Institutio Oratoria |
Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
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| 3003 |
Isocrates in diverso genere dicendi nitidus et comptus et palaestrae quam pugnae magis accommodatus omnes dicendi veneres sectatus est , nec immerito ; auditoriis enim se , non iudiciis compararat ; in inventione facilis , honesti studiosus , in compositione adeo diligens , ut cura eius reprehendatur .
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Isocrates was an exponent of a different style of oratory: he is neat and polished and better suited to the fencingschool than to the battlefield. He elaborated all the graces of style, nor was he without justification. For lie had trained himself for the lecture-room and not the law-courts. He is ready in invention, his moral ideals are high and the care which he bestows upon his rhythm is such as to be a positive fault. |
| 3004 |
Neque ego in his , de quibus sum locutus , has solas virtutes , sed has praecipuas puto , nec ceteros parum fuisse magnos . Quin etiam Phalerea illum Demetrium , quanquam is primus inclinasse eloquentiam dicitur , multum ingenii habuisse et facundiae fateor , vel ob hoc memoria dignum , quod ultimus est fere ex Atticis , qui dici possit orator ; quem tamen in illo medio genere dicendi praefert omnibus Cicero .
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I do not regard these as the sole merits of the orators of whom I have spoken, but have selected what seemed to me their chief excellences, while those whom I have passed over in silence were far from being indifferent. In fact, I will readily admit that the famous Demetrius of Phalerum, who is said to have been the first to set oratory on the downward path, was a man of great talent and eloquence and deserves to be remembered, if only for the fact that he is almost the last of the Attic school who can be called an orator: indeed Cicero prefers him to all other orators of the intermediate school. |
| 3005 |
Philosophorum , ex quibus plurimum se traxisse eloquentiae M . Tullius confitetur , quis dubitet Platonem esse praecipuum sive acumine disserendi sive eloquendi facultate divina quadam et Homerica ? Multum enim supra prosam orationem et quam pedestrem Graeci vocant surgit , ut mihi non hominis ingenio sed quodam Delphici videatur oraculo dei instinctus .
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Proceeding to the philosophers, from whom Cicero acknowledges that he derived such a large portion of his eloquence, we shall all admit that Plato is supreme whether in acuteness or perception or in virtue of his divine gift of style, which is worthy of Homer. For he soars high above the levels of ordinary prose or, as the Greeks call it, pedestrian language, and seems to me to be inspired not by mere human genius, but, as it were, by the oracles of the god of Delphi. |
| 3006 |
Quid ego commemorem Xenophontis illam iucunditatem inadfectatam , sed quam nulla consequi adfectatio possit ? ut ipsae sermonem finxisse Gratiae videantur et , quod de Pericle veteris comoediae testimonium est , in hunc transferri iustissime possit , in labris eius sedisse quandam persuadendi deam . Quid reliquorum Socraticorum elegantiam ?
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Why should I speak of the unaffected charm of Xenophon, so far beyond the power of affectation to attain? The Graces themselves seem to have moulded his style, and we may with the utmost justice say of him, what the writer of the old comedy said of Pericles, that the goddess of persuasion sat enthroned upon his lips. |
| 3007 |
Quid Aristotelem ? quem dubito scientia rerum an scriptorum copia an eloquendi suavitate an inventionum acumine an varietate operum clariorem putem . Nam in Theophrasto tam est loquendi nitor ille divinus , ut ex eo nomen quoque traxisse dicatur .
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Why should I dwell on the elegance of the rest of the Socratics? or on Aristotle, with regard to whom I hesitate whether to praise him more for his knowledge, for the multitude of his writings, the sweetness of his style, the penetration revealed by his discoveries or the variety of the tasks which he essayed? In Theophrastus we find such a superhuman brilliance of style that his name is said to be derived therefrom. |
| 3008 |
Minus indulsere eloquentiae Stoici veteres ; sed cum honesta suaserunt tum in colligendo probandoque quae instituerant plurimum valuerunt , rebus tamen acuti magis quam , id quod sane non adfectaverunt , oratione magnifici .
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The ancient Stoics indulged their eloquence comparatively little. Still, they pleaded the cause of virtue, and the rules which they laid down for argument and proof have been of the utmost value. But they showed themselves shrewd thinkers rather than striking orators, which indeed they never aimed at being. |
| 3009 |
Idem nobis per Romanos quoque auctores ordo ducendus est . Itaque ut apud illos Homerus sic apud nos Vergilius auspicatissimum dederit exordium , omnium eius generis poetarum Graecorum nostrorumque haud dubie proximus .
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I now come to Roman authors, and shall follow the same order in dealing with them. As among Greek authors Homer provided us with the most auspicious opening, so will Virgil among our own. For of all epic poets, Greek or Roman, he, without doubt, most nearly approaches to Homer. |
| 3010 |
Utar enim verbis iisdem , quae ex Afro Domitio iuvenis excepi ; qui mihi interroganti , quem Homero crederet maxime accedere , Secundus , inquit , est Vergilius , propior tamen primo quam tertio .Et hercule ut illi naturae caelesti atque immortali cesserimus , ita curae et diligentiae vel ideo in hoc plus est , quod ei fuit magis laborandum , et quantum eminentibus vincimur , fortasse aequalitate pensamus .
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I will repeat the words which I heard Domitius Afer use in my young days. I asked what poet in his opinion came nearest to Homer, and he replied, "Virgil comes second, but is nearer first than third." And in truth, although we must needs bow before the immortal and superhuman genius of Homer, there is greater diligence and exactness in the work of Virgil just because his task was harder. And perhaps the superior uniformity of the Roman's excellence balances Homer's pre-eminence in his outstanding passages. |
| 3011 |
Ceteri omnes longe sequentur . Nam Macer et Lucretius legendi quidem , sed non ut phrasin , id est , corpus eloquentiae faciant , elegantes in sua quisque materia sed alter humilis , alter difficilis . Atacinus Varro in iis , per quae nomen est adsecutus , interpres operis alieni , non spernendus quidem , verum ad augendam facultatem dicendi parum locuples .
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All our other poets follow a long way in the rear. Macer and Lucretius are, it is true, worth reading, but not for the purpose of forming style, that is to say, the body of eloquence: both deal elegantly with their themes, but the former is tame and the latter difficult. The poems by which Varro of Atax gained his reputation were translations, but he is by no means to be despised, although his diction is not sufficiently rich to be of much service in developing the resources of eloquence. |
| 3012 |
Ennium sicut sacros vetustate lucos adoremus , in quibus grandia et antiqua robora iam non tantam habent speciem quantam religionem . Propiores alii atque ad hoc , de quo loquimur , magis utiles . Lascivus quidem in herois quoque Ovidius et nimium amator ingenii sui , laudandus tamen in partibus .
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Ennius deserves our reverence, but only as those groves whose age has made them sacred, but whose huge and ancient trunks inspire us with religious awe rather than with admiration for their beauty. There are other poets who are nearer in point of time and more useful for our present purpose. Ovid has a lack of seriousness even when he writes epic and is unduly enamoured of his own gifts, but portions of his work merit our praise. |
| 3013 |
Cornelius autem Severus , etiam si sit versificator quam poeta melior , si tamen , ut est dictum , ad exemplar primi libri bellum Siculum perscripsisset , vindicaret sibi iure secundum locum . Serranum consummari mors immatura non passa est ; puerilia tamen eius opera et maximam indolem ostendunt et admirabilem praecipue in aetate illa recti generis voluntatem .
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On the other hand, although Cornelius Severus is a better versifier than poet, yet if, as has been said, he had written his poem on the Sicilian war in the same style throughout as his first book, he would have had a just claim to the second place. A premature death prevented the powers of Serranus from ripening to perfection, but his youthful works reveal the highest talent and a devotion to the true ideal of poetry, which is remarkable in one so young. |
| 3014 |
Multum in Valerio Flacco nuper amisimus . Vehemens et poeticum ingenium Saleii Bassi fuit , nec ipsum senectute maturuit . Rabirius ac Pedo non indigni cognitione , si vacet . Lucanus ardens et concitatus et sententiis clarissimus et , ut dicam quod sentio , magis oratoribus quam poetis imitandus .
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We have suffered serious loss in the recent death of Valerius Flaccus. Saleius Bassus showed an ardent and genuinely poetic genius, but, like that of Serranus, it was not mellowed by years. Rabirius and Pedo deserve to be studied by those who have the time. Lucan is fiery and passionate and remarkable for the grandeur of his general reflexions, but, to be frank, I consider that he is more suitable for imitation by the orator than by the poet. |
| 3015 |
Hos nominavimus , quia Germanicum Augustum ab institutis studiis deflexit cura terrarum , parumque dis visum est esse eum maximum poetarum . Quid tamen his ipsis eius operibus , in quae donato imperio iuvenis secesserat , sublimius , doctius , omnibus denique numeris praestantius ? Quis enim caneret bella melius , quam qui sic gerit ? Quem praesidentes studiis deae propius audirent ? Cui magis suas artes aperiret familiare numen Minerva ?
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I have restricted my list of poets to these names, because Germanicus Augustus has been distracted from the study of poetry on which he had embarked by his care for the governance of the world, and the gods have thought it scarce worthy of his powers that he should be the greatest of poets. But what can be more sublime, more learned, more perfect in every detail than those works to which he devoted himself in the seclusion to which he retired after conferring the supreme power upon his father and his brother? Who could sing of war better than he who wages it with such skill? To whom would the goddesses that preside over literature sooner lend an ear? To whom would Minerva, his familiar deity, more readily reveal her secrets? |
| 3016 |
Dicent haec plenius futura saecula , nunc enim ceterarum fulgore virtutum laus ista praestringitur . Nos tamen sacra litterarum colentes feres , Caesar , si non tacitum hoc praeterimus et Vergiliano certe versu testamur , " Inter uictrices hederam tibi serpere laurus . "
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Future ages shall tell of these things more fully; to-day his glory as a poet is dimmed by the splendour of his other virtues. But you will forgive us, Caesar, who worship at the shrine of literature, if we refuse to pass by your achievements in silence and insist on testifying at least that, as Virgil sings, "The ivy creeps amid your victor bays" |
| 3017 |
Elegia quoque Graecos provocamus , cuius mihi tersus atque elegans maxime videtur auctor Tibullus . Sunt qui Propertium malint . Ovidius utroque lascivior , sicut durior Gallus . Satura quidem tota nostra est , in qua primus insignem laudem adeptus Lucilius quosdam ita deditos sibi adhuc habet amatores , ut eum non eiusdem modo operis auctoribus , sed omnibus poetis praeferre non dubitent .
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We also challenge the supremacy of the Greeks in elegy. Of our elegiac poets Tibullus seems to me to be the most terse and elegant. There are, however, some who prefer Propertius. Ovid is more sportive than either, while Gallus is more severe. Satire, on the other hand, is all our own. The first of our poets to win renown in this connexion was Lucilius, some of whose devotees are so enthusiastic that they do not hesitate to prefer him not merely to all other satirists, but even to all other poets. I disagree with them as much as I do with Horace, |
| 3018 |
Ego quantum ab illis tantum ab Horatio dissentio , qui Lucilium fluere lutulentum et esse aliquid , quod tollere possis , putat . Nam eruditio in eo mira et libertas atque inde acerbitas et abunde salis . Multum est tersior ac purus magis Horatius et , nisi labor eius amore , praecipuus . Multum et verae gloriae quamvis uno libro Persius meruit . Sunt clari hodieque et qui olim nominabuntur .
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who holds that Lucilius' verse has a " muddy flow, and that there is always something in him that might well be dispensed with. " For his learning is as remarkable as his freedom of speech, and it is this latter quality that gives so sharp an edge and such abundance of wit to his satire. Horace is far terser and purer in style, and must be awarded the first place, unless my judgment is led astray by my affection for his work. Persius also, although he wrote but one book, has acquired a high and well-deserved reputation, while there are other distinguished satirists still living whose praises will be sung by posterity. |
| 3019 |
Alterum illud etiam prius saturae genus , sed non sola carminum varietate mixtum condidit Terentius Varro , vir Romanorum eruditissimus . Plurimos hic libros et doctissimos composuit , peritissimus linguae Latinae et omnis antiquitatis et rerum Graecarum nostrarumque , plus tamen scientiae collaturus quam eloquentiae .
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There is, however, another and even older type of satire which derives its variety not merely from verse, but from an admixture of prose as well. Such were the satires composed by Terentius Varro, the most learned of all Romans. He composed a vast number of erudite works, and possessed an extraordinary knowledge of the Latin language, of all antiquity and of the history of Greece and Rome. But he is an author likely to contribute more to the knowledge of the student than to his eloquence. |
| 3020 |
Iambus non sane a Romanis celebratus est ut proprium opus , sed aliis quibusdam interpositus ; cuius acerbitas in Catullo , Bibaculo , Horatio , quanquam illi epodos interveniat , reperietur . At Lyricorum idem Horatius fere solus legi dignus . Nam et insurgit aliquando et plenus est iucunditatis et gratiae et varius figuris et verbis felicissime audax . Si quem adiicere velis , is erit Caesius Bassus , quem nuper vidimus ; sed eum longe praecedunt ingenia viventium .
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The iambic has not been popular with Roman poets as a separate form of composition, but is found mixed up with other forms of verse. It may be found in all its bitterness in Catullus, Bibaculus and Horace, although in the last-named the iambic is interrupted by the epode. Of our lyric writers Horace is almost the sole poet worth reading: for he rises at times to a lofty grandeur and is full of sprightliness and charm, while there is great variety in his figures, and his boldness in the choice of words is only equalled by his felicity. If any other lyric poet is to be mentioned, it will be Caesius Bassus, who has but lately passed from us. But he is far surpassed in talent by poets still living. |
| 3021 |
Tragoediae scriptores veterum Accius atque Pacuvius clarissimi gravitate sententiarum , verborum pondere , auctoritate personarum . Ceterum nitor et summa in excolendis operibus manus magis videri potest temporibus quam ipsis defuisse . Virium tamen Accio plus tribuitur ; Pacuvium videri doctiorem qui esse docti adfectant volunt .
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Among writers of tragedy Accius and Pacuvius are most remarkable for the force of their general reflexions, the weight of their words and the dignity of their characters. But they lack polish, and filed to put the finishing touches on their works, although the fault was perhaps rather that of the times in which they lived than of themselves. Accius is generally regarded as the most vigorous, while those who lay claim to learning regard Pacuvius as the more learned of the two. |
| 3022 |
Iam Varii Thyestes cuilibet Graecarum comparari potest . Ovidi Medea videtur mihi ostendere , quantam ille vir praestare potuerit , si ingenio suo imperare quam indulgere maluisset . Eorum quos viderim longe princeps Pomponius Secundus , quem senes quidem parum tragicum putabant , eruditione ac nitore praestare confitebantur .
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The Thyestes of Varius is a match for any Greek tragedy, and the Medea of Ovid shows, in my opinion, to what heights that poet might have risen if he had been ready to curb his talents instead of indulging them. Of the tragic writers whom I myself have seen, Pomponius Secundus is by far the best: his older critics thought him insufficiently tragic, but admitted his eminence as far as learning and polish were concerned. |
| 3023 |
In comoedia maxime claudicamus . Licet Varro Musas , Aeli Stilonis sententia , Plautino dicat sermone locuturas fuisse , si Latine loqui vellent , licet Caecilium veteres laudibus ferant , licet Terentii scripta ad Scipionem Africanum referantur ( quae tamen sunt in hoc genere elegantissima et plus adhuc habitura gratiae si intra versus trimetros stetissent ) , vix levem consequimur umbram ,
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Comedy is our weakest point. Although Varro quotes Aelius Stilo as saying that if the Muses wished to speak Latin, they would use the language of Plautus, although the ancients extol Caecilius, and although Scipio Africanus is credited with the works of Terence (which are the most elegant of their kind, and would be still more graceful if the poet had confined himself to the iambic trimeter), |
| 3024 |
adeo ut mihi sermo ipse Romanus non recipere videatur illam solis concessam Atticis venerem , cum eam ne Graeci quidem in alio genere linguae suae obtinuerint . Togatis excellit Afranius ; utinam non inquinasset argumenta puerorum foedis amoribus mores suos fassus .
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we still scarcely succeed in reproducing even a faint shadow of the charm of Greek comedy. Indeed, it seems to me as though the language of Rome were incapable of reproducing that graceful wit which was granted to Athens alone, and was beyond the reach of other Greek dialects to achieve. Afranius excels in the purely Roman comedy, but it is to be regretted that he revealed his own character by defiling his plots with the introduction of indecent paederastic intrigues. |
| 3025 |
At non historia cesserit Graecis , nec opponere Thucydidi Sallustium verear , neque indignetur sibi Herodotus aequari T . Livium , cum in narrando mirae iucunditatis clarissimique candoris , tum in contionibus supra quam enarrari potest eloquentem ; ita quae dicuntur omnia cum rebus tum personis accommodata sunt ; adfectus quidem , praecipueque eos qui sunt dulciores , ut parcissime dicam , nemo historicorum commendavit magis .
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In history, however, we hold our own with the Greeks. I should not hesitate to match Saillst against Thucydides, nor would Herodotus resent Titus Livius being placed on the same level as himself. For the latter has a wonderful charm and transparency in narrative, while his speeches are eloquent beyond description; so admirably adapted is all that is said both to the circumstances and the speaker; and as regards the emotions, especially the more pleasing of them, I may sum him up by saying that no historian has ever depicted them to greater perfection. |
| 3026 |
Ideoque immortalem illam Sallustii velocitatem diversis virtutibus consecutus est . Nam mihi egregie dixisse videtur Servilius Nonianus , pares eos magis quam similes ; qui et ipse a nobis auditus est , clarus vi ingenii et sententiis creber , sed minus pressus quam historiae auctoritas postulat .
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Thus it is that, although by different means, he has acquired no less fame than has been awarded to the immortal rapidity of Sallust. For I strongly approve of the saying of Servilius Nonianus, that these historians were equal rather than alike. Servilius, whom I myself have heard, is himself remarkable for the force of his intellect, and is full of general reflexions, but he is less restrained than the dignity of history demands. |
| 3027 |
Quam paulum aetate praecedens eum Bassus Aufidius egregie , utique in libris belli Germanici , praestitit genere ipso , probabilis in omnibus , sed in quibusdam suis ipse viribus minor .
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But that dignity is admirably maintained, thanks to his style, by Aufidius Bassus, a slightly earlier writer, especially in his work on the German war: he is always praiseworthy, though at times he fails to do his powers full justice. |
| 3028 |
Superest adhuc et exornat aetatis nostrae gloriam vir saeculorum memoria dignus , qui olim nominabitur , nunc intelligitur . Habet amatores nec immerito Cremuti libertas , quanquam circumcisis quae dixisse ei nocuerat . Sed elatum abunde spiritum et audaces sententias deprehendas etiam in his quae manent . Sunt et alii scriptores boni , sed nos genera degustamus , non bibliothecas excutimus .
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But there still survives to add lustre to this glorious age a man worthy to be remembered through all time: he is appreciated today, but after generations shall declare his name aloud. The bold utterances of Crenutius also have their admirers, and deserve their fame, though the passages which brought him to his ruin have been expurgated; still that which is left reveals a rich store of lofty animation and fearless reflexions upon life. There are other good writers as well, but I am merely selecting from the different departments of literature, not reviewing complete libraries. |
| 3029 |
Oratores vero vel praecipue Latinam eloquentiam parem facere Graecae possint . Nam Ciceronem cuicunque eorum fortiter opposuerim . Nec ignoro quantam mihi concitem pugnam , cum praesertim non sit id propositi , ut eum Demostheni comparem hoc tempore ; neque enim attinet , cum Demosthenem in primis legendum vel ediscendum potius putem .
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But it is our orators, above all, who enable us to match our Roman eloquence against that of Greece. For I would set Cicero against any one of their orators without fear of refutation. I know well enough what a storm I shall raise by this assertion, more especially since I do not propose for the moment to compare him with Demosthenes; for there would be no point in such a comparison, as I consider that Demosthenes should be the object of special study, and not merely studied, but even committed to memory. |
| 3030 |
Quorum ego virtutes plerasque arbitror similes , consilium , ordinem , dividendi , praeparandi , probandi rationem , omnia denique quae sunt inventionis . In eloquendo est aliqua diversitas ; densior ille hic copiosior , ille concludit adstrictius hic latius , pugnat ille acumine semper hic frequenter et pondere , illi nihil detrahi potest huic nihil adiici , curae plus in illo in hoc naturae .
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I regard the excellences of these two orators as being for the most part similar, that is to say, their judgment, their gift of arrangement, their methods of division, preparation and proof, as well as everything concerned with invention. In their actual style there is some difference. Demosthenes is more concentrated, Cicero more diffuse; Demosthenes makes his periods shorter than Cicero, and his weapon is the rapier, whereas Cicero's periods are longer, and at times he employs the bludgeon as well: nothing can be taken from the former, nor added to the latter; the Greek reveals a more studied, the Roman a more natural art. |
| 3031 |
Salibus certe et commiseratione , qui duo plurimum in adfectibus valent , vincimus . Et fortasse epilogos illi mos civitatis abstulerit ; sed et nobis illa , quae Attici mirantur , diversa Latini sermonis ratio minus permiserit . In epistolis quidem , quanquam sunt utriusque , dialogisve , quibus nihil ille , nulla contentio est .
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As regards wit and the power of exciting pity, the two most powerful instruments where the feelings are concerned, we have the advantage. Again, it is possible that Demosthenes was deprived by national custom of the opportunity of producing powerful perorations, but against this may be set the fact that the different character of the Latin language debars us from the attainment of those qualities which are so much admired by the adherents of the Attic school. As regards their letters, which have in both cases survived, and dialogues, which Demosthenes never attempted, there can be no comparison between the two. |
| 3032 |
Cedendum vero in hoc , quod et prior fuit et ex magna parte Ciceronem , quantus est , fecit . Nam mihi videtur M . Tullius , cum se totum ad imitationem Graecorum contulisset , effinxisse vim Demosthenis , copiam Platonis , iucunditatem Isocratis .
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But, on the other hand, there is one point in which the Greek has the undoubted superiority: he comes first in point of time, and it was largely due to him that Cicero was able to attain greatness. For it seems to me that Cicero, who devoted himself heart and soul to the imitation of the Greeks, succeeded in reproducing the force of Demosthenes, the copious flow of Plato, and the charm of Isocrates. |
| 3033 |
Nec vero quod in quoque optimum fuit , studio consecutus est tantum ; sed plurimas vel potius omnes ex se ipso virtutes extulit immortalis ingenii beatissima ubertas . Non enim pluvias , ut ait Pindarus , aquas colligit , sed vivo gurgite exundat , dono quodam providentiae genitus , in quo totas vires suas eloquentia experiretur .
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But he did something more than reproduce the best elements in each of these authors by dint of careful study; it was to himself that he owed most of, or rather all his excellences, which spring from the extraordinary fertility of his immortal genius. For he does not, as Pindar says, "collect the rain from heaven, but wells forth with living water," since Providence at his birth conferred this special privilege upon him, that eloquence should make trial of all her powers in him. |
| 3034 |
Nam quis docere diligentius , movere vehementius potest ? Cui tanta unquam iucunditas adfuit ? ut ipsa illa quae extorquet impetrare eum credas , et cum transversum vi sua iudicem ferat tamen ille non rapi videatur , sed sequi .
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For who can instruct with greater thoroughness, or more deeply stir the emotions? Who has ever possessed such a gift of charm? He seems to obtain as a boon what in reality he extorts by force, and when he wrests the judge from the path of his own judgment, the latter seems not to be swept away, but merely to follow. |
| 3035 |
Iam in omnibus quae dicit tanta auctoritas inest , ut dissentire pudeat , nec advocati studium sed testis aut iudicis adferat fidem , cum interim haec omnia , quae vix singula quisquam intentissima cura consequi posset , fluunt illaborata , et illa , qua nihil pulchrius auditum est , oratio prae se fert tamen felicissimam facilitatem .
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Further, there is such weight in all that he says that his audience feel ashamed to disagree with him, and the zeal of the advocate is so transfigured that it has the effect of the sworn evidence of a witness, or the verdict of a judge. And at the same time all these excellences, of which scarce one could be attained by the ordinary man even by the most concentrated effort, flow from him with every appearance of spontaneity, and his style, although no fairer has ever fallen on the ears of men, none the less displays the utmost felicity and ease. |
| 3036 |
Quare non immerito ab hominibus aetatis suae regnare in iudiciis dictus est , apud posteros vero id consecutus , ut Cicero iam non hominis nomen , sed eloquentiae habeatur . Hunc igitur spectemus , hoc propositum nobis sit exemplum , ille se profecisse sciat , cui Cicero valde placebit .
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It was not, therefore, without good reason that his own contemporaries spoke of his "sovereignty" at the bar, and that for posterity the name of Cicero has come to be regarded not as the name of a man, but as the name of eloquence itself. Let us, therefore, fix our eyes on him, take him as our pattern, and let the student realise that he has made real progress if he is a passionate admirer of Cicero. |
| 3037 |
Multa in Asinio Pollione inventio , summa diligentia , adeo ut quibusdam etiam nimia videatur , et consilii et animi satis ; a nitore et iucunditate Ciceronis ita longe abest , ut videri possit saeculo prior . At Messala nitidus et candidus et quadam modo praeferens in dicendo nobilitatem suam , viribus minor .
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Asinius Pollio had great gifts of invention and great precision of language (indeed, some think him too precise), while his judgment and spirit were fully adequate. But he is so far from equalling the polish and charm of Cicero that he might have been born a generation before him. Messala, on the other hand, is polished and transparent and displays his nobility in his utterance, but he fails to do his powers full justice. |
| 3038 |
C . vero Caesar si foro tantum vacasset , non alius ex nostris contra Ciceronem nominaretur . Tanta in eo vis est , id acumen , ea concitatio , ut illum eodem animo dixisse , quo bellavit , appareat ; exornat tamen haec omnia mira sermonis , cuius proprie studiosus fuit , elegantia .
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As for Gaius Caesar, if he had had leisure to devote himself to the courts, he would have been the one orator who could have been considered a serious rival to Cicero. Such are his force, his penetration and his energy that we realise that he was as vigorous in speech as in his conduct of war. And yet all these qualities are enhanced by a marvellous elegance of language, of which he was an exceptionally zealous student. |
| 3039 |
Multum ingenii in Caelio et praecipue in accusando multa urbanitas , dignusque vir cui et mens melior et vita longior contigisset . Inveni qui Calvum praeferrent omnibus , inveni qui Ciceroni crederent , eum nimia contra se calumnia verum sanguinem perdidisse ; sed est et sancta et gravis oratio et castigata et frequenter vehemens quoque . Imitator autem est Atticorum , fecitque illi properata mors iniuriam , si quid adiecturus fuit .
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Caelius has much natural talent and much wit, more especially when speaking for the prosecution, and deserved a wiser mind and a longer life. I have come across some critics who preferred Calvus to all other orators, and others again who agreed with Cicero that too severe self-criticism had robbed him of his natural vigour. But he was the possessor of a solemn, weighty and chastened style, which was also capable at times of genuine vehemence. He was an adherent of the Attic school and an untimely death deprived him of his full meed of honour, at least if we regard him as likely to have acquired fresh qualities. |
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Et Servius Sulpicius insignem non inmerito famam tribus orationibus meruit . Multa , si cum iudicio legatur , dabit imitatione digna Cassius Severus , qui si ceteris virtutibus colorem et gravitatem orationis adiecisset , ponendus inter praecipuos foret .
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Servius Sulpicius acquired a great and well-deserved reputation by his three speeches. Cassius Severus, if read with discrimination, will provide much that is worthy of imitation: if to his other merits he had added appropriateness of tone and dignity of style, |