Institutio Oratoria |
Translator: Harold Edgeworth Butler
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| 3497 |
Epilogus , si enumerationem rerum habet , desiderat quandam concisorum continuationem ; si ad concitandos iudices est accommodatus , aliquid ex iis , quae supra dixi ; si placandos , inclinatam quandam lenitatem ; si misericordia commovendos , flexum vocis et flebilem suavitatem , qua praecipue franguntur animi , quaeque est maxime naturalis . Nam etiam orbos viduasque videas in ipsis funeribus canoro quodam modo proclamantes .
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The peroration, if it involves a recapitulation, requires an even utterance of short, clear-cut clauses. If, on the other hand, it is designed to stir the emotions of the judges, it will demand some of the qualities already mentioned. If it aims at soothing them, it should How softly; if it is to rouse them to pity, the voice must be delicately modulated to a melancholy sweetness, which is at once most natural and specially adapted to touch the heart. For it may be noted that even orphans and widows have a certain musical quality in the lamentations which they utter at funerals. |
| 3498 |
Hic etiam fusca illa vox , qualem Cicero fuisse in Antonio dicit , mire faciet ; habet enim in se , quod imitamur . Duplex est tamen miseratio , altera cum invidia , qualis modo dicta de damnatione Philodami , altera cum deprecatione demissior .
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A muffled voice, such as Cicero says was possessed by Antonius, will also be exceedingly effective under such circumstances, since it has just the natural tone which we seek to imitate. Appeals to pity are, however, of two kinds: they may be marked by an admixture of indignation, as in the passage just quoted describing the condemnation of Philodamus, or they may be coupled with appeals for mercy, in which case their tone will be more subdued. |
| 3499 |
Quare , etiamsi est in illis quoque cantus obscurior , In coetu vero populi Romani ( non enim haec rixantis modo dixit ) ; et Vos , Albani tumuli ( non enim , quasi inclamaret aut testaretur , locutus est ) , tamen infinito magis illa flexa et circumducta sunt : Me miserum , me infelicem , et Quid respondebo liberis meis ? et Revocare tu me in patriam potuisti , Milo , per hos ; ego te in eadem patria per eosdem retinere non potero ? et cum bona C . Rabirii nummo sestertio addicit : O meum miserum acerbumque praeconium .
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Therefore although there is a suggestion of the chanting tone in the delivery of such passages as "In an assembly of the Roman people" (for he did not utter these words in a contentious tone), or in "Ye hills and groves of Alba" (for he did not say this as though he were appealing to them or calling them to witness), the ensuing phrases require infinitely greater modulation and longer-drawn harmonies: "Ah, woe is me, unhappy that I am!" and "What shall I reply to my children?" and " You, Milo, had the power to recall me to my country with the aid of these men, and shall I be powerless by their aid to keep you in that same country, your native land and mine? " or when he offers to sell the property of Gaius Rabirius at one sesterce, "Ah, what a sad and bitter task my voice is called on to perform!" Again, |
| 3500 |
Ilia quoque mire facit in peroratione velut deficientis dolore et fatigatione confessio , ut pro eodem Milone , Sed . finis sit ; neque enim prae lacrimis iam loqui possum . Quae similem verbis habere debent etiam pronuntiationem .
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it is a most effective device to confess in the peroration that the strain of grief and fatigue is overpowering, and that our strength is sinking beneath them, as Cicero does in his defence of Milo: "But here I must make an end: I can no longer speak for tears." And in such passages our delivery must conform to our words. |
| 3501 |
Possunt videri alia quoque huius partis atque officii , reos excitare , pueros attollere , propinquos producere , vestes laniare ; sed suo loco dicta sunt . Et quia in partibus causae talis est varietas , satis apparet , accommodandam sententiis ipsis pronuntiationem , sicut ostendimus , sed verbis quoque , quod novissime dixeram , non semper , sed aliquando .
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It may be thought that there are other points which should be mentioned in connexion with the duties of the orator in this portion of his speech, such as calling forward the accused, lifting up his children for the court to see, producing his kinsfolk, and rending his garments; but they have been dealt with in their proper place. Such being the variety entailed by the different portions of our pleading, it is sufficiently clear that our delivery must be adapted to our matter, as I have already shown, and sometimes also, though not always conform to our actual words, as I have just remarked. |
| 3502 |
An non hoc misellus et pauperculus summissa atque contracta , fortis et uehemens et latro erecta et concitata voce dicendum est ? Accedit enim vis et proprietas rebus tali adstipulatione , quae nisi adsit , aliud vox , aliud animus ostendat .
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For instance, must not the words, "This poor wretched, poverty-stricken man," be uttered in a low, subdued tone, whereas, "A hold and violent fellow and a robber," is a phrase requiring a strong and energetic utterance? For such conformity gives a force and appropriateness to our matter, and without it the expression of the voice will be out of harmony with our thought. |
| 3503 |
Quid ? quod eadem verba mutata pronuntiatione indicant , adfirmant , exprobrant , negant , mirantur , indignantur , interrogant , irrident , elevant ? Aliter enim dicitur : Tu mihi quodcunque hoc regni et Cantando tu illum ? et Tune ille Aeneas ? et Meque timoris argue tu , Drance . Et ne morer , intra se quisque vel hoc vel aliud , quod volet , per omnes adfectus verset , verum esse quod dicimus sciet .
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Again, what of the fact that a change of delivery may make precisely the same words either demonstrate or affirm, express reproach, denial, wonder or indignation, interrogation, mockery or depreciation? For the word "thou" is given a different expression in each of the following passages: "Thou this poor kingdom dost on me bestow." and "Thou vanquish him in song?" and "Art thou, then, that Aeneas?" and "And of fear, Do thou accuse me, Drances!" To cut a long matter short, if my reader will take this or any other word he chooses and run it through the whole gamut of emotional expression, he will realise the truth of what I say. |
| 3504 |
Unum iam his adiiciendum est , cum praecipue in actione spectetur decorum , saepe aliud alios decere . Est enim latens quaedam in hoc ratio et inenarrabilis ; et ut vere hoc dictum est , caput esse artis decere quod facias , ita id neque sine arte esse neque totum arte tradi potest .
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There is one further remark which I must add, namely, that while what is becoming is the main consideration in delivery, different methods will often suit different speakers. For this is determined by a principle which, though it is obscure and can hardly be expressed in words, none the less exists: and, though it is a true saying that "the main secret of artistic success is that whatever we do should become us well," none the less, despite the fact that such success cannot be attained without art, it is impossible entirely to communicate the secret by the rules of art. |
| 3505 |
In quibusdam virtutes non habent gratiam , in quibusdam vitia ipsa delectant . Maximos actores comoediarum , Demetrium et Stratoclea , placere diversis virtutibus vidimus . Sed illud minus mirum , quod alter deos et iuvenes et bonos patres servosque et matronas et graves anus optime , alter acres senes , callidos servos , parasitos , lenones et omnia agitatiora melius : fuit enim natura diversa . Nam vox quoque Demetrii iucundior , illius acrior erat .
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There are some persons in whom positive excellences have no charm, while there are others whose very faults give pleasure. We have seen the greatest of comic actors, Demetrius and Stratocles, win their success by entirely different merits. But that is the less surprising owing to the fact that the one was at his best in the rôles of gods, young men, good fathers and slaves, matrons and respectable old women, while the other excelled in the portrayal of sharptempered old men, cunning slaves, parasites, pimps and all the more lively characters of comedy. For their natural gifts differed. For Demetrius' voice, like his other qualities, had greater charm, while that of Stratocles was the more powerful. |
| 3506 |
Adnotandae magis proprietates , quae transferri non poterant , manus iactare et dulces exclamationes theatri causa producere et ingrediendo ventum concipere veste et nonnunquam dextro latere facere gestus , quod neminem alium nisi Demetrium decuit ; namque in haec omnia statura et mira specie adiuvabatur ;
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But yet more noticeable were the incommunicable peculiarities of their action. Demetrius showed unique gifts in the movements of his hands, in his power to charm his audience by the longdrawn sweetness of his exclamations, the skill with which he would make his dress seem to puff out with wind as he walked, and the expressive movements of the right side which he sometimes introduced with effect, in all of which things he was helped by his stature and personal beauty. |
| 3507 |
illum cursus et agilitas et vel parum conveniens personae risus , quem non ignarus rationis populo dabat , et contracta etiam cervicula . Quidquid horum alter fecisset , foedissimum videretur . Quare norit se quisque , nec tantum ex communibus praeceptis , sed etiam ex natura sua capiat consilium formandae actionis .
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On the other hand, Stratocles' forte lay in his nimbleness and rapidity of movement, in his laugh (which, though not always in keeping with the character lie represented, he deliberately employed to awaken answering laughter in his audience), and finally, even in the way in which he sank his neck into his shoulders. If either of these actors had attempted any of his rival's tricks, he would have produced a most unbecoming effect. Consequently, every man must get to know his own peculiarities and must consult not merely the general rules of technique, but his own nature as well with a view to forming his delivery. |
| 3508 |
Neque illud tamen est nefas , ut aliquem vel omnia vel plura deceant . Huius quoque loci clausula sit eadem necesse est , quae ceterorum est , regnare maxime modum . Non enim comoedum esse , sed oratorem volo . Quare neque in gestu persequemur omnes argutias nec in loquendo distinctionibus , temporibus , adfectionibus moleste utemur .
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But there is no law of heaven which prohibits the possession of all or at any rate the majority of styles by one and the same person. I must conclude this topic with a remark which applies to all my other topics as well, that the prime essential is a sense of proportion. For I am not trying to form a comic actor, but an orator. Consequently, we need not study all the details of gesture nor, as regards our speaking, be pedantic in the use we make of the rules governing punctuation, rhythm and appeals to the emotions. |
| 3509 |
Ut si sit in scena dicendum : " Quid igitur faciam ? non eam , ne nunc quidem , Cum arcessor ultro ? an potius ita me comparem Non perpeti meretricum contumelias ? " Hic enim dubitationis moras , vocis flexus , varias manus , diversos nutus actor adhibebit . Aliud oratio sapit nec vult nimium esse condita ; actione enim constat , non imitatione .
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For example, if an actor has to speak the following lines on the stage: "What shall I do then? Not go, even now, Now when she calls me? Or shall I steel my soul No longer to endure a harlot's insults?" he will hesitate as in doubt, will vary the modulations of his voice, together with the movements of hand and head. But oratory has a different flavour and objects to elaborate condiments, since it consists in serious pleading, not in mimicry. |
| 3510 |
Quare non immerito reprehenditur pronuntiatio vultuosa et gesticulationibus molesta et vocis mutationibus resultans . Nec inutiliter ex Graecis veteres transtulerunt , quod ab iis sumptum Laenas Popilius posuit , esse hanc negotiosam actionem .
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There is, therefore, good reason for the condemnation passed on a delivery which entails the continual alteration of facial expression, annoying restlessness of gesture and gusty changes of tone. And it was a wise saying that the ancient orators borrowed from the Greeks, as is recorded by Popilius Laenas, to the effect that there is too much "business" in such delivery. |
| 3511 |
Optime igitur idem , qui omnia , Cicero praeceperat , quae supra ex Oratore posui ; quibus similia in Bruto de M . Antonio dicit . Sed iam recepta est actio paulo agitatior et exigitur et quibusdam partibus convenit , ita tamen temperanda , ne , dum actoris captamus elegantiam , perdamus viri boni et gravis auctoritatem .
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The instructions given by Cicero on this subject, as on all others, are quite admirable; I allude to the passages which I have already quoted from his Orator, while there are similar observations in the Brutus with reference to Marcus Antonius. But to-day a rather more violent form of delivery has come into fashion and is demanded of our orators: it is well adapted to certain portions of a speech, but requires to be kept under control. Otherwise, in our attempt to ape the elegances of the stage, we shall lose the authority which should characterise the man of dignity and virtue. |
| 3512 |
Liber XII ventum est ad partem operis destinati longe gravissimam . Cuius equidem onus si tantum opinione prima concipere potuissem , quanto me premi ferens sentio , maturius consuluissem vires meas . Sed initio pudor omittendi , quae promiseram , tenuit ; mox , quanquam per singulas prope partes labor cresceret , ne perderem , quae iam effecta erant , per omnes difficultates animo me sustentavi .
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Book XII Introduction I now come to what is by far the most arduous portion of the task which I have set myself to perform. Indeed had I fully realised the difficulties when I first designed this work, I should have considered betimes whether my strength was sufficient to support the load that now weighs upon me so heavily. But to begin with, I felt how shameful it would be to fail to perform what I had promised, and later, despite the fact that my labour became more and more arduous at almost every stage, the fear of stultifying what I had already written sustained my courage through every difficulty. |
| 3513 |
Quare nunc quoque , licet maior quam unquam moles premat , tamen prospicienti finem mihi constitutum est vel deficere potius quam desperare . Fefellit autem quod initium a parvis ceperamus . Mox velut aura sollicitante provecti longius , dum tamen nota illa et plerisque artium scriptoribus tractata praecipimus , nec adhuc a litore procul videbamur et multos circa velut iisdem se ventis credere ausos habebamus .
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Consequently even now, though the burden that oppresses me is greater than ever, the end is in sight and I am resolved to faint by the wayside rather than despair. But the fact that I began with comparatively trivial details deceived me. Subsequently I was lured still further on my voyage by the temptations of the favouring breeze that filled my sails; but the rules which I was then concerned to give were still of a familiar kind and had been already treated by most writers of rhetorical textbooks: thus far I seemed to myself to be still in sight of shore and I had the company of many who had ventured to entrust themselves to the self-same winds. |
| 3514 |
Iam cum eloquendi rationem novissime repertam paucissimisque temptatam ingressi sumus , rarus , qui tam procul a portu recessisset , reperiebatur . Postquam vero nobis ille , quem instituebamus , orator a dicendi magistris dimissus aut suo iam impetu fertur aut maiora sibi auxilia ex ipsis sapientiae penetralibus petit , quam in altum simus ablati sentire coepimus .
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But presently when I entered on the task of setting forth a theory of eloquence which had been but newly discovered and rarely essayed, I found but few that had ventured so far from harbour. And finally now that the ideal orator, whom it was my design to mould, has been dismissed by his masters and is either proceeding on his way borne onward by his own impetus, or seeking still mightier assistance from the innermost shrine of wisdom, I begin to feel how far I have been swept into the great deep. |
| 3515 |
Nunc caelum undique et undique pontus .Unum modo in illa immensa vastitate cernere videmur M . Tullium , qui tamen ipse , quamvis tanta atque ita instructa nave hoc mare ingressus , contrahit vela inhibetque remos et de ipso demum genere dicendi , quo sit usurus perfectus orator , satis habet dicere . At nostra temeritas etiam mores ei conabitur dare et adsignabit officia . Ita nec antecedentem consequi possumus , et longius eundum est , ut res feret . Probabilis tamen cupiditas honestorum et velut tutioris audentiae est temptare , quibus paratior venia est .
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Now there is "Nothing before and nothing behind but the sky and the Ocean." One only can I discern in all the boundless waste of waters, Marcus Tullius Cicero, and even he, though the ship in which he entered these seas is of such size and so well found, begins to lessen sail and to row a slower stroke, and is content to speak merely of the kind of speech to be employed by the perfect orator. But my temerity is such that I shall essay to form my orator's character and to teach him his duties. Thus I have no predecessor to guide my steps and must press far, far on, as my theme may demand. Still an honourable ambition is always deserving of approval, and it is all the less hazardous to dare greatly, when forgiveness is assured us if we fail. |
| 3516 |
Sit ergo nobis orator , quem constituimus , is , qui a M . Catone finitur , vir bonus dicendi peritus ; verum , id quod et ille posuit prius et ipsa natura potius ac maius est , utique vir bonus . Id non eo tantum , quod , si vis illa dicendi malitiam instruxerit , nihil sit publicis privatisque rebus perniciosius eloquentia , nosque ipsi , qui pro virili parte conferre aliquid ad facultatem dicendi conati sumus , pessime mercamur de rebus humanis , si latroni comparamus haec arma , non militi .
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The orator then, whom I am concerned to form, shall be the orator as defined by Marcus Cato, "a good man, skilled in speaking." But above all he must possess the quality which Cato places first and which is in the very nature of things the greatest and most important, that is, he must be a good man. This is essential not merely on account of the fact that, if the powers of eloquence serve only to lend arms to crime, there can be nothing more pernicious than eloquence to public and private welfare alike, while I myself, who have laboured to the best of my ability to contribute something of value to oratory, shall have rendered the worst of services to mankind, if I forge these weapons not for a soldier, but for a robber. But why speak of myself? |
| 3517 |
Quid de nobis loquor ? Rerum ipsa natura in eo , quod praecipue indulsisse homini videtur quoque nos a ceteris animalibus separasse , non parens , sed noverca fuerit , si facultatem dicendi , sociam scelerum , adversam innocentiae , hostem veritatis invenit . Mutos enim nasci et egere omni ratione satius fuisset quam prouidentiae munera in mutuam perniciem convertere .
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Nature herself will have proved not a mother, but a stepmother with regard to what we deem her greatest gift to man, the gift that distinguishes us from other living things, if she devised the power of speech to be the accomplice of crime, the foe to innocency and the enemy of truth. For it had been better for men to be born dumb and devoid of reason than to turn the gifts of providence to their mutual destruction. |
| 3518 |
Longius tendit hoc iudicium meum . Neque enim tantum id dico , eum , qui sit orator , virum bonum esse oportere , sed ne futurum quidem oratorem nisi virum bonum . Nam certe neque intelligentiam concesseris iis qui , proposita honestorum ac turpium via , peiorem sequi malent , neque prudentiam , cum in gravissimas frequenter legum , semper vero malae conscientiae poenas a semet ipsis improviso rerum exitu induantur .
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But this conviction of mine goes further. For I do not merely assert that the ideal orator should be a good man, but I affirm that no man can be an orator unless he is a good man. For it is impossible to regard those men as gifted with intelligence who on being offered the choice between the two paths of virtue and of vice choose the latter, nor can we allow them prudence, when by the unforeseen issue of their own actions they render themselves liable not merely to the heaviest penalties of the laws, but to the inevitable torment of an evil conscience. |
| 3519 |
Quodsi neminem malum esse nisi stultum eundem non modo a sapientibus dicitur , sed vulgo quoque semper est creditum , certe non fiet unquam stultus orator . Adde quod ne studio quidem operis pulcherrimi vacare mens nisi omnibus vitiis libera potest : primum quod in eodem pectore nullum est honestorum turpiumque consortium , et cogitare optima simul ac deterrima non magis est unius animi quam eiusdem hominis bonum esse ac malum ;
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But if the view that a bad man is necessarily a fool is not merely held by philosolphers, but is the universal belief of ordinary men, the fool will most assuredly never become an orator. To this must be added the fact that the mind will not find leisure even for the study of the noblest of tasks, unless it first be free from vice. The reasons for this are, first, that vileness and virtue cannot jointly inhabit in the selfsame heart and that it is as impossible for one and the same mind to harbour good and evil thoughts as it is for one man to be at once both good and evil: |
| 3520 |
tum illa quoque ex causa , quod mentem tantae rei intentam vacare omnibus aliis etiam culpa carentibus curis oportet . Ita demum enim libera ac tota , nulla distringente atque alio ducente causa , spectabit id solum ad quod accingitur .
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and secondly, that if the intelligence is to be concentrated on such a vast subject as eloquence it must be free from all other distractions, among which must be included even those preoccupations which are free from blame. For it is only when it is free and self-possessed, with nothing to divert it or lure it elsewhere, that it will fix its attention solely on that goal, the attainment of which is the object of its preparations. |
| 3521 |
Quodsi agrorum nimia cura et sollicitior rei familiaris diligentia et venandi voluptas et dati spectaculis dies multum studiis auferunt ( huic enim rei perit tempus , quodcumque alteri datur ) , quid putamus facturas cupiditatem , avaritiam , invidiam , quarum impotentissimae cogitationes somnos etiam ipsos et illa per quietem visa perturbent ?
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If on the other hand inordinate care for the development of our estates, excess of anxiety over household affairs, passionate devotion to hunting or the sacrifice of whole days to the shows of the theatre, rob our studies of much of the time that is their due (for every moment that is given to other things involves a loss of time for study), what, think you, will be the results of desire, avarice, and envy, which waken such violent thoughts within our souls that they disturb our very slumbers and our dreams? |
| 3522 |
Nihil est enim tam occupatum , tam multiforme , tot ac tam variis adfectibus concisum atque laceratum quam mala mens . Nam et cum insidiatur , spe , curis , labore distringitur ; et etiam cum sceleris compos fuit , sollicitudine , paenitentia , poenarum omnium exspectatione torquetur . Quis inter haec litteris aut ulli bonae arti locus ? Non hercule magis quam frugibus in terra sentibus ac rubis occupata .
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There is nothing so preoccupied, so distracted, so rent and torn by so many and such varied passions as an evil mind. For when it cherishes some dark design, it is tormented with hope, care and anguish of spirit, and even when it has accomplished its criminal purpose, it is racked by anxiety, remorse and the fear of all manner of punishments. Amid such passions as these what room is there for literature or any virtuous pursuit? You might as well look for fruit in land that is choked with thorns and brambles. |
| 3523 |
Age , non ad perferendos studiorum labores necessaria frugalitas ? Quid ergo ex libidine ac luxuria spei ? Non praecipue acuit ad cupiditatem litterarum amor laudis ? Num igitur malis esse laudem curae putamus ? Iam hoc quis non videt , maximam partem orationis in tractatu aequi bonique consistere ? Dicetne de his secundum debitam rerum dignitatem malus atque iniquus ?
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Well then, I ask you, is not simplicity of life essential if we are to be able to endure the toil entailed by study? What can we hope to get from lust or luxury? Is not the desire to win praise one of the strongest stimulants to a passion for literature? But does that mean that we are to suppose that praise is an object of concern to bad men? Surely every one of my readers must by now have realised that oratory is in the main concerned with the treatment of what is just and honourable? Can a bad and unjust man speak on such themes as the dignity of the subject demands? |
| 3524 |
Denique , ut maximam partem quaestionis eximam , demus , id quod nullo modo fieri potest , idem ingenii , studii , doctrinae , pessimo atque optimo viro : uter melior dicetur orator ? Nimirum qui homo quoque melior . Non igitur unquam malus idem homo et perfectus orator .
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Nay, even if we exclude the most important aspects of the question now before us, and make the impossible concession that the best and worst of men may have the same talent, industry and learning, we are still confronted by the question as to which of the two is entitled to be called the better orator. The answer is surely clear enough: it will be he who is the better man. Consequently, the bad man and the perfect orator can never be identical. |
| 3525 |
Non enim perfectum est quidquam , quo melius est aliud . Sed , ne more Socraticorum nobismet ipsi responsum finxisse videamur , sit aliquis adeo contra veritatem obstinatus , ut audeat dicere , eodem ingenio , studio , doctrina praeditum nihilo deteriorem futurum oratorem malum virum quam bonum : convincamus huius quoque amentiam .
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For nothing is perfect, if there exists something else that is better. However, as I do not wish to appear to adopt the practice dear to the Socratics of framing answers to my own questions, let me assume the existence of a man so obstinately blind to the truth as to venture to maintain that a bad man equipped with the same talents, industry and learning will be not a whit inferior to the good man as an orator; and let me show that he too is mad. |
| 3526 |
Nam hoc certe nemo dubitabit , omnem orationem id agere , ut iudici , quae proposita fuerint , vera et honesta videantur . Utrum igitur hoc facilius bonus vir persuadebit an malus ? Bonus quidem et dicet saepius vera atque honesta .
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There is one point at any rate which no one will question, namely, that the aim of every speech is to convince the judge that the case which it puts forward is true and honourable. Well then, which will do this best, the good man or the bad? The good man will without doubt more often say what is true and honourable. |
| 3527 |
Sed etiam si quando aliquo ductus officio ( quod accidere , ut mox docebimus , potest ) falso haec adfirmare conabitur , maiore cum fide necesse est audiatur . At malis hominibus ex contemptu opinionis et ignorantia recti nonnunquam excidit ipsa simulatio . Inde immodeste proponunt , sine pudore adfirmant .
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But even supposing that his duty should, as I shall show may sometimes happen, lead him to make statements which are false, his words are still certain to carry greater weight with his audience. On the other hand bad men, in their contempt for public opinion and their ignorance of what is right, sometimes drop their mask unawares, and are impudent in the statement of their case and shameless in their assertions. |
| 3528 |
Sequitur in iis , quae certum est effici non posse , deformis pertinacia et irritus labor . Nam sicut in vita , ita in causis quoque spes improbas habent . Frequenter autem accidit , ut iis etiam vera dicentibus fides desit , videaturque talis advocatus malae causae argumentum .
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Further, in their attempt to achieve the impossible they display an unseemly persistency and unavailing energy. For in lawsuits no less than in the ordinary paths of life, they cherish depraved expectations. But it often happens that even when they tell the truth they fail to win belief, and the mere fact that such a man is its advocate is regarded as an indication of the badness of the case. |
| 3529 |
Nunc de iis dicendum est , quae mihi quasi conspiratione quadam vulgi reclamari videntur . Orator ergo Demosthenes non fuit ? atqui malum virum accepimus . Non Cicero ? atqui huius quoque mores multi reprehenderunt . Quid agam ? magna responsi invidia subeunda est , mitigandae sunt prius cures .
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I must now proceed to deal with the objections which common opinion is practically unanimous in bringing against this view. Was not Demosthenes an orator? And yet we are told that he was a bad man. Was not Cicero an orator? And yet there are many who have found fault with his character as well. What am I to answer? My reply will be highly unpopular and I must first attempt to conciliate my audience. |
| 3530 |
Mihi enim nec Demosthenes tam gravi morum dignus videtur invidia , ut omnia , quae in eum ab inimicis congesta sunt , credam , cum et pulcherrima eius in re publica consilia et finem vitae clarum legam ,
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I do not consider that Demosthenes deserves the serious reflexions that have been made upon his character to such an extent that I am bound to believe all the charges amassed against him by his enemies; for my reading tells me that his public policy was of the noblest and his end most glorious. |
| 3531 |
nec Marco Tullio defuisse video in ulla parte civis optimi voluntatem . Testimonio est actus nobilissime consulatus , integerrime provincia administrata et repudiatus vigintiviratus , et civilibus bellis , quae in aetatem eius gravissima inciderunt , neque spe neque metu declinatus animus , quo minus optimis se partibus , id est rei publicae , iungeret .
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Again, I cannot see that the aims of Cicero were in any portion of his career other than such as may become an excellent citizen. As evidence I would cite the fact that his behaviour as consul was magnificent and his administration of his province a model of integrity, while he refused to become one of the twenty commissioners, and in the grievous civil wars which afflicted his generation beyond all others, neither hope nor fear ever deterred him from giving his support to the better party, that is to say, to the interests of the common weal. Some, it is true, regard him as lacking in courage. |
| 3532 |
Parum fortis videtur quibusdam , quibus optime respondit ipse , non se timidum in suscipiendis , sed in providendis periculis ; quod probavit morte quoque ipsa , quam praestantissimo suscepit animo .
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The best answer to these critics is to be found in his own words, to the effect that he was timid not in confronting peril, but in anticipating it. And this he proved also by the manner of his death, in meeting which he displayed a singular fortitude. |
| 3533 |
Quodsi defuit his viris summa virtus , sic quaerentibus , an oratores fuerint , respondebo , quomodo Stoici , si interrogentur an sapiens Zeno , an Cleanthes , an Chrysippus ipse , respondeant , magnos quidem illos ac venerabiles , non tamen id , quod natura hominis summum habet , consecutos .
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But even if these two men lacked the perfection of virtue, I will reply to those who ask if they were orators, in the manner in which the Stoics would reply, if asked whether Zeno, Cleanthes or Chrysippus himself were wise men. I shall say that they were great men deserving our veneration, but that they did not attain to that which is the highest perfection of man's nature. |
| 3534 |
Nam et Pythagoras non sapientem se , ut qui ante eum fuerunt , sed studiosum sapientiae vocari voluit . Ego tamen secundum communem loquendi consuetudinem saepe dixi dicamque , perfectum oratorem esse Ciceronem ; ut amicos et bonos viros et prudentissimos dicimus vulgo , quorum nihil nisi perfecte sapienti datur . Sed cum proprie et ad legem ipsam veritatis loquendum erit , cum quaeram oratorem , quem et ille quaerebat .
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For did not Pythagoras desire that he should not be called a wise man, like the sages who preceded him, but rather a student of wisdom? But for my own part, conforming to the language of every day, I have said time and again, and shall continue to say, that Cicero was a perfect orator, just as in ordinary speech we call our friends good and sensible men, although neither of these titles can really be given to any save to him that has attained to perfect wisdom. But if I am called upon to speak strictly and in accordance with the most rigid laws of truth, I shall proclaim that I seek to find that same perfect orator whom Cicero also sought to discover. |