Institutio Oratoria |
Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
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| 2585 |
Sed , quanquam generis unius , diversas species habet . Est enim quaedam praemunitio , qualis Ciceronis contra Q . Caecilium , quod ad accusandum descendat qui semper defenderit ; quaedam confessio , ut pro Rabirio Postumo , quem sua quoque sententia reprehendendum fatetur , quod pecuniam regi crediderit ; quaedam praedictio , ut Dicam enim non augendi criminis gratia ; quaedam emendatio , ut Rogo , ignoscatis mihi , si longius sum evectus ; frequentissima praeparatio , cum pluribus verbis , vel quare facturi quid simus vel quare fecerimus , dici solet .
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However, it forms a genus in itself, and has several different species. One of these is the defence by anticipation, such as Cicero employs against Quintus Caecilius, where he points out that though previously he himself has always appeared for the defence, he is now undertaking a prosecution. Another is a form of confession, such as he introduces in his defence of Rabirius Postumus, where he admits that he himself regards his client as worthy of censure for lending money to the king. Another takes the form of prediction, as in the phrase, "For I will say without any intention of aggravating the charge." Again, there is a form of self-correction, such as, "I beg you to pardon me, if I have been carried too far." And, most frequent of all, there is preparation, whereby we state fully why we are going to do something or have done it. |
| 2586 |
Verborum quoque vis ac proprietas confirmatur vel praesumptione : Quanquam illa non poena , sed prohibitio sceleris fuit ; aut reprehensione : Cives , inquam , si hoc eos nomine appellari fas est . Adfert aliquam fidem veritatis et dubitatio ,
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Anticipation may also be employed to establish the meaning or propriety of words, as in the following case, "Although that was not a punishment, but merely a prevention of crime," while the same effect may be produced by qualification, as in the following sentence, "Citizens, I say, if I may call them by that name." |
| 2587 |
cum simulamus quaerere nos , unde incipiendum , ubi desinendum , quid potissimum dicendum , an omnino dicendum sit ? Cuiusmodi exemplis plena sunt omnia , sed unum interim sufficit : Equidem , quod ad me attinet , quo me vertam nescio . Negem fuisse infamiam iudicii corrupti ? et cetera .
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Again, hesitation may lend an impression of truth to our statements, when, for example, we pretend to be at a loss, where to begin or end, or to decide what especially requires to be said or not to be said at all. All speeches are full of such instances, but for the present one will be enough. " As for myself, I know not where to turn. Shall I deny that there was a scandalous rumour that the jury had been bribed, etc.? " |
| 2588 |
Hoc etiam in praeteritum valet ; nam et dubitasse nos fingimus . A quo schemate non procul abest illa , quae dicitur communicatio , cum aut ipsos adversarios consulimus , ut Domitius Afer pro Cloatilla : Nescit trepida , quid liceat feminae , quid coniugem deceat ; forte vos in illa solitudine obvios casus miserae mulieri obtulit ; tu , frater , vos , paterni amici , quod consilium datis ?
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This device may also be employed to cover the past; for we may equally pretend that we had felt hesitation on the subject. This figure is akin to that known as communication, when we actually take our opponents into consultation, as Domitius Afer does in his defence of Cloatilla. " She is so agitated that she does not know what is permitted to a woman or what becomes a wife. It may be that chance has brought you into contact with the unhappy woman in her helpless plight. What counsel do you give her, you her brother, and you, her father's friends? " |
| 2589 |
aut cum iudicibus quasi deliberamus , quod est frequentissimum : Quid suadetis ? et Vos interrogo , et Quid tandem fieri oportuit ? et Cato , Cedo , si vos in eo loco essetis , quid aliud fecissetis ? Et alibi : Communem rem agi putatote ac vos huic rei praepositos esse .
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Or we may admit the judges to our deliberations, a device which is frequently called into play. We may say, "What do you advise?" or, "I ask you," or, "What, then, should have been done?" Cato, for example, says, "Come now, if you had been in his place, what else would you have done?" And in another passage, " Imagine this to be a matter which concerns us all, and assume you have been placed in charge of the whole affair. " |
| 2590 |
Sed nonnunquam communicantes aliquid inexspectatum subiungimus , quod et per se schema est , ut in Verrem Cicero , Quid deinde ? quid censetis ? Furtum fortasse aut praedam aliquam ? Deinde , cum diu suspendisset iudicum animos , subiecit , quod multo esset improbius . Hoc Celsus sustentationem vocat .
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Sometimes, however, in such forms of communication we may add something unexpected, a device which is in itself a figure, as Cicero does in the Verrines: "What then? What think you? Perhaps you expect to hear of some theft or plunder." Then, after keeping the minds of the judges in suspense for a considerable time, he adds something much worse. This figure is termed suspension by Celsus. It has two forms. |
| 2591 |
Est autem duplex ; nam contra frequenter , cum exspectationem gravissimorum fecimus , ad aliquid quod sit leve aut nullo modo criminosum descendimus . Sed quia non tantum per communicationem fieri solet , παράδοξον alii nominarunt , id est inopinatum .
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For we may adopt exactly the opposite procedure to that just mentioned, and after raising expectation of a sequel of the most serious nature, we may drop to something which is of a trivial character, and may even imply no offence at all. But since this does not necessarily involve any form of communication, some have given it the name of paradox or surprise. |
| 2592 |
Illis non accedo qui schema esse existimant etiam , si quid nobis ipsis dicamus inexspectatum accidisse , ut Pollio , Nunquam fore credidi , iudices , ut , reo Scauro , ne quid in eius iudicio gratia valeret , precarer .
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I do not agree with those who extend the name of figure to a statement that something has happened unexpectedly to the speaker himself, like the following passage from Pollio: " Gentlemen, I never thought it would come to pass that, when Scaurus was the accused, I should have to entreat you not to allow influence to carry any weight on his behalf. " |
| 2593 |
Paene idem fons est illius , quam permissionem vocant , qui communicationis , cum aliqua ipsis iudicibus relinquimus aestimanda , aliqua nonnunquam adversariis quoque , ut Calvus Vatinio , Perfrica frontem et dic te digniorem , qui praetor fieres , quam Catonem .
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The figure known as concession springs from practically the same source as communication; it occurs when we leave some things to the judgment of the jury, or even in some cases of our opponents, as when Calvus says to Vatinius, " Summon all your assurance and assert that you have a better claim than Cato to be elected praetor. " |
| 2594 |
Quae vero sunt augendis adfectibus accommodatae figurae , constant maxime simulatione . Namque et irasci nos et gaudere et timere et admirari et dolere et indignari et optare , quaeque sunt similia his , fingimus . Unde sunt illa , Liberatus sum : respiravi ; et Bene habet ; et Quae amentia est haec ? et O tempora , o mores ! et Miserum me ! consumptis enim lacrimis infixus tamen pectori haeret dolor ; et " Magnae nunc hiscite terrae . "
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The figures best adapted for intensifying emotion consist chiefly in simulation. For we may feign that we are angry, glad, afraid, filled with wonder, grief or indignation, or that we wish something, and so on. Hence we get passages like the following: "I am free, I breathe again," or, "It is well," or, "What madness is this?" or, "Alas! for these degenerate days!" or, " Woe is me; for though all my tears are shed my grief still clings to me deep-rooted in my heart, " or, "Gape now, wide earth." To this some give the name of exclamation, |
| 2595 |
Quod exclamationem quidam vocant ponuntque inter figuras orationis . Haec quotiens vera sunt , non sunt in ea forma , de qua nunc loquimur , at simulata et arte composita procul dubio schemata sunt existimanda . Quod idem dictum sit de oratione libera , quam Cornificius licentiam vocat , Graeci παῤῥησίαν . Quid enim minus figuratum quam vera libertas ? Sed frequenter sub hac facie latet adulatio .
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and include it among figures of speech. When, however, such exclamations are genuine, they do not come under the head of our present topic: it is only those which are simulated and artfully designed which can with any certainty be regarded as figures. The same is true of free speech, which Corificius calls licence, and the Greeks παῤῥησία. For what has less of the figure about it than true freedom? On the other hand, freedom of speech may frequently be made a cloak for flattery. |
| 2596 |
Nam Cicero cum dicit pro Ligario , Suscepto bello , Caesar , gesto iam etiam ex parte magna , nulla vi coactus consilio ac uoluntate mea ad ea arma profectus sum , quae erant sumpta contra te , non solum ad utilitatem Ligarii respicit , sed magis laudare victoris clementiam non potest .
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For when Cicero in his defence for Ligarius says, " After war had begun, Caesar, and was well on its way to a conclusion, I deliberately, of my own free will and under no compulsion, joined the forces of your opponents, " he has in his mind something more than a desire to serve the interests of Ligarius, for there is no better way of praising the clemency of the victor. |
| 2597 |
In illa vero sententia , Quid autem aliud egimus , Tubero , nisi ut , quod hic potest , nos possemus ? admirabiliter utriusque partis facit bonam causam , sed hoc eum demeretur , cuius mala fuerat . Illa adhuc audaciora et maiorum ( ut Cicero existimat ) laterum , fictiones personarum , quae προσωποποιΐαι dicuntur . Mire namque cum variant orationem , tum excitant .
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On the other hand, in the sentence, "What else was our aim, Tubero, than that we might secure the power which he now holds?" he succeeds with admirable art in representing the cause of both parties as being good, and in so doing mollifies him whose cause was really bad. A bolder form of figure, which in Cicero's opinion demands greater effort, is impersonation, or προσωποποιΐα This is a device which lends wonderful variety and animation to oratory. |
| 2598 |
His et adversariorum cogitationes velut secum loquentium protrahimus ( qui tamen ita demum a fide non abhorrent , si ea locutos finxerimus , quae cogitasse eos non sit absurdum ) , et nostros cum aliis sermones et aliorum inter se credibiliter introducimus , et suadendo , obiurgando , querendo , laudando , miserando personas idoneas damus .
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By this means we display the inner thoughts of our adversaries as though they were talking with themselves (but we shall only carry conviction if we represent them as uttering what they may reasonably be supposed to have had in their minds); or without sacrifice of credibility we may introduce conversations between ourselves and others, or of others among themselves, and put words of advice, reproach, complaint, praise or pity into the mouths of appropriate persons. |
| 2599 |
Quin deducere deos in hoc genere dicendi et inferos excitare concessum est ; urbes etiam populique vocem accipiunt . Ac sunt quidam , qui has demum προσωποποιΐας dicant , in quibus et corpora et verba fingimus ; sermones hominum adsimulatos dicere διαλόγους malunt , quod Latinorum quidam dixerunt sermocinationem .
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Nay, we are even allowed in this form of speech to bring down the gods from heaven and raise the dead, while cities also and peoples may find a voice. There are some authorities who restrict the term imepersonation to cases where both persons and words are fictitious, and prefer to call imaginary conversations between men by the Greek name of dialogue, which some translate by the Latin semnocinatio. |
| 2600 |
Ego iam recepto more utrumque eodem modo appellavi . Nam certe sermo fingi non potest , ut non personae sermo fingatur . Sed in his , quae natura non permittit , hoc modo mollior fit figura : Etenim si mecum patria , quae mihi vita mea multo est carior , si cuncta Italia , si omnis res publica sic loquatur , ' M . Tulli , quid agis ? ' Illud audacius genus : Quae tecum , Catilina , sic agit et quodammodo tacita loquitur , ' Nullum iam aliquot annis facinus exstitit nisi per te . '
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For my own part, I have included both under the same generally accepted term, since we cannot imagine a speech without we also imagine a person to utter it. But when we lend a voice to things to which nature has denied it, we may soften down the figure in the way illustrated by the following passage: " For if my country, which is far dearer to me than life itself, if all Italy, if the whole commonwealth were to address me thus, 'Marcus Tullius, what dost thou? " A bolder figure of the same kind may be illustrated by the following: " Your country, Catiline, pleads with you thus, and though she utters never a word, cries to you, 'For not a few years past no crime has come to pass save through your doing!' " |
| 2601 |
Commode etiam aut nobis aliquas ante oculos esse rerum , personarum , vocum imagines fingimus , aut eadem adversariis aut iudicibus non accidere miramur : qualia sunt Videtur mihi , et Nonne videtur tibi ? Sed magna quaedam vis eloquentiae desideratur . Falsa enim et incredibilia natura necesse est aut magis moveant , quia supra vera sunt , aut pro vanis accipiantur , quia vera non sunt .
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It is also convenient at times to pretend that we have before our eyes the images of things, persons or utterances, or to marvel that the same is not the case with our adversaries or the judges; it is with this design that we use phrases such as "It seems to me," or "Does it not seem to you?" But such devices make a great demand on our powers of eloquence. For with things which are false and incredible by nature there are but two alternatives: either they will move our hearers with exceptional force because they are beyond the truth, or they will be regarded as empty nothings because they are not the truth. |
| 2602 |
Ut dicta autem quaedam , ita scripta quoque fingi solent , quod facit Asinius pro Liburnia : Mater mea , quae mihi cum carissima , tum dulcissima fuit , quaeque mihi vixit bisque eodem die vitam dedit et reliqua ; deinde exheres esto .Haec cum per se figura est , tum duplicatur , quotiens sicut in hac causa ad imitationem alterius scripturae componitur .
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But we may introduce not only imaginary sayings, but imaginary writings as well, as is done by Asinius in his defence of Liburnia: " Let my mother, who was the object of my love and my delight, who lived for me and gave me life twice in one day (and so on) inherit nought of my property. " This is in itself a figure, and is doubly so whenever, as in the present case, it imitates a document produced by the opposing party. |
| 2603 |
Nam contra recitabatur testamentum : P . Novanius Gallio , cui ego omnia meritissimo volo et debeo pro eius animi in me summa voluntate et adiectis deinceps aliis , heres esto .Incipit esse quodammodo παρῳδή , quod nomen ductum a canticis ad aliorum similitudinem modulatis abusive etiam in versificationis ac sermonum imitatione servatur .
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For a will had been read out by the prosecution, in the following form: " Let Publius Novanius Gallio, to whom as my benefactor I will and owe all that is good, as a testimony to the great affection which he has borne me (then follow other details) be my heir. " In this case the figure borders on parody, a name drawn from songs sung in imitation of others, but employed by an abuse of language to designate imitation in verse or prose. |
| 2604 |
Sed formas quoque fingimus saepe , ut Famam Vergilius , ut Voluptatem ac Virtutem ( quemadmodum a Xenophonte traditur ) Prodicus , ut Mortem ac Vitam , quas contendentes in satura tradit Ennius . Est et incertae personae ficta oratio , Hic aliquis , et , Dicat aliquis .
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Again, we often personify the abstract, as Virgil does with Fame, or as Xenophon records that Prodicus did with Virtue and Pleasure, or as Ennius does when, in one of his satires, he represents Life and Death contending with one another. We may also introduce some imaginary person without identifying him, as we do in the phrases, "At this point some one will interpose," or, "Some one will say." |
| 2605 |
Est et iactus sine persona sermo : " Hic Dolopum manus ., hic saeuus tendebat Achilles . " Quod fit mixtura figurarum , cum προσωποποιΐᾳ accedit illa , quae est orationis per detractionem ; detractum est enim , quis diceret . Vertitur interim προσωποποιΐα in speciem narrandi . Unde apud historicos reperiuntur obliquae adlocutiones , ut in T . Livii primo statim , Urbes quoque ut cetera ex infimo nasci ; deinde , quas sua virtus ac dii iuvent , magnas opes sibi magnumque nomen facere .
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Or speech may be inserted without any mention of the speaker, as in the line: "Here the Dolopian host Camped, here the fierce Achilles pitched his tent." This involves a mixture of figures, since to impersonalion we add the figure known as ellipse, which in this case consists in the omission of any indication as to who is speaking. At times impersonation takes the form of narrative. Thus we find indirect speeches in the historians, as at the opening of Livy's first book : " That cities, like other things, spring from the humblest origins, and that those who are helped by their own valour and the favour of heaven subsequently win great power and a great name for themselves. " Apostrophe also, |
| 2606 |
Aversus quoque a iudice sermo , qui dicitur ἀποστροφή mire movet , sive aduersarios invadimus : Quid enim tuus ille , Tubero , in acie Pharsalica ? sive ad invocationem aliquam convertimur : Vos enim iam ego , Albani tumuli atque luci ; sive ad invidiosam implorationem : O leges Porciae legesque Semproniae !Sed illa quoque vocatur aversio ,
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which consists in the diversion of our address from the judge, is wonderfully stirring, whether we attack our adversary as in the passage, "What was that sword of yours doing, Tubero, in the field of Pharsalus?" or turn to make some invocation such as, "For I appeal to you, hills and groves of Alba," or to entreaty that will bring odium on our opponents, as in the cry, "O Porcian and Sempronian laws." |
| 2607 |
quae a proposita quaestione abducit audientem : " Non ego cum Danais Troianam excindere gentem Aulide iuravi —. " Quod fit et multis et variis figuris , cum aut aliud exspectasse nos aut maius aliquid timuisse simulamus aut plus videri posse ignorantibus , quale est prooemium pro Caelio .
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But the term apostrophe is also applied to utterances that divert the attention of the hearer from the question before them, as in the following passage: "I swore not with the Greeks At Aulis to uproot the race of Troy." There are a number of different figures by which this effect may be produced. We may, for instance, pretend that we expected something different or feared some greater disaster, or that the judges in their ignorance of the facts may regard some point as of more importance than it really is: an example of this latter device is to be found in the exordium to Cicero's defence of Caelius. |
| 2608 |
Ilia vero , ut ait Cicero , sub oculos subiectio tum fieri solet , cum res non gesta indicatur , sed ut sit gesta ostenditur , nec universa , sed per partes ; quem locum proximo libro subiecimus evidentiae , et Celsus hoc nomen isti figurae dedit . Ab allis ὑποτύπωσις dicitur proposita quaedam forma rerum ita expressa verbis , ut cerni potius videatur quam audiri : Ipse inflammatus scelere et furore in forum venit , ardebant oculi , toto ex ore crudelitas eminebat .
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With regard to the figure which Cicero calls ocular denonstration, this comes into play when we do not restrict ourselves to mentioning that something was done, but proceed to show how it was done, and do so not merely on broad general lines, but in full detail. In the last book I classified this figure under the head of vivid illustration, while Celsus actually terms it by this name. Others give the name of ὑποτύπωσις to any representation of facts which is made in such vivid language that they appeal to the eye rather than the ear. The following will show what I mean: " He came into the forum on fire with criminal madness: his eyes blazed and cruelty was written in every feature of his countenance. " |
| 2609 |
Nec solum quae facta sint aut fiant , sed etiam quae futura sint aut futura fuerint imaginamur . Mire tractat hoc Cicero pro Milone , quae facturus fuerit Clodius , si praeturam invasisset . Sed haec quidem translatio temporum , quae proprie μετάστασις dicitur , ιν διατυπώσει verecundior apud priores fuit . Praeponebant enim talia , Credite vos intueri , ut Cicero , Haec , quae non vidistis oculis , animis cernere potestis .
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Nor is it only past or present actions which we may imagine: we may equally well present a picture of what is likely to happen or might have happened. This is done with extraordinary skill by Cicero in his defence of Milo, where he shows what Clodius would have done, had he succeeded in securing the praetorship. But this transference of time, which is technically called μετάστασις was more modestly used in vivid description by the old orators. For they would preface it by words such as "Imagine that you see" : take, for example, the words of Cicero : "Though you cannot see this with your bodily eyes, you can see it with the mind's eye." |
| 2610 |
Novi vero et praecipue declamatores audacius nec mehercule sine motu quodam imaginantur , ut et Seneca in controversia , cuius summa est , quod pater filium et novercam inducente altero filio in adulterio deprehensos occidit : Duc , sequor ; accipe hanc senilem manum et quocunque vis imprime .
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Modern authors, however, more especially the declaimers, are bolder, indeed they show the utmost animation in giving rein to their imagination; witness the following passages from Seneca's treatment of the controversial theme in which a father, guided by one of his sons, finds another son in the act of adultery with his stepmother and kills both culprits. "Lead me, I follow, take this old hand of mine and direct it where you will." |
| 2611 |
Et post paulo , Aspice , inquit , quod diu non credidisti . Ego vero non video , nox oboritur et crassa caligo . Habet haec figura manifestius aliquid ; non enim narrari res , sed agi videtur .
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And a little later, " See, he says, what for so long you refused to believe. As for myself, I cannot see, night and thick darkness veil my eyes. " This figure is too dramatic: for the story seems to be acted, not narrated. |
| 2612 |
Locorum quoque dilucida et significans descriptio eidem virtuti adsignatur a quibusdam ; alii τοπογραφίαν dicunt . Εἰρωνείαν inveni qui dissimulationem vocaret ; quo nomine quia parum totius huius figurae vires videntur ostendi , nimirum sicut in plerisque erimus Graeca appellatione contenti . Igitur Εἰρωνεία quae est schema , ab illa , quae est tropos , genere ipso nihil admodum distat ; ( in utroque enim contrarium ei quod dicitur intelligendum est ) species vero prudentius intuenti diversas esse facile est deprehendere . Primum ,
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Some include the clear and vivid description of places under the same heading, while others call it topography. I have found some who speak of irony as dissimulation, but, in view of the fact that this latter name does not cover the whole range of this figure, I shall follow my general rule and rest content with the Greek term. Irony involving a figure does not differ from the irony which is a trope, as far as its genus is concerned, since in both cases we understand something which is the opposite of what is actually said; on the other hand, a careful consideration of the species of irony will soon reveal the fact that they differ. |
| 2613 |
quod tropos apertior est et , quanquam aliud dicit ac sentit , non aliud tamen simulat . Nam et omnia circa fere recta sunt : ut illud in Catilinam , A quo repudiatus ad sodalem tuum , virum optimum , Metellum demigrasti .In duobus demum verbis est ironia , ergo etiam brevior est tropos .
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In the first place, the trope is franker in its meaning, and, despite the fact that it implies something other than it says, makes no pretence about it. For the context as a rule is perfectly clear, as, for example, in the following passage from the Catilinarian orations. "Rejected by him, you migrated to your boon-companion, that excellent gentleman Metellus." In this case the irony lies in two words, and is therefore a specially concise form of trope. |
| 2614 |
At in figura totius voluntatis fictio est apparens magis quam confessa , ut illic verba sint verbis diversa , hic sensus sermoni et voci et tota interim causae conformatio ; cum etiam vita universa ironiam habere videatur , qualis est visa Socratis ; nam ideo dictus εἴρων , agens imperitum et admiratorem aliorum tanquam sapientium ; ut , quemadmodum ἀλληγορίαν facit continua μεταφορὰ sic hoc schema faciat tropos ille contextus .
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But in the figurative form of irony the speaker disguises his entire meaning, the disguise being apparent rather than confessed. For in the trope the conflict is purely verbal, while in the figure the meaning, and sometimes the whole aspect of our case, conflicts with the language and the tone of voice adopted; nay, a man's whole life may be coloured with irony, as was the case with Socrates, who was called an ironist because he assumed the role of an ignorant man lost in wonder at the wisdom of others. Thus, as continued metaphor develops into allegory, so a sustained series of tropes develops into this figure. |
| 2615 |
Quaedam vero genera huius figurae nullam cum tropis habent societatem , ut illa statim prima , quae dicitur a negando , quam nonnulli ἀντίφρασιν vocant : Non agam tecum iure summo , non dicam , quod forsitan obtinerem ; et Quid ego istius decreta , quid rapinas , quid hereditatum possessiones datas , quid ereptas proferam ? et Mitto illam primam libidinis iniuriam , et Ne illa quidem testimonia recito , quae dicta sunt de HS sescentis milibus , et Possum dicere .
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There are, however, certain kinds of this figure which have no connexion with tropes. In the first place, there is the figure which derives its name from negation and is called by some ἀντίφρασις. Here is an example: " I will not plead against you according to the rigour of the law, I will not press the point which I should perhaps be able to make good " ; or again, " Why should I mention his decrees, his acts of plunder, his acquisition, whether by cession or by force, of certain inheritances? " or "I say nothing of the first wrong inflicted by his lust" ; or "I do not even propose to produce the evidence given concerning the 600,000 sesterces" ; |
| 2616 |
Quibus generibus per totas interim quaestiones decurrimus : ut Cicero , Hoc ego si sic agerem , tanquam mihi modi esset diluendum , haec pluribus dicerem . Εἰρωνεία est , et cum similes imperantibus vel permittentibus sumus : " I , sequere Italiam venti ; " et cum ea ,
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or "I might say, etc." Such kinds of irony may even be sustained at times through whole sections of our argument, as, for instance, where Cicero says, " If I were to plead on this point as though there were some real charge to refute, I should speak at greater length. " It is also irony when we assume the tone of command or concession, as in Virgil's "Go! Follow the winds to Italy;" |
| 2617 |
quae nolumus videri in adversariis esse , concedimus eis . Id acrius fit , cum eadem in nobis sunt et in adversario non sunt : " Meque timoris Argue tu , Drance , quando tot caedis acervos Teucrorum tua dextra dedit . " Quod idem contra valet , cum aut ea , quae a nobis absunt , aut etiam quae in aduersarios recidunt , quasi fatemur : " Me duce Dardanius Spartam expugnauit adulter . " Nec in personis tantum ,
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or when we concede to our opponents qualities which we are unwilling that they should seem to possess. This is specially effective when we possess these qualities and they do not, as in the following passage, " Brand me as coward, Drances, since thy sword Has slain such hosts of Trojans." A like result is produced by reversing this method when we pretend to own to faults which are not ours or which even recoil upon the heads of our opponents, as for example, "'Twas I that led the Dardan gallant on To storm the bridal bed of Sparta's queen!" |
| 2618 |
sed et in rebus versatur haec contraria dicendi quam quae intelligi velis ratio , ut totum pro Quinto Ligario prooemium et illae elevationes : Videlicet , O dii boni ! — " Scilicet is superis labor est . " — et ille pro Oppio locus :
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Further, this device of saying the opposite of what we desire to imply is not merely restricted to persons, but may be extended to things, witness the whole of the exordium of the pro Ligario and disparaging phrases such as "Forsooth, "ye great gods!" or "Fit task, I ween, for gods!" |
| 2619 |
O amorem mirum ! O benivolentiam singularem !Non procul absunt ab hac simulatione res inter se similes , confessio nihil nocitura , qualis est : Habes igitur , Tubero , quod est accusatori maxime optandum , confitentem reum ; et concessio , cum aliquid etiam iniquum videmur causae fiducia pati : Metum virgarum nauarchus nobilissimae civitatis pretio redemit : humanum est ; et pro Cluentio de invidia : Dominetur in contionibus , iaceat in iudiciis ; tertia consensio , ut pro eodem , iudicium esse corruptum .
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Another example is provided by the following passage from the pro Oppio, "What wondrous love! what extraordinary benevolence!" Akin to irony also are the following figures, which have a strong family resemblance: confession of a kind that can do our case no harm, such as the following : " You have now, Tubero, the advantage most desired by an accuser: the accused confesses his guilt " ; secondly, concession, when we pretend to admit something actually unfavourable to ourselves by way of showing our confidence in our cause, as in the following passage : " The commander of a ship from a distinguished city paid down a sum of money to rid himself of the fear of a scourging which hung over his head; it shows Verres' humanity " ; or again, in the pro Cluentio, where Cicero is speaking of the prejudice aroused against his client, "Let it prevail in the public assembly, but be silent in the courts of law" ; thirdly, agreement, as when Cicero, in the same speech, agrees that the jury was bribed. |
| 2620 |
Haec evidentior figura est , cum alicui rei assentimur , quae est futura pro nobis ; verum id accidere sine adversarii vitio non potest . Quaedam etiam velut laudamus , ut Cicero in Verrem circa crimen Apollonii Drepanitani : Gaudeo etiam , si quid ab eo abstulisti , et abs te nihil rectius factum esse dico . Interim augemus crimina ,
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This last form of figure becomes more striking when we agree to something which is really likely to tell in our favour; but such an opportunity can only occur through weakness on the part of our opponent Sometimes we may even praise some action of our opponent, as Cicero does in his prosecution of Verres when dealing with the charge in connexion with Apollonius of Drepanum: " Nay, it is a real pleasure to me to think that you took something from him, and I say that you never did a juster action in your life. " |
| 2621 |
quae ex facili aut diluere possimus aut negare , quod est frequentius quam ut exemplum desideret . Interim hoc ipso fidem detrahimus illis , quod sint tam gravia , ut pro Roscio Cicero , cum immanitatem parricidii quanquam per se manifestam tamen etiam vi orationis exaggerat . Ἀποσιώπησις ,
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At times we may exaggerate charges against ourselves which we can easily refute or deny; this device is too common to require any illustration. At other times we may by this same method make the charges brought against us seem incredible just because of their gravity: thus Cicero in his defence of Roscius, by the sheer force of his eloquence, exaggerates the horror of parricide, despite the fact that it requires no demonstration. |
| 2622 |
quam idem Cicero reticentiam , Celsus obticentiam , nonnulli interruptionem appellant , et ipsa ostendit aliquid adfectus vel irae , ut . " Quos ego —sed motos praestat componere fluctus ; " vel sollicitudinis et quasi religionis : An huius ille legis , quam Clodius a se inventam gloriatur , mentionem facere ausus esset vivo Milone , non dicam console ? de nostrum omnium — non audeo totum dicere ; cui simile est in prooemio pro Ctesiphonte Demosthenis .
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Aposiopesis, which Cicero calls reticentia, Celsus obticentia, and some interruptio, is used to indicate passion or anger, as in the line: "Whom I— But better first these billows to assuage." Or it may serve to give an impression of anxiety or scruple, as in the following: " Would he have dared to mention this law of which Clodius boasts he was the author, while Milo was alive, I will not say was consul? For as regards all of us—I do not dare to complete the sentence. " There is a similar instance in the exordium of Demosthenes' speech in defence of Ctesiphon. |