Institutio Oratoria (Quintilian)

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	Institutio Oratoria Author: Quintilian	Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
2813	At Demosthenes et Cicero modice respexerunt ad hanc partem . Nam et coeuntes litterae , quae συναλιφαί dicuntur , etiam leviorem faciunt orationem , quam si omnia verba suo fine cludantur , et nonnunquam hiulca etiam decent faciuntque ampliora quaedam : ut Pulchra oratione ista iacta te cum longae per se et velut opimae syllabae aliquid etiam medii temporis inter vocales , quasi intersistatur , adsumunt .	On the other hand Demosthenes and Cicero show a sense of proportion in the way in which they face the problem. For the coalescence of two letters, known as συναλοιφή, may make our language run more smoothly than if every word closed with its own vowel, while sometimes hiatus may even prove becoming and create an impression of grandeur, as in the following case, pulchra oratione ista iacta te. For syllables which are naturally long and rich in sound gain something from the time which intervenes between two vowels, as though there were a perceptible pause.
2814	Qua de re utar Ciceronis potissimum verbis . Habet , inquit , ille tanquam hiatus et concursus vocalium molle quiddam , et quod indicet non ingratam negligentiam de re hominis magis quam de verbis laborantis . Ceterum consonantes quoque , earumque praecipue quae sunt asperiores , ut commissura verborum rixantur , ut si s ultima cum x proxima confligat , quarum tristior etiam , si binae collidantur , stridor est , ut Ars studiorum .	I cannot do better than quote the words of Cicero on this subject. Hiatus, he says, and the meeting of vowels produce a certain softness of effect, such as to suggest a not unpleasing carelessness on the part of the orator, as though he were more anxious about his matter than his words. But consonants also are liable to conflict at the juncture of words, more especially those letters which are comparatively harsh in sound; as for instance when the final s of one word clashes with x at the opening of the next. Still more unpleasing is the hissing sound produced by the collision between a pair of these consonants, as in the phrase ars studiorum.
2815	Quae fuit causa et Servio , ut dixit , subtrahendae s litterae , quotiens ultima esset aliaque consonante susciperetur ; quod reprehendit Luranius , Messala defendit . Nam neque Lucilium putat uti eadem ultima , cum dicit Aeserninus fuit et dignus locoque , et Cicero ut Oratore plures antiquorum tradit sic locutos .	This was the reason why Servius, as he himself has observed, dropped the final s, whenever the next word began with a consonant, a practice for which Luranius takes him to task, while Messala defends him. For he thinks that Lucilius did not pronounce the final s in phrases such as, Aeserninus fuit and dignus locoque, while Cicero in his Orator records that this was the practice with many of the ancients.
2816	Inde belligerare , pomeridiem , et illa Censori Catonis Diee hanc , aeque m littera in e mollita . Quae in veteribus libris reperta mutare imperiti solent , et dum librariorum insectari volunt inscientiam , suam confitentur .	Hence we get forms such as belligerare and pomeridiem, to which the diee hanc of Cato the Censor, where the final m is softened into an e, presents an analogy. Unlearned readers are apt to alter such forms when they come across them in old books, and in their desire to decry the ignorance of the scribes convict themselves of the same fault.
2817	Atqui eadem illa littera , quotiens ultima est et vocalem verbi sequentis ita contingit , ut ut eam transire possit , etiamsi scribitur , tamen parum exprimitur , ut Multum ille et Quantum erat , adeo ut paene cuiusdam novae litterae sonum reddat . Neque enim eximitur , sed obscuratur et tantum ut hoc aliqua inter duas vocales velut nota est , ne ipsae coeant .	On the other hand, whenever this same letter m comes at the end of a word and is brought into contact with the opening vowel of the next word in such a manner as to render coalescence possible, it is, although written, so faintly pronounced ( e.g. in phrases such as nultum ille and quantum erat ) that it may almost be regarded as producing the sound of a new letter. For it is not elided, but merely obscured, and may be considered as a symbol occurring between two vowels simply to prevent their coalescence.
2818	Videndum etiam , ne syllabae verbi prioris ultimae et primae sequentis sint eaedem ; quod ne quis praecipi miretur , Ciceroni ut epistolis excidit , Res mihi invisae visae sunt , Brute , et ut carmine , " O fortunatam natam me Consule Romam . " Etiam monosyllaba ,	Care must also be taken that the last syllables of one word are not identical with the opening syllables of the next. In case any of my readers should wonder that I think it worth while to lay down such a rule, I may point out that Cicero makes such a slip in his Letters, in the sentence res mihi invisae visae sunt, Brute, and in the following line of verse, "Ofortunatam natam me consule Romam."
2819	si plura sunt , male continuabuntur , quia necesse est compositio multis clausulis concisa subsultet . Ideoque etiam brevium verborum ac nominum vitanda continuatio et ex diverso quoque longorum ; adfert enim quandam dicendi tarditatem . Ilia quoque vitia sunt eiusdem loci , si cadentia similiter et similiter desinentia et eodem mode declinata multa iunguntur .	Again it is a blemish to have too many monosyllables in succession, since the inevitable result is that, owing to the frequency of the pauses, the rhythm degenerates into a series of jerks. For the same reason we must avoid placing a number of short verbs and nouns in succession; the converse also is true as regards long syllables, since their accumulation makes our rhythm drag. It is a fault of the same class to end a number of successive sentences with similar cadences, terminations and inflexions.
2820	Ne verba quidem verbis aut nomina nominibus similiaque his continuari decet , cum virtutes etiam ipsae taedium pariant nisi gratia varietatis adiutae .	It is likewise inartistic to accumulate long series of verbs, nouns or other parts of speech, since even merits produce tedium unless they have the saving grace of variety.
2821	Membrorum incisorumque iunctura non ea modo est observanda quae verborum , quanquam et ut his extrema ac prima coeunt , sed plurimum refert compositionis , quae quibus anteponas . Nam et vomens frustis esculentis gremium suum et totum tribunal implevit ( ... lost text ... ) et contra ( nam frequentius utar iisdem diversarum quoque rerum exemplis , quo sint magis familiaria ) Saxa atque solitudines voci respondent , bestiae saepe immanes cantu flectuntur atque consistent magis insurgebat , si verteretur ; nam plus est saxa quam bestias commoveri , vicit tamen compositionis decor . Sed transeamus ad numeros .	The principles by which the connexion of words is guided are not sufficient in the case of commata and cola, though even here beginnings and ends should harmonise; but our structural effect will very largely depend on the relative order of these two types of clause. For in the following instance vomens frustis esculentis gremium suum el totum tribunal implevit [the order is satisfactory, since the fact of his having filled the whole judgement seat with his vomiting is the more important of the two]. On the other hand (for I shall repeat the same illustrations for different purposes to make them more familiar) in the following passage, saxa alque solitudines voci respondent, bestiae saepe immanes cantu flectuntur atque consistunt, the gradation would be improved, if it were reversed: for it is a greater miracle to move rocks than wild beasts: but the claims of structural grace have carried the day. However, let us pass to the consideration of rhythm.
2822	Omnis structura ac dimensio et copulatio vocum constat aut numeris ( numeros ῥυθμούς accipi volo ) aut μέτροις , id est dimensione quadam . Quod , etiamsi constat utrumque pedibus , habet tamen non simplicem differentiam .	(This section is missing.)
2823	Nam primum numeri spatio temporum constant , metra etiam ordine , ideoque alterum esse quantitatis videtur , alterum qualitatis . ῥυθμὸς est aut par ut dactylicus ,	All combination, arrangement and connexion of words involves either rhythms (which we call numeri ), or metres, that is, a certain measure. Now though both rhythm and metre consist of feet, they differ in more than one respect. For in the first place rhythm consists of certain lengths of time, while metre is determined by the order in which these lengths are arranged. Consequently the one seems to be concerned with quantity and the other with quality. Rhythm may depend on equal balance,
2824	una enim syllaba longa par est duabus brevibus ( est quidem vis eadem et aliis pedibus , sed nomen illud tenet ; longam esse duorum temporum , brevem unius , etiam pueri sciunt ) aut sescuplex ut paeonicus : is est ex longa et tribus brevibus , aut ex tribus brevibus et longa , vel alio quoquo modo ut tempora tria ad duo relata sescuplum faciant ; aut duplex , ut iambus ( nam est ex brevi et longa ) quique est ei contrarius .	as in the case of dactylic rhythm, where one long syllable balances two short, (there are it is true other feet of which this statement is equally true, but the title of dactylic has been currently applied to all, while even boys are well aware that a long syllable is equivalent to two beats and a short to one) or it may consist of feet in which one portion is half as long again as the other, as is the case with paeanic rhythm (a paean being composed of one long followed by three shorts, three shorts followed by one long or with any other arrangement preserving the proportion of three beats to two) or finally one part of the foot may be twice the length of the other, as in the case of the iambus, which is composed of a short followed by a long, or of the choreus consisting of a long followed by a short.
2825	Sunt hi et metrici pedes , sed hoc interest , quod rhythmo indifferens , dactylicusne ille priores habeat breves an sequentes ; tempus enim solum metitur , ut a sublatione ad positionem idem spatii sit . Proinde alia dimensio est versuum ; pro dactylico poni non poterit anapaestus aut spondeus , nec paean eadem ratione brevibus incipiet ac desinet .	These feet are also employed by metre, but with this difference, that in rhythm it does not matter whether the two shorts of the dactyl precede or follow the long; for rhythm merely takes into account the measurement of the time, that is to say, it insists on the time taken from its rise to its fall being the same. The measure of verse on the other hand is quite different; the anapaest (u u _) or spondee (_ _) cannot be substituted at will for the dactyl, nor is it a matter of indifference whether the paean begins or ends with short syllables.
2826	Neque solum alium pro alio pedem metrorum ratio non recipit , sed ne dactylum quidem aut forte spondeum alterum pro altero . Itaque si quinque continuos dactylos , ut sunt ut illo " Panditur interea domus omnipotentis Olympi " confundas , solveris versum .	Further, the laws of metre not merely refuse the substitution of one foot for another, but will not even admit the arbitrary substitution of any dactyl or spondee for any other dactyl or spondee. For example, in the line "Panditur snterea domus omnipotentis Olympi" the alteration of the order of the dactyls would destroy the verse.
2827	Sunt et illa discrimina , quod rhythmis libera spatia , metris finita sunt , et his certae clausulae , illi , quomodo coeperant , currunt usque ad μεταβολήν , id est transitum ad aliud rhythmi genus , et quod metrum ut verbis modo , rhythmos etiam ut corporis motu est .	There are also the following differences, that rhythm has unlimited space over which it may range, whereas the spaces of metre are confined, and that, whereas metre has certain definite cadences, rhythm may run on as it commenced until it reaches the point of μεταβολή, or transition to another type of rhythm: further, metre is concerned with words alone, while rhythm extends also to the motion of the body.
2828	Inania quoque tempora rhythmi facilius accipient , quanquam haec et ut metris accidunt . Maior tamen illic licentia est , ubi tempora etiam metiuntur et pedum et digitorum ictu , et intervalla signant quibusdam notis atque aestimant , quot breves illud spatium habeat ; inde τετράσημοι , πεντάσημοι deinceps longiores fiunt percussiones ; nam σημεῖον tempus est unum .	Again rhythm more readily admits of rests although they are found in metre as well. Greater license is, however, admitted when the time is measured by the beat of the feet or fingers, and the intervals are distinguished by certain symbols indicating the number of shorts contained within a given space: hence we speak of four or five time ( τετράσημοι, or πεντάσημοι ) and others longer still, the Greek σημεῖον indicating a single beat.
2829	In compositione orationis certior et magis omnibus aperta servari debet dimensio . Est igitur ut pedibus et metricis quidem pedibus , qui adeo reperiuntur ut oratione , ut ut ea frequenter non sentientibus nobis omnium generum excidant versus ; et contra nihil non , quod est prosa scriptum , redigi possit ut quaedam versiculorum genera vel ut membra , sicut ut molestos incidimus grammaticos ,	In prose the rhythm should be more definite and obvious to all. Consequently, it depends on feet, by which I mean metrical feet, which occur in oratory to such an extent that we often let slip verses of every kind without being conscious of the fact, while everything written in prose can be shown by analysis to consist of short lines of verse of certain kinds or sections of the same.
2830	quorum fuerunt , qui velut lyricorum quorundam carmina ut varias mensuras coegerunt . At Cicero frequentissime dicit totum hoc constare numeris , ideoque reprehenditur a quibusdam , tanquam orationem ad rhythmos adliget .	For example, I have come across tiresome grammarians who attempted to force prose into definite metres, as though it were a species of lyric poetry. Cicero, indeed, frequently asserts that the whole art of prose-structure consists in rhythm and is consequently censured by some critics on the ground that he would fetter our style by the laws of rhythm.
2831	Nam sunt numeri rhythmi , ut et ipse constituit , et secuti eum Vergilius , cum dicit " Numeros memini , si verba tenerem , " et Horatius " Numerisque fertur Lege solutis . "	For these numeri, as he himself expressly asserts, are identical with rhythm, and he is followed in this by Virgil, who writes, "Numeros memini, si verba tenerem" and Horace, who says, "Numerisquefertur Lege solutis."
2832	invadunt ergo hanc inter ceteras vocem : Neque enim Demosthenis fulmina tantopere vibratura dicit , nisi numeris contorta ferrentur . In quo si hoc sentit rhythmis contorta , dissentio . Nam rhythmi , ut dixi , neque finem habent certum nec ullam ut contextu varietatem , sed qua coeperunt sublatione ac positione , ad finem usque decurrunt ; oratio non descendet ad crepitum digitorum et pedum .	Among others they attack Cicero's statement that the thunderbolts of Demosthenes would not have such force but for the rhythm with which they are whirled and sped upon their way. If by rhythmis contorta he really means what his critics assert, I do not agree with him. For rhythms have, as I have said, no fixed limit or variety of structure, but run on with the same rise and fall till they reach their end, and the style of oratory will not stoop to be measured by the beat of the foot or the fingers.
2833	Quod Cicero optime videt ac testatur frequenter se quod numerosum sit quaerere , ut magis non ἀπάλαιστοι . quod esset inscitum atque agreste , quam ἔνρυθμον , quod poeticum est , esse compositionem velit ; sicut etiam quos palaestritas esse nolumus , tamen esse nolumus eos qui dicuntur ἀπάλαιστοι .	This fact is clearly understood by Cicero, who frequently shows that the sense in which he desires that prose should be rhythmical is rather that it should not lack rhythm, a deficiency which would stamp the author as a man of no taste or refinement, than that it should be tied by definite rhythmical laws, like poetry; just as, although we may not wish certain persons to be professional gymnasts, we still do not wish them to be absolutely ignorant of the art of gynmastics.
2834	Verum ea quae efficitur e pedibus apta conclusio nomen aliquod desiderat . Quid sit igitur potius quam numerus , sed oratorius numerus , ut enthymema rhetoricus syllogismus ? Ego certe , ne ut calumniam cadam , qua ne M . quidem Tullius caruit , posco hoc mihi , ut , cum de compositionis dixero numero et ubicunque iam dixi , oratorium dicere intelligar .	But the rounding of the period to an appropriate close which is produced by the combination of feet requires some name; and what name is there more suitable than rhythm, that is to say, the rhythm of oratory, just as the enthymeme is the syllogism of oratory? For my own part, to avoid incurring the calumny, from which even Cicero was not free, I ask my reader, whenever I speak of the rhythm of artistic structure (as I have done on every occasion), to understand that I refer to the rhythm of oratory, not of verse.
2835	Collocatio autem verba iam probata et electa et velut adsignata sibi debet connectere ; nam vel dure inter se commissa potiora sunt inutilibus . Tamen et eligere quaedam , dum ex iis quae idem significent atque idem valeant , permiserim , et adiicere dum non otiosa , et detrahere dum non necessaria , et figuris mutare casus atque numeros , quorum varietas frequenter gratia compositionis adscita etiam suo nomine solet esse iucunda .	It is the task of collocation to link together the words which have been selected, approved and handed over to its custody. For even harsh connexions are better than those which are absolutely valueless. None the less I should allow the orator to select certain words for their euphony, provided always that their force and meaning are the same as those of the alternative words. He may also be permitted to add words, provided they are not superfluous, and to omit them, provided they are not essential to the sense, while he may employ figures to alter case and number, since such variety is attractive in itself, quite apart from the fact that it is frequently adopted for the sake of the rhythm.
2836	Etiam ubi aliud ratio , aliud consuetudo poscet , utrum volet , sumat compositio , vitavisse vel vitasse , deprehendere vel deprendere . Coitus etiam syllabarum non negabo , et quidquid sententiis aut elocutioni non nocebit . Praecipuum tamen ut hoc opus est ,	Again if reason demand one form and usage another, the claims of rhythm will decide our choice between the two, e.g. between vitavisse and vitasse or between deprehendere and deprendere. Further I do not object to the coalescence of syllables or anything that does no injury either to sense or style.
2837	scire quod quoque loco verborum maxime quadret . Atque is optime componet , qui hoc non solum componendi gratia facit . Ratio vero pedum ut oratione est multo quam ut versu difficilior : primum quod versus paucis continetur , oratio longiores habet saepe circuitus ; deinde quod versus semper similis sibi est et una ratione decurrit , orationis compositio , nisi varia est , et offendet similitudine et ut adfectatione deprehenditur .	The most important task, however, is to know what word is best fitted to any given place. And the most accomplished artist will be the man who does not arrange his words solely with a view to rhythmic effect. On the other hand the management of feet is far more difficult in prose than in verse, first because there are but few feet in a single line of verse which is far shorter than the lengthy periods of prose; secondly because each line of verse is always uniform and its movement is determined by a single definite scheme, whereas the structure of prose must be varied if it is to avoid giving offence by its monotony and standing convicted of affectation.
2838	Et ut omni quidem corpore totoque ( ut ita dixerim ) tractu numerus insertus est ; neque enim loqui possumus nisi syllabis brevibus ac longis , ex quibus pedes fiunt . Magis tamen et desideratur ut clausulis et apparet , primum quia sensus omnis habet suum finem poscitque naturale intervallum , quo a sequentis initio dividatur , deinde quod aures continuam vocem secutae ductaeque velut prono decurrentis orationis flumine tum magis iudicant , cum ille impetus stetit et intuendi tempus dedit .	Rhythm pervades the whole body of prose through all its extent. For we cannot speak without employing the long and short syllables of which feet are composed. Its presence is, however, most necessary and most apparent at the conclusion of the period, firstly because every group of connected thoughts has its natural limit and demands a reasonable interval to divide it from the commencement of what is to follow: secondly because the ear, after following the unbroken flow of the voice and being carried along down the stream of oratory, finds its best opportunity of forming a sound judgement on what it has heard, when the rush of words comes to a halt and gives it time for consideration.
2839	Non igitur durum sit neque abruptum , quo animi velut respirant ac reficiuntur . Haec est sedes orationis , hoc auditor exspectat , hic laus omnis declamantium . Proximam clausulis diligentiam postulant initia ; nam et ut haec intentus auditor est .	Consequently all harshness and abruptness must be avoided at this point, where the mind takes breath and recovers its energy. It is there that style has its citadel, it is this point that excites the eager expectation of the audience, it is from this that the declaimer wins all his glory. Next to the conclusion of the period, it is the beginning which claims the most care: for the audience have their attention fixed on this as well.
2840	Sed eorum facilior ratio est , non enim cohaerent aliis nec praecedentibus serviunt ; exordium sumunt cum clausula cum praecedentibus cohaereat : quamlibet sit enim composita ipsa , gratiam perdet , si ad eam rupta via venerimus . Namque eo fit , ut , cum Demosthenis seuera videatur compositio , τοῖς θεοῖς εὔχομαι πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις ; et illa ( quae ab uno , quod sciam , Bruto minus probatur , ceteris placet ) κἂν μήπω βάλλῃ μηδὲ τοξεύῃ ,	But the opening of the sentence presents less difficulty, since it is independent and is not the slave of what has preceded. It merely takes what has preceded as a starting point, whereas the conclusion coheres with what has preceded, and however carefully constructed, its elegance will be wasted, if the path which leads up to it be interrupted. Hence it is that although the rhythmical structure adopted by Demosthenes in the passage τοῖς φεοῖς εὔχομαι πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις; and again in another passage (approved by all, I think, except Brutus) κἄν μήπω βάλλῃ μηδὲ τοξεύῃ,
2841	Ciceronem carpant ut his , Familiaris coeperat esse balneatori , et non minus dura archipiratae . Nam balneatori et archipiratae idem finis est qui πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις et qui μηδὲ τοξεύῃ sed priora sunt severiora . Est ut eo quoque nonnihil ,	is regarded as severely correct, Cicero is criticised for passages such as familiaris coeperat esse balneatori and for the not less unpleasing archipiratae. For although balneatori and archipiratae give exactly the same cadence as πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις and μηδὲ τοξεύῃ the former are more severely correct.
2842	quod hic singulis verbis bini pedes continentur , quod etiam ut carminibus est praemolle ; nec solum ubi quinae , ut ut his , syllabae nectuntur , Fortissima Tyndaridarum , sed etiam quaternae , cum versus cluditur Appennino et armamentis et Orione .	There is also something in the fact that in the passages from Cicero two feet are contained in one word, a practice which even in verse produces an unduly effeminate effect, and that not merely when the line ends with a five-syllable word as in fortissima Tyndaridarum but also in four-syllable endings such as Appnnino, armamentis and Oreione.
2843	Quare hoc quoque vitandum est , ne plurium syllabarum verbis utamur ut fine . Mediis quoque non ea modo cura sit , ut inter se cohaereant , sed ne pigra , ne longa sint , ne , quod nunc maxime vitium est , brevium contextu resultent ac sonum reddant paene puerilium crepitaculorum . Nam ut initia clausulaeque plurimum momenti habent ,	Consequently we must also avoid ending our periods with words containing too many syllables. With regard to the middle portions of our periods we must take care not merely that they possess internal cohesion, but also that the rhythm is neither sluggish nor long, and above all that we do not fall into the now fashionable fault of placing a number of short syllables together with the result that we produce an effect not unlike the sound of a child's rattle.
2844	quotiens incipit sensus aut desinit , sic ut mediis quoque sunt quidam conatus iique leviter insistunt . Currentium pes , etiamsi non moratur , tamen vestigium facit . Itaque non modo membra atque incisa bene incipere atque cludi decet , sed etiam ut iis , quae non dubie contexta sunt nec respiratione utuntur , illi velut occulti gradus sint .	For while the beginnings and conclusions of periods, where the sense begins or ends, are the most important, it is none the less the fact that the middle portion may involve some special efforts which necessitate slight pauses. Remember that the feet of a runner, even though they do not linger where they fall, still leave a footprint. Consequently not only must commata and cola begin and end becomingly, but even in parts which are absolutely continuous without a breathing space, there must be such almost imperceptible pauses.
2845	Quis enim dubitet , unum sensum ut hoc et unum spiritum esse ? Animaduerti , iudices , omnem accusatoris orationem ut duas divisam esse partes ; tamen et duo prima verba et tria proxima et deinceps duo rursus ac tria suos quasi numeros habent et spiritum sustinemus , sicut apud rhythmicos aestimantur .	Who, for example, can doubt that there is but one thought in the following passage and that it should be pronounced without a halt for breath? Animadverti, idlices, omnem accusatoris oralionem in duas divisan esse parties Still the groups formed by the first two words, the next three, and then again by the next two and three, have each their own special rhythms and cause a slight check in our breathing: at least such is the opinion of specialists in rhythm.
2846	Hae particulae prout sunt graves , acres , lentae , celeres , remissae , exultantes , proinde id , quod ex illis conficitur , aut severum aut luxuriosum aut quadratum aut solutum erit .	And just in proportion as these small segments of the period are grave or vigorous, slow or rapid, languid or the reverse, so will the periods which they go to form be severe or luxuriant, compact or loose.
2847	Quaedam etiam clausulae sunt claudae atque pendentes , si relinquantur , sed sequentibus suscipi ac sustineri solent , eoque facto vitium , quod erat ut fine , continuatione emendatur . Non vult populus Romanus obsoletis criminibus accusari Verrem durum , si desinas ; sed cum sit continuatum iis quae sequuntur , quanquam natura ipsa divisa sunt , Nova postulat , inaudita desiderat , salvus est cursus .	Again, the conclusions of clauses sometimes seem to halt or hang, if they are regarded apart from their context, but are usually caught up and supported by what follows, so that what seemed a faulty cadence is corrected by the continuation. Non vult populus Romanus obsoletis criminibus accusari Verrem would be harsh in rhythm, if the sentence ended there; but when it is continued with what follows, nova postulat, inaudita desiderat, although the words are separate in meaning, the rhythmical effect is preserved.
2848	Ut adeas , tantum dabis male cluderet , nam et interim versus pars ultima est ; excipit Ut cibum vestitumque introferre liceat , tantum ; praeceps adhuc firmatur ac sustinetur ultimo Nemo recusabat .	Ut adeas, tantum dabis would be a bad conclusion, for it forms the last portion of an iambic trimeter: but it is followed by ut cibum vestitumque introferre liceat, tantum: the rhythm is still abrupt but is strengthened and supported by the last phrase of all, nemo recusabat.
2849	Versum ut oratione fieri multo foedissimum est totum , sed etiam ut parte deforme , utique si pars posterior ut clausula deprehendatur aut rursus prior ut ingressu . Namque idem contra saepe etiam decet , quia et claudit interim optime prima pars versus , dum intra paucas syllabas , praecipue senarii atque octonarii .	The appearance of a complete verse in prose has a most uncouth effect, but even a portion of a verse is ugly, especially if the last half of a verse occurs in the cadence of a period or the first half at the beginning. The reverse order may on the other hand often be positively pleasing, since at times the first half of a verse will make an excellent conclusion, provided that it does not cover more than a few syllables.
2850	In Africa fuisse initium senarii est , primum pro Q . Ligario caput claudit ; Esse uideatur , iam nimis frequens , octonarium inchoat ; talia sunt Demosthenis , πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις et πᾶσιν ὑμῖν , et totum paene principium . Et ultima versuum initio conveniunt orationis :	This is especially the case with the senarnis or octonarius. In Aliica fuisse is the opening of a senarius and closes the first clause of the pro Ligario: esse videatur, with which we are now only too familiar as a conclusion, is the beginning of an ocionarius. Similar effects are to be found in Demosthenes, as for example πᾶσι καὶ πάσαις and πᾶσιν ὑμῖν and throughout almost the whole exordium of that speech. The ends of verses are also excellently suited to the beginning of a period: