BOOK X. CHAPTER I Of reading for improvement, § 1—4. We have to acquire matter and words, 5-7. Facility in speaking is attained by exercise in it, and by reading, hearing, and writing, 8-15. Advantages of hearing and reading, 16-19. What authors should be read, and how, 20, 21. Improvement from reading speeches on both sides of a question, 22, 23. We are not to think even the greatest authors infallible, yet we must not be hasty in finding fault with them, 24-26. Of reading poets, 28-30. Historians, 31—34. Philosophers, 35, 36. Some benefit to be gained from the perusal of almost all authors, 37-42. General observations respecting ancient and modern writers, 43-45. Homer, 46-51. Hesiod, 52. Antimachus, 53. Panyasis, Apollonius Rhodius, 54. Aratus, Theocritus, 55. Pisander, Nicander, Tyrtæus, and others, 56. Of the elegiac poets, Callimachus, Philetas, Archilochus, 57–60. Of the lyric poets; Pindar, 61. Stesichorus, 62. Alcæus, 63. Simonides, 64. Of the old comedy; Aristophanes, Eupolis, Cratinus, 65. Of tragedy; Eschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, 66-68. Menander, Philemon, 69-72. Of history; Thucydides, Herodotus, Theopompus, and others, 73-75. Of orators; Demosthenes, Eschines, Lysias, Isocrates, Demetrius Phalereus, 76-80. Of the philosophers; Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, Theophrastus, 8184. Of the Roman poets, Virgil, Lucretius, Varro, Ennius, Ovid, and others, 85-90. Flattery of Domitian, 91, 92. Of Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid, Lucilius, Horace, Persius, Catullus, and others, 93-96. Latin writers of Tragedy, 97, 98. Of Comedy, 99, 100. Of History, 101-104. Of Latin Orators; Cicero, Asinius Pollio, Messala, and others, 105-122. Of Latin writers on Philosophy, especially Seneca, 123–131. 1. BUT these precepts of oratory, though necessary to be known, are yet insufficient to produce the full power of eloquence, unless there be united with them a certain efficient readiness, which among the Greeks is called is, “habit,” and to which I know that it is an ordinary subject of inquiry whether more is contributed by writing, reading, or speaking. This question we should have to examine with careful attention, if we could confine ourselves to any one of those exercises; 2. but they are all so connected, so inseparably linked, with one another, that if any one of them be neglected, we labour in vain in the other two; for our speech will never become forcible and energetic, unless it acquires strength from great practice in writing, and the labour of writing, if left destitute of models from reading, passes away without effect, as having no director; while he who knows how everything ought to be said, will, if he has not his eloquence in readiness, and prepared for all emergencies, merely brood, as it were, over locked up treasure. 3. Though some one quality, again, may be requisite above others, it will not necessarily, for that purpose, be chief in importance for forming the orator. For since the business t of the orator lies in speaking, to speak is doubtless necessary to him before anything else; and it is evident that from speaking the commencement of the art arose; also that the next thing in order is imitation:* and, last of all, diligent exercise in writing. 4. But as we cannot arrive at the highest excellence otherwise than by initial efforts, so, as our work proceeds, those things which are of the greatest importance begin to appear of the least. But I am not here saying how the orator is to be trained, (for that has been told already, if not satisfactorily, at least as well as I could,) but by what kind of discipline an athlete, who has already learned all his exercises from his master, is to be prepared for real contests. Let me, therefore, instruct the student, who knows how to invent and arrange his matter, and who has also acquired the art of selecting and disposing his words, by what means he may be able to practise, in the best and easiest possible manner, that which he has learned. 5. Can it then be doubted, that he must secure certain resources, which he may use whenever it shall be necessary? Those resources will consist in supplies of matter and of words. 6. But every cause has its own peculiar matter, or matter common to it with but few others; words are to be prepared for all kinds of causes. If there were a single word for every single thing, words would require less care, for all would then * Imitationem.] It would appear, from the place which this word occupies, that we ought to understand lectio, "reading," though how this can be included or implied in imitatio, I confess that I hardly Bee. Yet no commentator has hesitated at the word. Perhaps, as the reading of the best authors was adopted with a view to imitation, it became customary for diligent attention to books to be called imitation. Thus the work of Dionysius Halicarnassensis, in which he gave judg ment on the ancient orators, and of which some portions only are left, appears to have been entitled De Imitatione, under which designation it is mentioned by the Scholiast on Hermogenes, τὸ περὶ μιμήσεως. See Taylor. Lect. Lys. p. 162. Spalding. at once present themselves with the things to be expressed. As some, however, are more appropriate, or more elegant, or more significant, or more euphonious, than others, they ought all, not only to be known, but to be kept in readiness, and, if I may so express myself, in sight, so that, when they present themselves to the judgment of the speaker, the choice of the best of them may be easily made. 7. I know that some make a practice of learning by heart such words as have the same signification, in order that one word out of several may the more readily occur to them, and that, when they have used one of the number, they may, if it should be wanted again within a short space of time, substitute for it, for the sake of avoiding repetition, another from which the same thing may be understood. But this is a childish practice, attended with miserable labour, and productive of very little profit; for the learner merely musters a crowd of words, to snatch from it without distinction whichsoever first presents itself. 8. By us, on the contrary, our stock of words must be prepared with judgment, as we have a view to the proper force of oratory, and not to the volubility of the charlatan. But this object we shall effect by reading and listening to the best language; for, by such exercise, we shall not only learn words expressive of things, but shall learn for what place each word is best adapted. 9. Almost all words, indeed, except a few that are of indecent character, find a place in oratorical composition; and the writers of iambics, and of the old comedy, are often commended for the use of words of that description; but it is sufficient for us at present to look to our own work. All sorts of words, then, except those to which I have alluded, may be excellently employed in some place or other; for we have sometimes occasion for low and coarse words; and such as would seem mean in the more elegant parts of a speech, are, when the subject requires them, adopted with propriety. * 10. To understand words thoroughly, and to learn not only the signification of them, but their forms and measures,† and * Inasmuch as the phallic verses were in iambic measure; as well as the furious effusions of Archilochus and Hipponax, whose character we know from Horace. Spalding. + Formas etiam mensurasque.] Forma seems to refer to declensions and conjugations; mensura to quantity, feet, and the rhythm of words in combination. to be able to judge whether they are adapted to the places to which they are assigned, are branches of knowledge that we cannot acquire but by assiduous reading and hearing, since we receive all language first of all by the ear. Hence infants brought up, at the command of princes,* by dumb nurses and in solitude, were destitute of the faculty of speech, though they are said to have uttered some unconnected words. 11. There are, however, some words of such a nature that they express the same thing by different sounds, so exactly that it makes no difference to the sense which we use in preference to another; for instance ensis and gladius. There are others, again, which, though properly belonging to distinct objects, are yet by a trope, as it were, used for conveying the same idea; as ferrum and mucro.† 12. Thus, too, by a catachresis, we call all assassins sicarii, whatever be the weapon with which they have committed slaughter. Some things, moreover. we indicate by a circumlocution, as pressi copia lactis.§ Many things, also, by a change of words, we express figuratively, as, for I know, we say I am not ignorant, or It does not escape me, or It does not fail to attract my attention, or Who is not aware? or No man doubts. 13. We may likewise profit by the near import of words, for I understand, I perceive, I see, have often just the same meaning as I know. Of such synonyms reading will furnish us with copious supplies, so that we may use them not only as they present themselves, but as they ought to be adopted. 14. For such terms do not always express exactly the same things; and though I may properly say "I see" in reference to the perception of the mind, I cannot say I understand" in reference to the sight of the eyes; nor, though mucro indicates gladius, does gladius indicate mucro. 15. But though à copious stock of words be thus acquired, we are not to read or hear merely for the sake of words; for in all that we teach examples are more powerful || even than the rules which are made. 66 Quintilian speaks as if this experiment had been several times But we find only one instance of it recorded; that of Psammetichus, king of Egypt, mentioned by Herodotus, ii. 2. + Ferrum means any steel weapon; mucro the point of such weapon. From sica, a dagger or poi iard. "Plenty of pressed milk," for "cheese." Virg. Ecl. i. 81. Hoc sunt exempla potentiora.] Spalding justly observes that lies answers to quia which occurs below, quasi propterea-quod. taught, (I mean when the learner is so far advanced that he can enter into the subjects without a guide, and pursue them with his own unassisted efforts,) inasmuch as what the master teaches, the orator exhibits.* 16. Some speeches contribute more to our improvement when we hear them delivered, others when we peruse them. He who speaks to us rouses us by his animation, and excites us, not by an artificial representation and account of things,t but by the things themselves. Every thing seems to live and move before us, and we catch the new ideas, as it were at their birth, with partiality and affection. We feel interested, not only in the event of the cause, but in the perilous efforts of those who plead it. 17. In addition to this, a becoming tone and action, a mode of delivery adapted to what particular passages require, (which is perhaps the most powerful element in oratory,) and, in a word, all excellent qualities in combination teach us at the same time. In reading, on the other hand, the judgment is applied with more certainty, for, when a person is listening to speeches, his own partiality for any particular speaker, or the ordinary applause of approving auditors, often deprives him of the free exercise of his judgment; 18. since we are ashamed to express dissent from others, and are prevented, by a sort of secret modesty, from trusting too much to ourselves, though what is faulty sometimes pleases the majority, and even what does not please is applauded by those who are engaged to applaud. 19. On the contrary, too, it sometimes happens that the bad taste of the audience does not do justice to the finest passages. But reading is free, and does not escape us with the rapidity of oral delivery, but allows us to go over the same passages more than once, whether we have any doubt of their meaning, or are desirous to fix them in onr memory. Let us review, then, and reconsider the subject of our reading, and as we consign our food to, our stomach only when it is masticated and almost dissolved, in order that it may be easier of digestion, so let what we read be committed *We are not to read or hear merely to get words, but to observe at the same time how they are used by the best writers and speakers. +Imagine et ambitu rerum.] By ambitus, says Spalding, Landsidelius understands "artificiosam comprehensionem atque explicationem rerum ad aucupandam gratiam." This seems to be the right interpretation, he adds, and suits very well with imago, as opposed to res ipsæ. |