Institutio Oratoria (Quintilian)

[Close]

	Institutio Oratoria Author: Quintilian	Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
3307	Quod est facilius in Apris et in Ursis et Nasone aut Crispo , ut id memoriae adfigatur unde sunt nomina . Origo quoque aliquando declinatorum tenendi magis causa est , ut in Cicerone , Verrio , Aurelio . Sed hoc miserim .	This is specially easy with names such as Aper, Ursus, Naso, or Crispus, since in these cases we can fix their origin in our memory. Origin again may assist us to a better remembrance of derivative names, such as Cicero, Verrius, or Aurelius. However, I will say no more on this point.
3308	Illud neminem non iuvabit , iisdem quibus scripserit ceris ediscere . Sequitur enim vestigiis quibusdam memoriam , et velut oculis intuetur non paginas modo , sed versus prope ipsos , estque cum dicit similis legenti . Iam vero si litura aut adiectio aliqua atque mutatio interveniat , signa sunt quaedam , quae intuentes deerrare non possumus .	There is one thing which will be of assistance to everyone, namely, to learn a passage by heart from the same tablets on which he has committed it to writing. For he will have certain tracks to guide him in his pursuit of memory, and the mind's eye will be fixed not merely on the pages on which the words were written, but on individual lines, and at times he will speak as though he were reading aloud. Further, if the writing should be interrupted by some erasure, addition or alteration, there are certain symbols available, the sight of which will prevent us from wandering from the track.
3309	Haec ratio , ut est illi , de qua primum locutus sum , arti non dissimilis , ita , si quid me experimenta docuerunt , et expeditior et potentior . Ediscere tacite ( nam id quoque est quaesitum ) erat optimum , si non subirent velut otiosum animum plerumque aliae cogitationes ; propter quas excitandus est voce , ut duplici motu iuvetur memoria dicendi et audiendi . Sed haec vox sit modica et magis murmur .	This device bears some resemblance to the mnemonic system which I mentioned above, but if my experience is worth anything, is at once more expeditious and more effective. The question has been raised as to whether we should learn by heart in silence; it would be best to do so, save for the fact that under such circumstances the mind is apt to become indolent, with the result that other thoughts break in. For this reason the mind should be kept alert by the sound of the voice, so that the memory may derive assistance from the double effort of speaking and listening. But our voice should be subdued, rising scarcely above a murmur.
3310	Qui autem legente alio ediscit , in parte tardatur , quod acrior est oculorum quam aurium sensus ; in parte iuvari potest , quod , cum semel aut bis audierit , continuo illi memoriam suam experiri licet et cum legente contendere . Nam et alioqui id maxime faciendum est , ut nos subinde temptemus , quia continua lectio et quae magis et quae minus haerent aequaliter transit .	On the other hand, if we attempt to learn by heart from another reading aloud, we shall find that there is both loss and gain; on the one hand, the process of learning will be slower, because the perception of the eye is quicker than that of the ear, while, on the other hand, when we have heard a passage once or twice, we shall be in a position to test our memory and match it against the voice of the reader. It is, indeed, important for other reasons to test ourselves thus from time to time, since continuous reading has this drawback, that it passes over the passages which we find hard to remember at the same speed as those which we find less difficulty in retaining.
3311	In experiendo teneasne , et maior intentio est et nihil supervacui temporis perit , quo etiam quae tenemus repeti solent ; ita sola , quae exciderunt , retractantur , ut crebra iteratione firmentur , quanquam solent hoc ipso maxime haerere , quod exciderunt . Illud ediscendo scribendoque commune est , utrique plurimum conferre bonam valetudinem , digestum cibum , animum cogitationibus alis liberum .	By testing ourselves to see whether we remember a passage, we develop greater concentration without waste of time over the repetition of passages which we already know by heart. Thus, only those passages which tend to slip from the memory are repeated with a view to fixing them in the mind by frequent rehearsal, although as a rule the mere fact that they once slipped our memory makes us ultimately remember them with special accuracy. Both learning by heart and writing have this feature in common: namely, that good health, sound digestion, and freedom from other preoccupations of mind contribute largely to the success of both.
3312	Verum et in iis quae scripsimus complectendis multum valent , et in iis quae cogitamus continendis prope solae ( excepta , quae potentissima est , exercitatione ) divisio et compositio . Nam qui recte diviserit , nunquam poterit in rerum ordine errare .	But for the purpose of getting a real grasp of what we have written under the various heads, division and artistic structure will be found of great value, while, with the exception of practice, which is the most powerful aid of all, they are practically the only means of ensuring an accurate remembrance of what we have merely thought out. For correct division will be an absolute safeguard against error in the order of our speech,
3313	Certa sunt enim non solum in digerendis quaestionibus , sed etiam in exsequendis , si modo recte dicimus , prima ac secunda et deinceps ; cohaeretque omnis rerum copulatio , ut ei nihil neque subtrahi sine manifesto intellectu neque inseri possit .	since there are certain points not merely in the distribution of the various questions in our speech, but also in their development (provided we speak as we ought), which naturally come first, second, and third, and so on, while the connexion will be so perfect that nothing can be omitted or inserted without the fact of the omission or insertion being obvious.
3314	An vero Scaevola in lusu duodecim scriptorum , cum prior calculum promovisset essetque victus , dum rus tendit , repetito totius certaminis ordine , quo dato errasset recordatus , rediit ad eum , quocum luserat , isque ita factum esse confessus est ? Minus idem ordo valebit in oratione , praesertim totus nostro arbitrio constitutus , cum tantum ille valeat alternus ?	We are told that Scaevola, after a game of draughts in which he made the first move and was defeated, went over the whole game again in his mind on his way into the country, and on recalling the move which had cost him the game, returned to tell the man with whom he had been playing, and the latter acknowledged that he was right. Is order, then, I ask you, to be accounted of less importance in a speech, in which it depends entirely on ourselves, whereas in a game our opponent has an equal share in its development?
3315	Etiam quae bene composita erunt , memoriam serie sua ducent . Nam sicut facilius versus ediscimus quam prosam orationem , ita prosae vincta quam dissoluta . Sic contingit , ut etiam quae ex tempore videbantur effusa , ad verbum repetita reddantur . Quod meae quoque memoriae mediocritatem sequebatur , si quando interventus aliquorum , qui hunc honorem mererentur , iterare declamationis partem coegisset . Nec est mendacio locus , salvis qui interfuerunt .	Again, if our structure be what it should, the artistic sequence will serve to guide the memory. For just as it is easier to learn verse than prose, so it is easier to learn prose when it is artistically constructed than when it has no such organisation. If these points receive attention, it will be possible to repeat verbatim even such psssages as gave the impression of being delivered extempore. My own memory is of a very ordinary kind, but I found that I could do this with success on occasions when the interruption of a declamation by persons who had a claim to such a courtesy forced me to repeat part of what I had said. There are persons still living, who were then present to witness if I lie.
3316	Si quis tamen unam maximamque a me artem memoriae quaerat , exercitatio est et labor ; multa ediscere , multa cogitare , et si fieri potest cotidie , potentissimum est . Nihil aeque vel augetur cura vel negligentia intercidit .	However, if anyone asks me what is the one supreme method of memory, I shall reply, practice and industry. The most important thing is to learn much by heart and to think much, and, if possible, to do this daily, since there is nothing that is more increased by practice or impaired by neglect than memory.
3317	Quare et pueri statim , ut praecepi , quam plurima ediscant , et , quaecunque aetas operam iuvandae studio memoriae dabit , devoret initio taedium illud et scripta et lecta saepius revolvendi et quasi eundem cibum remandendi . Quod ipsum hoc fieri potest levius , si pauca primum et quae odium non adferant coeperimus ediscere , tum cotidie adiicere singulos versus , quorum accessio labori sensum incrementi non adferat , in summam ad infinitum usque perveniat , et poetica prius , tum oratorum , novissime etiam solutiora numeris et magis ab usu dicendi remota , qualia sunt iurisconsultorum .	Therefore boys should, as I have already urged, learn as much as possible by heart at the earliest stage, while all who, whatever their age, desire to cultivate the power of memory, should endeavour to swallow the initial tedium of reading and re-reading what they have written or read, a process which we may compare to chewing the cud. This task will be rendered less tiresome if we begin by confining ourselves to learning only a little at a time, in amounts not sufficient to create disgust: we may then proceed to increase the amount by a line a day, an addition which will not sensibly increase the labour of learning, until at last the amount we can attack will know no limits. We should begin with poetry and then go on to oratory, while finally we may attempt passages still freer in rhythm and less akin to ordinary speech, such, for example, as passages from legal writers.
3318	Difficiliora enim debent esse , quae exercent , quo sit levius ipsum illud , in quod exercent , ut athletae ponderibus plumbeis adsuefaciunt manus , quibus vacuis et nudis in certamine utendum est . Non omittam etiam , quod cotidianis experimentis deprehenditur , minime fidelem esse paulo tardioribus ingeniis recentem memoriam .	For passages intended as an exercise should be somewhat difficult in character if they are to make it easy to achieve the end for which the exercise is designed; just as athletes train the muscles of their hands by carrying weights of lead, although in the actual contests their hands will be empty and free. Further, I must not omit the fact, the truth of which our daily practice will teach us, that in the case of the slower type of mind the memory of recent events is far from being exact.
3319	Mirum dictu est nec in promptu ratio , quantum nox interposita adferat firmitatis , sive requiescit labor ille , cuius sibi ipsa fatigatio obstabat , sive maturatur atque concoquitur , quae firmissima eius pars est , recordatio ; quae statim referri non poterant , contexuntur postera die , confirmatque memoriam illud tempus , quod esse in causa solet oblivionis .	It is a curious fact, of which the reason is not obvious, that the interval of a single night will greatly increase the strength of the memory, whether this be due to the fact that it has rested from the labour, the fatigue of which constituted the obstacle to success, or whether it be that the power of recollection, which is the most important element of memory, undergoes a process of ripening and maturing during the time which intervenes. Whatever the cause, things which could not be recalled on the spot are easily co-ordinated the next day, and time itself, which is generally accounted one of the causes of forgetfulness, actually serves to strengthen the memory.
3320	Etiam illa praevelox fere cito effluit , et , velut praesenti officio functa nihil in posterum debeat , tanquam dimissa discedit . Nec est mirum , magis haerere animo quae diutius adfixa sint . Ex hac ingeniorum diversitate nata dubitatio est , ad verbum sit ediscendum dicturis , an vim modo rerum atque ordinem complecti satis sit ; de quo sine dubio non potest in universum pronuntiari .	On the other hand, the abnormally rapid memory fails as a rule to last and takes its leave as though, its immediate task accomplished, it had no further duties to perform. And indeed there is nothing surprising in the fact that things which have been implanted in the memory for some time should have a greater tendency to stay there. The difference between the powers of one mind and another, to which I have just referred, gives rise to the question whether those who are intending to speak should learn their speeches verbatim or whether it is sufficient to get a good grasp of the essence and the order of what they have got to say. To this problem no answer is possible that will be of universal application.
3321	Nam si memoria suffragatur , tempus non defuit , nulla me velim syllaba effugiat ; alioqui etiam scribere sit supervacuum . Idque praecipue a pueris obtinendum , atque in hanc consuetudinem memoria exercitatione redigenda , ne nobis discamus ignoscere . Ideoque et admoneri et ad libellum respicere vitiosum , quod libertatem negligentiae facit , nec quisquam se parum tenere iudicat , quod , ne sibi excidat , non timet .	Give me a reliable memory and plenty of time, and I should prefer not to permit a single syllable to escape me: otherwise writing would be superfluous. It is specially important to train the young to such precision, and the memory should be continually practised to this end, that we may never learn to become indulgent to its failure. For this reason I regard it as a mistake to permit the student to be prompted or to consult his manuscript, since such practices merely encourage carelessness, and no one will ever realise that he has not got his theme by heart, if he has no fear of forgetting it.
3322	Inde interruptus actionis impetus et resistens ac salebrosa oratio ; et qui dicit ediscenti similis , etiam omnem bene scriptorum gratiam perdit vel hoc ipso , quod scripsisse se confitetur . Memoria autem facit etiam prompti ingenii famam , ut illa , quae dicimus , non domo attulisse sed ibi protinus sumpsisse videamur ; quod et oratori et ipsi causae plurimum confert .	It is this which causes interruptions in the flow of speech and makes the orator's language halting and jerky, while he seems as though he were learning what he says by heart and loses all the grace that a well-written speech can give, simply by the fact that he makes it obvious that he has written it. On the other hand, a good memory will give us credit for quickness of wit as well, by creating the impression that our words have not been prepared in the seclusion of the study, but are due to the inspiration of the moment, an impression which is of the utmost assistance both to the orator and to his cause.
3323	Nam et magis miratur et minus timet iudex , quae non putat adversus se praeparata . Idque in actionibus inter praecipua servandum est , ut quaedam etiam , quae optime vinximus , velut soluta enuntiemus et cogitantibus nonnunquam et dubitantibus similes quaerere videamur quae attulimus .	For the judge admires those words more and fears them less which he does not suspect of having been specially prepared beforehand to outwit him. Further, we must make it one of our chief aims in pleading to deliver passages which have been constructed with the utmost care, in such manner as to make it appear that they are but casually strung together, and to suggest that we are thinking out and hesitating over words which we have, as a matter of fact, carefully prepared in advance.
3324	Ergo quid sit optimum , neminem fugit . Si vero aut memoria natura durior erit aut non suffragabitur tempus , etiam inutile erit ad omnia se verba adligare , cum oblivio unius eorum cuiuslibet aut deformem haesitationem aut etiam silentium inducat , tutiusque multo comprehensis animo rebus ipsis libertatem sibi eloquendi relinquere .	It should now be clear to all what is the best course to adopt for the cultivation of memory. If, however, our memory be naturally somewhat dull or time presses, it will be useless to tie ourselves down rigidly to every word, since if we forget any one of them, the result may be awkward hesitation or even a tongue-tied silence. It is, therefore, far safer to secure a good grasp of the facts themselves and to leave ourselves free to speak as we will.
3325	Nam et invitus perdit quisque id quod elegerat verbum , nec facile reponit aliud , dum id , quod scripserat , quaerit . Sed ne hoc quidem infirmae memoriae remedium est nisi in iis , qui sibi facultatem aliquam dicendi ex tempore paraverunt . Quodsi cui utrumque defuerit , huic omittere omnino totum actionum laborem ac , si quid in litteris valet , ad scribendum potius suadebo convertere . Sed haec rara infelicitas erit .	For the loss of even a single word that we have chosen is always a matter for regret, and it is hard to supply a substitute when we are searching for the word that we had written. But even this is no remedy for a weak memory, except for those who have acquired the art of speaking extempore. But if both memory and this gift be lacking, I should advise the would-be orator to abandon the toil of pleading altogether and, if he has any literary capacity, to betake himself by preference to writing. But such a misfortune will be of but rare occurrence.
3326	Ceterum quantum natura studioque valeat memoria , vel Themistocles testis , quem unum intra annum optime locutum esse Persice constat ; vel Mithridates , cui duas et viginti linguas , quot nationibus imperabat , traditur notas fuisse ; vel Crassus ille Dives , qui , cum Asiae praeesset , quinque Graeci sermonis differentias sic tenuit ut , qua quisque apud eum lingua postulasset , eadem ius sibi redditum ferret ; vel Cyrus , quem omnium militum tenuisse creditum est nomina .	For the rest there are many historical examples of the power to which memory may be developed by natural aptitude and application. Themistocles is said to have spoken excellently in Persian after a year's study; Mithridates is recorded to have known twenty-two languages, that being the number of the different nations included in his empire; Crassus, surnamed the Rich, when commanding in Asia had such a complete mastery of five different Greek dialects, that he would give judgement in the dialect employed by the plaintiff in putting forward his suit; Cyrus is believed to have known the name of every soldier in his army,
3327	Quin semel auditos quamlibet multos versus protinus dicitur reddidisse Theodectes . Dicebantur etiam nunc esse , qui facerent , sed mihi nunquam , ut ipse interessem , contigit ; habenda tamen fides est vel in hoc ut , qui crediderit , et speret .	while Theodectes is actually said to have been able to repeat any number of verses after only a single hearing. I remember that it used to be alleged that there were persons still living who could do the same, though I never had the good fortune to be present at such a performance. Still, we shall do well to have faith in such miracles, if only that he who believes may also hope to achieve the like.
3328	Pronuntiatio a plerisque actio dicitur , sed prius nomen a voce , sequens a gestu videtur accipere . Namque actionem Cicero alias quasi sermonem alias eloquentiam quandam corporis dicit . Idem tamen duas eius partes facit , quae sunt eaedem pronuntiationis , vocem atque motum .	III. Delivery is often styled action. But the first name is derived from the voice, the second from the gesture. For Cicero in one passage speaks of action as being a form of speech, and in another as being a kind of physical eloquence. None the less, he divides action into two elements, which are the same as the elements of delivery, namely, voice and movement. Therefore, it matters not which term we employ.
3329	Qua propter utraque appellatione indifferenter uti licet . Habet autem res ipsa miram quandam in orationibus vim ac potestatem ; neque enim tam refert , qualia sint , quae intra nosmet ipsos composuimus , quam quo modo efferantur ; nam ita quisque , ut audit , movetur . Quare neque probatio ulla , quae modo venit ab oratore , tam firma est , ut non perdat vires suas , nisi adiuvatur adseveratione dicentis . Adfectus omnes languescant necesse est , nisi voce , vultu , totius prope habitu corporis inardescunt .	But the thing itself has an extraordinarily powerful effect in oratory. For the nature of the speech that we have composed within our minds is not so important as the manner in which we produce it, since the emotion of each member of our audience will depend on the impression made upon his hearing. Consequently, no proof, at least if it be one devised by the orator himself, will ever be so secure as not to lose its force if the speaker fails to produce it in tones that drive it home. All emotional appeals will inevitably fall flat, unless they are given the fire that voice, look, and the whole carriage of the body can give them.
3330	Nam cum haec omnia fecerimus , felices tamen , si nostrum illum ignem iudex conceperit ; nedum eum supini securique moveamus , ac non et ipse nostra oscitatione solvatur .	For when we have done all this, we may still account ourselves only too fortunate if we have succeeded in communicating the fire of our passion to the judge: consequently, we can have no hope of moving him if we speak with languor and indifference, nor of preventing him from yielding to the narcotic influence of our own yawns.
3331	Documento sunt vel scenici actores , qui et optimis poetarum tantum adiiciunt gratiae , ut nos infinito magis eadem illa audita quam lecta delectent ; et vilissimis etiam quibusdam impetrant aures , ut , quibus nullus est in bibliothecis locus , sit etiam frequens in theatris .	A proof of this is given by actors in the theatre. For they add so much to the charm even of the greatest poets, that the verse moves us far more when heard than when read, while they succeed in securing a hearing even for the most worthless authors, with the result that they repeatedly win a welcome on the stage that is denied them in the library.
3332	Quodsi in rebus , quas fictas esse scimus et inanes , tantum pronuntiatio potest , ut iram , lacrimas , sollicitudinem adferat , quanto plus valeat necesse est , ubi et credimus ? Equidem vel mediocre orationem commendatam viribus actionis adfirmarim plus habituram esse momenti quam optimam eadem illa destitutam .	Now if delivery can count for so much in themes which we know to be fictitious and devoid of reality, as to arouse our anger, our tears or our anxiety, how much greater must its effect be when we actually believe what we hear? For my own part I would not hesitate to assert that a mediocre speech supported by all the power of delivery will be more impressive than the best speech unaccompanied by such power.
3333	Siquidem et Demosthenes , quid esset in toto dicendi opere primum , interrogatus pronuntiationi palmam dedit eidemque secundum ac tertium locum , donec ab eo quaeri desineret , ut eam videri posset non praecipuam , sed solam iudicasse ;	It was for this reason that Demosthenes, when asked what was the most important thing in oratory, gave the palm to delivery and assigned it second and third place as well, until his questioner ceased to trouble him. We are therefore almost justified in concluding that he regarded it not merely as the first, but as the only virtue of oratory.
3334	ideoque ipse tam diligenter apud Andronicum hypocriten studuit , ut admirantibus eius orationem Rhodiis non immerito Aeschines dixisse videatur : Quid si ipsum audissetis ? Et M . Cicero unam in dicendo actionem dominari putat .	This explains why he studied under the instruction of the actor Andronicus with such diligence and success as thoroughly to justify the remark made by Aeschines to the Rhodians when they expressed their admiration of the speech of Demosthenes on behalf of Ctesiphon, "What would you have said if you had heard him yourselves?" Cicero likewise regards action as the supreme element of oratory.
3335	Hac Cn . Lentulum plus opinionis consecutum quam eloquentia tradit , eadem C . Gracchum in deflenda fratris nece totius populi Romani lacrimas concitasse , Antonium et Crassum multum valuisse , plurimum vero Q . Hortensium . Cuius rei fides est , quod eius scripta tantum intra famam sunt , qua diu princeps oratorum , aliquando aemulus Ciceronis existimatus est , novissime , quoad vixit , secundus , ut appareat placuisse aliquid eo dicente , quod legentes non invenimus .	He records that Gnaeus Lentulus acquired a greater reputation by his delivery than by his actual eloquence, and that Gains Gracchus by the same means stirred the whole Roman people to tears when he bewailed his brother's death, while Antonius and Crassus produced a great impression by their command of this quality, though the greatest of all was that produced by Quintus Hortensius. This statement is strongly supported by the fact that the latter's writings fall so far short of the reputation which for so long secured him the first place among orators, then for a while caused him to be regarded as Cicero's rival, and finally, for the remainder of his life assigned him a position second only to that of Cicero, that his speaking must clearly have possessed some charm which we fail to find when we read him.
3336	Et hercule cum valeant multum verba per se , et vox propriam vim adiiciat rebus , et gestus motusque significet aliquid , profecto perfectum quiddam fieri , cum omnia coierunt , necesse est .	And, indeed, since words in themselves count for much and the voice adds a force of its own to the matter of which it speaks, while gesture and motion are full of significance, we may be sure of finding something like perfection when all these qualities are combined.
3337	Sunt tamen qui rudem illam , et qualem impetus cuiusque animi tulit , actionem iudicent fortiorem et solam viris dignam , sed non alii fere quam qui etiam in dicendo curam et artem et nitorem , et quidquid studio paratur , ut adfectata et parum naturalia solent improbare , vel qui verborum atque ipsius etiam soni rusticitate , ut L . Cottam dicit Cicero fecisse , imitationem antiquitatis adfectant .	There are some, however, who consider that delivery which owes nothing to art and everything to natural impulse is more forcible, and in fact the only form of delivery which is worthy of a manly speaker. But these persons are as a rule identical, either with those who are in the habit of disapproving of care, art, polish and every form of premeditation in actual speaking, as being affected and unnatural, or else with those who (like Lucius Cotta, according to Cicero) affect the imitation of ancient writers both in their choice of words and even in the rudeness of their intonation and rhythm.
3338	Verum illi persuasione sua fruantur , qui hominibus , ut sint oratores , satis putant nasci ; nostro labori dent veniam , qui nihil credimus esse perfectum , nisi ubi natura cura iuvetur . In hoc igitur non contumaciter consentio primas partes esse naturae .	Those, however, who think it sufficient for men to be born to enable them to become orators, are welcome to their opinion, and I must ask them to be indulgent to the efforts to which I am committed by my belief that we cannot hope to attain perfection unless nature is assisted by study. But I will not be so obstinate as to deny that to nature must be assigned the first place.
3339	Nam certe bene pronuntiare non poterit , cui aut in scriptis memoria aut in iis , quae subito dicenda erunt , facilitas prompta defuerit , nec si inemendabilia oris incommoda obstabunt . Corporis etiam potest esse aliqua tanta deformitas , ut nulla arte vincatur .	For a good delivery is undoubtedly impossible for one who cannot remember what he has written, or lacks the quick facility of speech required by sudden emergencies, or is hampered by incurable impediments of speech. Again, physical uncouthness may be such that no art can remedy it,
3340	Sed ne vox quidem exilis actionem habere optimam potest . Bona enim firmaque , ut volumus , uti licet ; mala vel imbecilla et inhibet multa , ut insurgere et exclamare , et aliqua cogit , ut intermittere et deflectere et rasas faces ac latus fatigatum deformi cantico reficere . Sed nos de eo nunc loquamur , cui non frustra praecipitur .	while a weak voice is incompatible with first-rate excellence in delivery. For we may employ a good, strong voice as we will; whereas one that is ugly or feeble not only prevents us from producing a number of effects, such as a crescendo or a sudden fortissimo, but at times forces faults upon us, making us drop the voice, alter its pitch and refresh the hoarseness of the throat and fatigue of the lungs by a hideous chanting intonation. However, let me now turn to consider the speaker on whom my precepts will not be wasted.
3341	Cum sit autem omnis actio , ut dixi , in duas divisa partes , vocem gestumque , quorum alter oculos , altera aures movet , per quos duos sensus omnis ad animum penetrat adfectus , prius est de voce dicere , cui etiam gestus accommodatur . In ea prima observatio est , qualem habeas ; secunda , quomodo utaris . Natura vocis spectatur quantitate et qualitate .	All delivery, as I have already said, is concerned with two different things, namely, voice and gesture, of which the one appeals to the eye and the other to the ear, the two senses by which all emotion reaches the soul. But the voice has the first claim on our attention, since even our gesture is adapted to suit it. The first point which calls for consideration is the nature of the voice, the second the manner in which it is used. The nature of the voice depends on its quantity and quality.
3342	Quantitas simplicior ; in summa enim grandis aut exigua est , sed inter has extremitates mediae sunt species , et ab ima ad summam ac retro sunt multi gradus . Qualitas magis varia . Nam est et candida et fusca , et plena et exilis , et lenis et aspera , et contracta et fusa , et dura et flexibilis , et clara et obtusa . Spiritus etiam longior breviorque .	The question of quantity is the simpler of the two, since as a rule it is either strong or weak, although there are certain kinds of voice which fall between these extremes, and there are a number of gradations from the highest notes to the lowest and from the lowest to the highest. Quality, on the other hand, presents more variations; for the voice may be clear or husky, full or thin, smooth or harsh, of wide or narrow compass, rigid or flexible, and sharp or flat, while lung-power may be great or small.
3343	Nec causas , cur quidque eorum accidat , persequi proposito operi necessarium est : eorumne sit differentia , in quibus aura illa concipitur , an eorum , per quae velut organa meat ; ipsi propria natura , an prout movetur ; lateris pectorisve firmitas an capitis etiam plus adiuvet . Nam opus est omnibus sicut non oris modo suavitate , sed narium quoque , per quas quod superest vocis egeritur . Dulcis esse tamen debet non exprobrans sonus .	It is not necessary for my purpose to enquire into the causes which give rise to these peculiarities. I need not raise the question whether the difference lies in those organs by which the breath is produced, or in those which form the channels for the voice itself; whether the voice has a character of its own or depends on the motions which produce it; whether it be the strength of the lungs, chest or the vocal organs themselves that affords it most assistance, since the co-operation of all these organs is required. For example, it is not the mouth only that produces sweetness of tone; it requires the assistance of the nostrils as well, which carry off what I may describe as the overflow of the voice. The important fact is that the tone must be agreeable and not harsh.
3344	Utendi voce multiplex ratio . Nam praeter illam differentiam , quae est tripertita , acutae , gravis , flexae , tum intentis , tum remissis , tum elatis , tum inferioribus modis opus est , spatiis quoque lentioribus aut citatioribus .	The methods of using the voice present great variety. For in addition to the triple division of accents into sharp, grave and circumflex, there are many other forms of intonation which are required: it may be intense or relaxed, high or low, and may move in slow or quick time.