Institutio Oratoria |
Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
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| 2661 |
Quaesitum etiam est , quomodo responderi contra figuras oporteret . Et quidam semper ex diverso aperiendas putaverunt , sicut latentia vitia rescinduntur . Idque sane frequentissime faciendum est ; aliter enim dilui obiecta non possunt , utique cum quaestio in eo consistit , quod figurae petunt . At cum maledicta sunt tantum , et non intelligere interim bonae conscientiae est .
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It has also been asked how figures may best be met. Some hold that they should always be exposed by the antagonist, just as hidden ulcers are laid open by the surgeon. It is true that this is often the right course, being the only means of refuting the charges which have been brought against us, and this is more especially the case when the question turns on the very point at which the figures are directed. But when the figures are merely employed as vehicles of abuse, it will sometimes even be wisest to show that we have a clear conscience by ignoring them. |
| 2662 |
Atque etiam si fuerint crebriores figurae quam ut dissimulari possint , postulandum est , ut nescio quid illud , quod adversarii obliquis sententiis significare voluerint , si fiducia sit , obiiciant palam , aut certe non exigant ut , quod ipsi non audent dicere , id iudices non modo intelligant , sed etiam credant .
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Nay, even if too many figures have been used to permit us to take such a course, we may ask our opponents, if they have any confidence in the righteousness of their cause, to give frank and open expression to the charges which they have attempted to suggest by indirect hints, or at any rate to refrain from asking the judges not merely to understand, but even to believe things which they themselves are afraid to state in so many words. |
| 2663 |
Utilis aliquando etiam dissimulatio est , ut in eo ( nota enim fabula est ) , qui , cum esset contra eum dictum , Iura per paris tui cineres , paratum se esse respondit , et iudex condicione usus est , clamante multum advocato schemata de rerum natura tolli , ut protinus etiam praeceptum sit , eiusmodi figuris utendum temere non esse .
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It may even at times be found useful to pretend to misunderstand them; for which we may compare the well known story of the man who, when his opponent cried, "Swear by the ashes of your father," replied that he was ready to do so, whereupon the judge accepted the proposal, much to the indignation of the advocate, who protested that this would make the use of figures absolutely impossible; we may therefore lay it down as a general rule that such figures should only be used with the utmost caution. |
| 2664 |
Tertium est genus , in quo sola melius dicendi petitur occasio ; ideoque id Cicero non putat esse positum in contentione . Tale est illud , quo idem utitur in Clodium : Quibus iste , qui omnia sacrificia nosset , facile ab se deos placari posse arbitrabatur .
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There remains the third class of figure designed merely to enhance the elegance of our style, for which reason Cicero expresses the opinion that such figures are independent of the subject in dispute. As an illustration I may quote the figure which he uses in his speech against Clodius: " By these means he, being familiar with all our holy rites, thought that he might easily succeed in appeasing the gods. " |
| 2665 |
Ironia quoque in hoc genere materiae frequentissima est . Sed eruditissimum longe , si per aliam rem alia indicetur , ut adversus tyrannum , qui sub pacto abolitionis dominationem deposuerat , agit competitor , Mihi in te dicere non licet , tu in me die et potes ; nuper te volui occidere .
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Irony also is frequently employed in this connexion. But by far the most artistic device is to indicate one thing by allusion to another; take the case where a rival candidate speaks against an ex-tyrant who had abdicated on condition of his receiving an amnesty : " I am not permitted to speak against you. Do you speak against me, as you may. But a little while ago I wished to kill you. " |
| 2666 |
Frequens illud est nec magnopere captandum , quod petitur a iureiurando , ut pro exheredato , ita mihi contingat herede , filio mori .Nam et in totum iurare , nisi ubi necesse est , gravi viro parum convenit , et est a Seneca dictum eleganter , non patronorum hoc esse , sed testium . Nec meretur fidem qui sententiolae gratia iurat , nisi si potest tam bene quam Demosthenes , ut supra dixi .
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Another common device is to introduce an oath, like the speaker who, in defending a disinherited man, cried, "So may I die leaving a son to be my heir." But this is not a figure which is much to be recommended, for as a rule the introduction of an oath, unless it is absolutely necessary, is scarcely becoming to a self-respecting man. Seneca made a neat comment to this effect when he said that oaths were for the witness and not for the advocate. Again, the advocate who drags in an oath merely for the sake of some trivial rhetorical effect, does not deserve much credit, unless he can do this with the masterly effect achieved by Demosthenes, which I mentioned above. |
| 2667 |
Levissimum autem longe genus ex verbo , etiamsi est apud Ciceronem in Clodiam , Praesertim quam omnes amicam omnium potius quam cuiusquam inimicam putaverunt .
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But by far the most trivial form of figure is that which turns on a single word, although we find such a figure directed against Clodia by Cicero : " Especially when everybody thought her the friend of all men rather than the enemy of any. " |
| 2668 |
Comparationem equidem video figuram quoque esse , cum sit interim probationis , interim etiam causae genus , et sit talis eius forma , qualis est pro Murena , Vigilas tu de nocte , ut tuis consultoribus respondeas , ille , ut eo , quo contendit , mature cum exercitu perveniat ; te gallorum illum buccinarum cantus exsuscitat et cetera .
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I note that comparison is also regarded as a figure, although at times it is a form of proof, and at others the whole case may turn upon it, while its form may be illustrated by the following passage from the pro Murena: " You pass wakeful nights that you may be able to reply to your clients; he that he and his army may arrive betimes at their destination. You are roused by cockcrow, he by the bugle's reveille, " and so on. |
| 2669 |
Nescio an orationis potius quam sententiae sit . Id enim solum mutatur , quod non universa universis , sed singula singulis opponuntur . Et Celsus tamen et non negligens auctor Visellius in hac eam parte posuerunt , Rutilius quidem Lupus in utroque genere , idque ἀντίθετον vocat .
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I am not sure, however, whether it is so much a figure of thought as of speech. For the only difference lies in the fact that universals are not contrasted with universals, but particulars with particulars. Celsus, however, and that careful writer Visellius regard it as a figure of thought, while Rutilius Lupus regards it as belonging to both, and calls it antithesis. |
| 2670 |
Praeter illa vero , quae Cicero inter lumina posuit sententiarum , multa alia et idem Rutilius Gorgian secutus , non illum Leontinum , sed alium sui temporis , cuius quattuor libros in unum suum transtulit , et Celsus , videlicet Rutilio accedens , posuerunt schemata :
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To the figures placed by Cicero among the ornaments of thought Rutilius (following the views of Gorgias, a contemporary, whose four books he transferred to his own work, and who is not to be confused with Georgias of Leontini) and Celsus (who follows Rutilius) would add a number of others, such as: |
| 2671 |
consummationem , quam Graecus διαλλαγήν vocat , cum plura argumenta ad unum effectum deducuntur ; consequens , ille ἐπακολούθησιν , de quo nos in argumentis diximus ; collectionem , qui apud illum est συλλογισμός minas , id est κατάπληξιν exhortationem , συλλογισμός Quorum nihil non rectum est , nisi cum aliquam ex iis , de quibus locuti sumus , figuram accipit .
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concentration, which the Greek calls διαλλαγή a term employed when a number of different arguments are used to establish one point: consequence, which Gorgias calls ἐπακολούθησις and which I have already discussed under the head of argument : inference, which Gorgias terms συλλογισμός threats, that is, κατάπληξις exhortation, or παραινετικόν But all of these are perfectly straightforward methods of speaking, unless combined with some one of the figures which I have discussed above. |
| 2672 |
Praeter haec Celsus excludere , asseverare , detrectare , excitare iudicem , proverbiis uti , et versibus et ioco et invidia et invocatione intendere crimen ( quod est δείνωσις ) , adulari , ignoscere , fastidire , admonere , satisfacere , precari , corripere , figuras putat .
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Besides these, Celsus considers the following to be figures: exclusion, asseveration, refusal, excitement of the judge, the use of proverbs, the employment of quotations from poetry, jests, invidious remarks or invocation to intensify a charge (which is identical with δείνωσις ) flattery, pardon, disdain, admonition, apology, entreaty and rebuke. |
| 2673 |
Partitionem quoque et propositionem et divisionem et rerum duarum cognationem , quod est , ut idem valeant quae videntur esse diversa , ut non is demum sit veneficus , qui vitam abstulit data potione , sed etiam qui mentem ; quod est in parte finitionis .
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He even includes partition, proposition, division and affinity between two separate things, by which latter he means that two things apparently different signify the same: for example, not only the man who murders another by administering a deadly draught is to be regarded as a poisoner, but also the man who deprives another of his wits by giving him some drug, a point which depends on definition. |
| 2674 |
Rutilius sive Gorgias , ἀναγκαῖον , ἀνάμνησιν , ἀνθυποφορὰν , ἀνθυποφοράν , παραύξησιν , προέκθεσιν , quod est dicere quid fieri oportuerit , deinde quid factum sit ; ἐναντιότητα unde sint enthymemata κατ᾽ ἐναντίωσιν , μετάληψιν etiam , quo statu Hermagoras utitur . Visellius , quanquam paucissimas faciat figuras , ἐνθύμημα tamen , quod commentum vocat , et , rationem appellans , ἐπιχείρημα inter eas habet . Quod quidem recipit quodammodo et Celsus ; nam consequens an epichirema sit dubitat . Visellius adiicit et sententiam .
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To these Rutilius or Gorgias add ἀναγκαῖον that is, the representation of the necessity of a thing, ἀνάμνησις or reminding, ἀνθυποφορά that is, replying to anticipated objections, ἀντίῤῥησις or refutation, παραύξησις or amplification, προέκθεσις which means pointing out what ought to have been done, and then what actually has been done, ἐναντιότης, or arguments from opposites (whence we get enthymemes styled κατ᾽ ἐναντίωσιν ), and even μετάληψις, which Hermagoras considers a basis. Visellius, although he makes the number of figures but small, includes among them the enthymeme, which he calls commentum, and the epicheireme, which he calls ratio. This view is also partially accepted by Celsus, who is in doubt whether consequence is not to be identified with the epicheireme. |
| 2675 |
Invenio , qui aggregent his διασκευάς , ἀπαγορεύσις , παραδιηγήσεις .Sed ut haec non sunt schemata , sic alia vel sint forsitan ac nos fugerint vel etiam nova fieri adhuc possint , eiusdem tamen naturae cuius sunt ea de quibus dictum est .
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Visellius also adds general reflexions to the list. I find others who would add to these διασκευή or enhancement, ἀπαγόρευσις or prohibition, and παραδιήγησις or incidental narrative. But though these are not figures, there may be others which have slipped my notice, or are yet to be invented: still, they will be of the same nature as those of which I have spoken above. |
| 2676 |
Verborum vero figurae et mutatae sunt semper et , utcunque valuit consuetudo , mutantur . Itaque , si antiquum sermonem nostro comparemus , paene iam quidquid loquimur figura est , ut hac re invidere , non ut veteres et Cicero praecipue , hanc rem , et incumbere illi , non in illum , et plenum vino non vini , et huic non hunc adulari iam dicitur et mille alia ; utinamque non peiora vincant .
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III. Figures of speech have always been liable to change and are continually in process of change in accordance with the variations of usage. Consequently when we compare the language of our ancestors with our own, we find that practically everything we say nowadays is figurative. For example, we say invidere hac re for to "grudge a thing," instead of hanc rem, which was the idiom of all the ancients, more especially Cicero, and incumbere illi (to lean upon him) for incumbere in ilium, plenum vino (full of wine) for plenum vini, and huic adulari (to flatter him) for hunc adulari. I might quote a thousand other examples, and only wish I could say that the changes were not often changes for the worse. |
| 2677 |
Verum schemata λέξεως duorum sunt generum : alterum loquendi rationem vocant , alterum maxime collocatione exquisitum est . Quorum tametsi utrumque convenit orationi , tamen possis illud grammaticum hoc rhetoricum magis dicere . Prius fit iisdem generibus quibus vitia . Esset enim orationis schema vitium , si non peteretur , sed accideret .
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But to proceed, figures of speech fall into two main classes. One is defined as the form of language, while the other is mainly to be sought in the arrangement of words. Both are equally applicable in oratory, but we may style the former rather more grammatical and the latter more rhetorical. The former originates from the same sources as errors of language. For every figure of this kind would be an error, if it were accidental and not deliberate. |
| 2678 |
Verum auctoritate , vetustate , consuetudine plerumque defenditur , saepe etiam ratione quadam . Ideoque , cum sit a simplici rectoque loquendi genere deflexa , virtus est , si habet probabile aliquid , quod sequatur . Una tamen in re maxime utilis , ut cotidiani ac semper eodem modo formati sermonis fastidium levet et nos a vulgari dicendi genere defendat .
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But as a rule such figures are defended by authority, age and usage, and not infrequently by some reason as well. Consequently, although they involve a divergence from direct and simple language, they are to be regarded as excellences, provided always that they have some praiseworthy precedent to follow. They have one special merit, that they relieve the tedium of everyday stereotyped speech and save us from commonplace language. |
| 2679 |
Quodsi quis parce et , cum res poscet , utetur ; velut asperso quodam condimento iucundior erit ; at qui nimium adfectaverit , ipsam illam gratiam varietatis amittet . Quanquam sunt quaedam figurae ita receptae , ut paene iam hoc ipsum nomen effugerint ; quae etiamsi fuerint crebriores , consuetas aures minus ferient .
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If a speaker use them sparingly and only as occasion demands, they will serve as a seasoning to his style and increase its attractions. If, on the other hand, he strains after them overmuch, he will lose that very charm of variety which they confer. Some figures, however, are so generally accepted that they have almost ceased to be regarded as figures: consequently however frequently they may be used, they will make less impression on the ear, just because it has become habituated to them. |
| 2680 |
Nam secretae et extra vulgarem usum positae ideoque magis notabiles , ut novitate aurem excitant , ita copia satiant , et se non obvias fuisse dicenti sed conquisitas et ex omnibus latebris extractas congestasque declarant .
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For abnormal figures lying outside the range of common speech, while they are for that very reason more striking, and stimulate the ear by their novelty, prove cloying if used too lavishly, and make it quite clear that they did not present themselves naturally to the speaker, but were hunted out by him, dragged from obscure corners and artificially piled together. Figures, then, |
| 2681 |
Fiunt ergo et circa genus figurae in nominibus ; nam et oculis capti talpae et timidi dammae dicuntur a Vergilio ; sed subest ratio , quia sexus uterque altero significatur , tamque mares esse talpas dammasque quam feminas certum est ; et in verbis , ut fabricatus est gladium et inimicum poenitus es .
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may be found in connexion with the gender of nouns; for we find oculis capti talpale (blind moles) and timidi damae (timid deer) in Virgil; but there is good reason for this, since in these cases both sexes are covered by a word of one gender, and there is no doubt that there are male moles and deer as well as female. Figures may also affect verbs: for example, we find such phrases as fabricatus est glatdium or inimicum poenitus es. |
| 2682 |
Quod mirum minus est , quia in natura verborum est et quae facimus patiendi modo saepe dicere , ut arbitror , suspicor , et contra faciendi quae patimur , ut vapulo ; ideoque frequens permutatio est et pleraque utroque modo efferuntur : luxuriatur , luxuriat ; fluctuatur , fluctuat ; adsentior , adsentio .
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This is the less surprising, since the nature of verbs is such that we often express the active by the passive form, as in the case of arbitror (think) and suspicor (suspect), and the passive by the active, as in the case of vapulo (am beaten). Consequently the interchange of the two forms is of common occurrence, and in many cases either form can be used: for example, we may say luxuriatur or luxuriat (luxuriate), fluctuatur or fluctuat (fluctuate), adsentior or adsentio (agree). Figures also occur in connexion with number, |
| 2683 |
Est figura et in numero , vel cum singulari pluralis subiungitur , Gladio pugnacissima gens Romani ( gens enim ex multis ) , vel ex diverso , " Qui non risere parentes , nec deus hunc mensa dea nec dignata cubili est ; " Ex illis enim , qui non risere , hic quem non dignata .
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as when the plural follows the singular, as in the phrase gladio pugnacissima gens Romani (the Romans are a nation that fight fiercely with the sword); for gens is a singular noun indicating multitude. Or the singular may follow the plural, as in the following instance, "qui non risere parentes nec deus hunc mensa dea nec dignata cubili est," where "he whom no goddess deems," etc., is included among "those who have never smiled," etc. |
| 2684 |
* satura est " Sed nostrum istud vivere triste Aspexi , " cum infinito verbo sit usus pro appellatione ; nostram enim vitam vult intelligi . Utimur et verbo pro participio , " Magnum dat ferre talentum , " tanquam ferendum , et participio pro verbo , Volo datum .
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In a satire again we read, "nostrum istud vivere triste aspxei," where the infinitive is used as a noun: for the poet by nostrum vivere means nostram vitam. We also at times use the verb for the participle, as in the phrase, "magnum dat ferre talentum," where ferre is used for ferendum, or the participle may be used for the verb, as in the phrase volo datum (I wish to give). |
| 2685 |
Interim etiam dubitari potest , cui vitio simile sit schema : ut in hoc " Virus est vitium fugere : " aut enim partes orationis mutat ex illo Virtus est fuga vitiorum , aut casus ex illo Virtutis est vilium fugere ; multo tamen hoc utroque excitatius . Iunguntur interim schemata : Sthenelus sciens pugnae ; est enim scitus Sthenelus pugnandi .
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At times, again, there may be some doubt as to the precise error which a figure resembles. Take, for example, the phrase "virtus est vitium fugere," where the writer has either changed the parts of speech (making his phrase a variant for virtus est fuga vitiorum ), or the cases (in which case it will be a variant for virtutis est vitium fugere); but whichever be the case, the figure is far more vigorous than either. At times figures are joined, as in Sthenelus sciens pugnae, which is substituted for Sthenelus scilus pugnandi. Tenses too are interchangeable. |
| 2686 |
Transferuntur et tempora : Timarchides negat esse ei periculum a securi , ( praesens enim pro praeterito positum est ) et status : " Hoc Ithacus velit ; " et , ne morer , per omnia genera per quae fit soloecismus .
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For example, Timarchides negat esse ei periculum a seuri the present negat is substituted for the past. Or one mood may be used for another, as in the phrase, hoc Ithacus velit. In fact, to cut a long matter short, there is a figure corresponding to every form of solecism. |
| 2687 |
Haec quoque est , quam ἑτεροίωσιν vocant , cui non dissimilis ἐξαλλαγή dicitur , ut apud Sallustium Neque ea res falsum me habuit et Duci probare . Ex quibus fere praeter novitatem brevitas etiam peti solet . Unde eo usque processum est , ut non paeniturum pro non acturo paenitentiam et visuros ad videndum missos idem auctor dixerit .
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There is also a figure styled ἑτεροίωσις (i.e. alteration of the normal idiom), which bears a strong resemblance to ἐξαλλαγή. For example, we find in Sallust phrases such as neque ea res failsum me habuit and duci probare. Such figures as a rule aim not merely at novelty, but at conciseness as well. Hence we get further developments, such as non paeniturum for "not intending to repent," and visuros for "sent to see," both found in the same author. |
| 2688 |
Quae ille quidem fecerit schemata , an idem vocari possint , videndum , quia recepta sint . Nam receptis etiam vulgo auctore contenti sumus : ut nunc evaluit rebus agentibus , quod Pollio in Labieno damnat , et contumeliam fecit , quod a Cicerone reprehendi notum est ; ad fici enim contumelia dicebant .
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These may have been figures when Sallust made them; but it is a question whether they can now be so considered, since they have met with such general acceptance. For we are in the habit of accepting common parlance as sufficient authority where current phrases are concerned: for example, rebus agentibus in the sense of while this was going on, which Pollio rebukes Labienus for using, has become an accredited idiom, as has contumeliam fecit, which, as is well known, is stigmatised by Cicero : for in his day they said ad fici contumelia. |
| 2689 |
Alia commendatio vetustatis , cuius amator unice Vergilius fuit : " Vel cum se pavidum contra mea iurgia iactat .— Progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci Audierat . " Quorum similia apud veteres tragicos comicosque sunt plurima .
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Figures may also be commended by their antiquity, for which Virgil had such a special passion. Compare his "vel cum se pavidum contra mea iurgia iactat" or "progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci audierat." Numerous instances of the same kind might be cited from the old tragic and comic poets. |
| 2690 |
Illud et in consuetudine remansit enimvero .His amplius apud eundem : " Nam quis te iuuenum confidentissime , " quo sermonis initium fit . Sed " Tam magis illa tremens et tristibus effera flammis , Quam magis effuso crudescunt sanguine pugnae . " Quod est versum ex illo : Quam magis aerumna urget , tam magis ad malefaciendum viget .
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One word of this type has remained in common use, namely enimvero. I might further quote from the same author "nam quis te iuvenum confidentissime," words which form the beginning of a speech: or "tam magis illa tremens et tristibus etffra flammis, quam magis effuso crudescunt sanguine pugnae. "The more the strife with bloodshed rages wild, The more it quivers and with baleful fire Glows fiercer." There the sentence inverts the natural order which may be illustrated by quam magis aerumna urgent, tam magis ad malefaciendumn viget. |
| 2691 |
Pleni talibus antiqui sunt ; initio Eunuchi Terentius Quid igitur faciam ? inquit . Alius : ain tandem leno ? Catullus in Epithalamio , " Dum innupta manet , dum cara suis est , " cum prius dum significet quoad , sequens usque eo .
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Old writers are full of such usages. At the beginning of the Eunuchus of Terence we have quid igitur faciam, while another comic poet says ain tandem leno? Catullus in his Epithalamium writes: "dum innupta manet, dum cara suis est," where the first dum means while, and the second means so long. |
| 2692 |
Ex Graeco vero translata vel Sallustii plurima , quale est , Vulgus amat fieri , vel Horatii , nam id maxime probat , Nec ciceris , nec longae invidit avenae , vel Vergilii , " Tyrrhenum navigat aequor . " sed iam vulgatum actis quoque , Saucius pectus .
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Sallust, on the other hand, borrows a number of idioms from the Greek, such as vulgus amat fieri: the same is true of Horace, who strongly approves of the practice. Compare his "nec ciceris net longae invidit avenae." Virgil does the same in phrases such as "Tyrrhenum navigat aequor" or saucius pectus ( "wounded at heart" ), an idiom which has now become familiar in the public gazette. |
| 2693 |
Ex eadem parte figurarum priore dicto et adiectio est , quae videri potest supervacua , sed non sine gratia est : " Nam neque Parnasi vobis iuga , nam neque Pindi ; " potest enim deesse alterum nam .Et apud Horatium illud , " Fabriciumque , Hunc et intonsis Curium capillis . " sed detractiones , quae in complexu sermonis aut vitium habent aut figuram ; " Accede ad ignem , iam calesces plus satis . " Plus enim quam satis est .
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Under the same class of figure falls that of addition, which, although the words added may be strictly superfluous, may still be far from inelegant. Take, for example, "nam neque Parnasi vobis iuga, nam neque Pindi," where the second nam might be omitted. And we find in Horace, "Fabriciumcque, hunc et intonsis Curium capillis." Similarly, words are omitted, a device which may be either a blemish or a figure, according to the context. The following is an example: "accede ad ignen, iam calesces plus satis;" for the full phrase would be plus quam satis. There is, however, another form of omission which requires treatment at greater length. |
| 2694 |
Nam de altera detractione pluribus dicendum est . Utimur vulgo et comparativis pro absolutis , ut cum se quis infirmiorem esse dicet ; duo inter se comparativa committimus : Si te , Catilina , comprehendi , si interfici iussero , credo , erit verendum mihi , ne non potius hoc omnes boni serius a me quam quisquam crudelius factum esse dicat .
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We frequently use the comparative for the positive, as, for example, when a man speaks of himself as being infirmior (rather indisposed). Sometimes we join two comparatives, as in the following passage : si te, Catilina, comprehend, si interfici iussero, credo erit verendum mihi, ne non potius hoc ones boni serius a me qam quisquam crudelius factum esse dicat. |
| 2695 |
Sunt et illa non similia soloecismo quidem , sed tamen numerum mutantia , quae et tropis adsignari solent , ut de uno pluraliter dicamus : " Sed nos immensum spatiis confecimus aequor ; " et de pluribus singulariter , " Haud secus ac patriis acer Romanus in armis . " Specie diversa sed genere eadem et haec sunt ,
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There are also figures like the following, which, though far from being solecisms, alter the number and are also usually included among tropes. We may speak of a single thing in the plural, as in the following instance : "But we have travelled o'er a boundless space;" Or we may speak of the plural in the singular, as in the following case : "Like the fierce Roman in his country's arms." |
| 2696 |
" Neve tibi ad solem vergant vineta cadentem .— Ne mihi tum molles sub divo carpere somnos , Neu dorso nemoris libeat iacuisse per herbas , " non enim nescio cui alii prius nec postea sibi uni , sed omnibus praecipit . Sed de nobis loquimur tanquam de aliis : Dicit Seruius , negat Tullius .
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There are others which belong to a diflfrent species, but the same genus, such as "Nor let thy vineyards slope toward the west," or "In that hour Be it not mine beneath the open sky To court soft sleep nor on the forest ridge Amid the grass to lie." For in the first of these passages he is not advising some other person, nor exhorting himself in the second, his advice in both passages being meant for all. Sometimes, again, we speak of ourselves as though we were referring to others, as in phrases like, "Servius asserts, Tullius denies it." |
| 2697 |
Sed nostra persona utimur pro aliena , et alios pro aliis fingimus . Utriusque rei exemplum pro Caecina . Pisonem , adversae partis advocatum , adloquens Cicero dicit , Restituisse te dixti ; nego me ex edicto praetoris restitutum esse ; verum enim est illud ; restituisse se Aebutius dixit , Caecina nego me ex edicto praetoris restitutum esse ; et ipsum dixti , excussa syllaba , figura in verbo .
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At other times we speak in the first person instead of in another, or substitute one person for another. Both devices are employed together in the pro Caecina, where Cicero, addressing Piso, the counsel for the prosecution, says, " You asserted that you reinstated me: I deny that you did so in accordance with the praetor's edict. " The actual truth is that it was Aebutius who asserted that he had reinstated the defendant, and Caecina who denied that he had been restored in accordance with the praetor's edict. We may note also a further figure of speech in the contracted dixti, which has dropped one of its syllables. |
| 2698 |
Illa quoque ex eodem genere possunt videri : unum quod interpositionem vel interclusionem dicimus , Graeci παρένθεσιν , παρέμπτωσιν vocant , dum continuationi sermonis medius aliqui sensus intervenit : Ego cum te ( mecum enim saepissime loquitur ) patriae reddidissem ; cui adiiciunt hyperbaton ,
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The following also may be regarded as belonging to the same genus. The first is called interpositio or interclusio by us, and parenthesis or paremptosis by the Greeks, and consists in the interruption of the continuous flow of our language by the insertion of some remark. The following is an example: ego cum te (mecum enim saepissime loquilur ) patriae reddidissem. |