with something resembling the subjects already acquired under the teacher of literature.
453	Et quia narrationum , excepta qua in causis utimur , tres accepimus species , fabulam , quae versatur in tragoediis atque carminibus , non a veritate modo sed etiam a forma veritatis remota ; argumentum , quod falsum sed vero simile comoediae fingunt ; historiam , in qua est gestae rei expositio ; grammaticis autem poeticas dedimus :	Now there are three forms of narrative, without counting the type used in actual legal cases. First there is the fictitious narrative as we get it in tragedies and poems, which is not merely not true but has little resemblance to truth. Secondly, there is the realistic narrative as presented by comedies, which, though not true, has yet a certain verisimilitude. Thirdly there is the historical narrative, which is an exposition of actual fact. Poetic narratives are the property of the teacher of literature. The rhetorician therefore should begin with the historical narrative, whose force is in proportion to its truth.
454	apud rhetorem initium sit historica , tanto robustior quanto verior . Sed narrandi quidem quae nobis optima ratio videatur , tum demonstrabimus , cum de iudiciali parte dicemus . Interim admonere illud satis est , ut sit ea neque arida prorsus atque ieiuna , ( nam quid opus erat tantum studiis laboris impendere , si res nudas atque inornatas indicare satis videretur ? ) neque rursus sinuosa et arcessitis descriptionibus , in quas plerique imitatione poeticae licentiae ducuntur , lasciviat .	I will, however, postpone my demonstration of what I regard as the best method of narration till I come to deal with narration as required in the courts. In the meantime, it will be sufficient to urge that it should be neither dry nor jejune (for why spend so much labour over our studies if a bald and naked statement of fact is regarded as sufficiently expressive?); nor on the other hand must it be tortuous or revel in elaborate descriptions, such as those in which so many are led to indulge by a misguided imitation of poetic licence.
455	Vitium utrumque , peius tamen illud , quod ex inopia quam quod ex copia venit . Nam in pueris oratio perfecta nec exigi nec sperari potest ; melior autem indoles laeta generosique conatus et vel plura iusto concipiens interim spiritus .	Both these extremes are faults; but that which springs from poverty of wit is worse than that which is due to imaginative excess. For we cannot demand or expect a perfect style from boys. But there is greater promise in a certain luxuriance of mind, in ambitious effort and an ardour that leads at times to ideas bordering on the extravagant.
456	Nec unquam me in his discentis annis offendat , si quid superfuerit . Quin ipsis quoque doctoribus hoc esse curae velim , ut teneras adhuc mentes more nutricum mollius alant et satiari velut quodam iucundioris disciplinae lacte patiantur .	I have no objection to a little exuberance in the young learner. Nay, I would urge teachers too like nurses to be careful to provide softer food for still undeveloped minds and to suffer them to take their fill of the milk of the more attractive studies. For the time being the body may be somewhat plump, but maturer years will reduce it to a sparer habit.