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	<title type="work" n="Inst.">Institutio Oratoria, books 4-6</title>
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<author n="Quint.">Quintilian</author>
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<author>Quintilian</author>
<title>With An English Translation</title>
 <editor role="editor" n="Butler">Harold Edgeworth Butler</editor>
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<pubPlace>Cambridge</pubPlace>
<publisher>Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd.</publisher>
<date>1921</date>
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<pb id="p.3" />

<body>
	<div1 type="book" n="4" org="uniform" sample="complete"><head>Book IV</head>

<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="pr" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />I have now, my dear Marcellus Victorius, completed the third book of the work which I have
dedicated to you, and have nearly finished a quarter
of my task, and am confronted with a motive for
renewed diligence and increased anxiety as to the
judgment it may be found to deserve. For up to
this point we were merely discussing rhetoric
between ourselves and, in the event of our system
being regarded as inadequate by the world at large,
were prepared to content ourselves with putting it
into practice at home and to confine ourselves to the
education of your son and mine.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> But now Domitianus Augustus has entrusted me with the education
of his sister's grandsons, and I should be undeserving of the honour conferred upon me by such
divine appreciation, if I were not to regard this
distinction as the standard by which the greatness
of my undertaking must be judged.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> For it is
clearly my duty to spare no pains in moulding
the character of my august pupils, that they may
earn the deserved approval of the most righteous
of censors. The same applies to their intellectual

<pb id="p.5" />

training, for I would not be found to have disappointed the expectations of a prince pre-eminent
in eloquence as in all other virtues.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> But no one
is surprised at the frequency with which the
greatest poets invoke the Muses not merely at the
commencement of their works, but even further
on when they have reached some important passage
and repeat their vows and utter fresh prayers for
assistance.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> Assuredly therefore I may ask indulgence
for doing what I omitted to do when I first entered
on this task and calling to my aid all the gods and
Himself before them all (for his power is unsurpassed and there is no deity that looks with such
favour upon learning), beseeching him to inspire me
with genius in proportion to the hopes that he has
raised in me, to lend me propitious and ready aid and
make me even such as he has believed me to be.
<milestone unit="section" n="6" />And this, though the greatest, is not the only
motive for this act of religious devotion, but my work is
of such a nature that, as it proceeds, I am confronted
with greater and more arduous obstacles than have
yet faced me. For my next task is to explain the
order to be followed in forensic causes, which
present the utmost complication and variety. I must
set forth the function of the <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> the method
of the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> the cogency of <hi rend="italics">proofs,</hi> whether
we are confirming our own assertions or refuting
those of our opponents, and the force of the<hi rend="italics">peroration,</hi>
whether we have to refresh the memory of the
judge by a brief recapitulation of the facts, or to do
what is far more effective, stir his emotions.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> Some
have preferred to give each of these points separate
treatment, fearing that if they undertook them as
a whole the burden would be greater than they

<pb id="p.7" />

could bear, and consequently have published several
books on each individual point. I have ventured
to treat them altogether and foresee such infinite
labour that I feel weary at the very thought of the
task I have undertaken. But I have set my hand to
the plough and must not look back. My strength
may fail me, but my courage must not fail.</p>

<p>1. The commencement or <hi rend="italics">exorditum</hi> as we call it in
Latin is styled a <hi rend="italics">proem</hi> by the Greeks. This seems
to me a more appropriate name, because whereas we
merely indicate that we are beginning our task, they
clearly show that this portion is designed as an introduction to the subject on which the orator has to
speak.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> It may be because <foreign lang="greek">oi)/mh</foreign> means a tune, and
players on the lyre have given the name of <hi rend="italics">proem</hi> to
the prelude which they perform to win the favour of
the audience before entering upon the regular contest
for the prize, that orators before beginning to plead
make a few introductory remarks to win the indulgence of the judges.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> Or it may be because <foreign lang="greek">oi)=mos</foreign>
in Greek means a <hi rend="italics">way,</hi> that the practice has arisen of
calling an introduction a <hi rend="italics">proem.</hi> But in any case
there can be no doubt that by <hi rend="italics">proem</hi> we mean the
portion of a speech addressed to the judge before he
has begun to consider the actual case. And it is a
mistaken practice which we adopt in the schools of
always assuming in our <hi rend="italics">exordia</hi> that the judge is
already acquainted with the case.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> This form of
licence arises from the fact that a sketch of the case
is always given before actual declamation.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> the statement of the <quote>hard case</quote> with which the
declaimer has to deal. <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> iv. ii. 98</note> Such
kinds of <hi rend="italics">exordia</hi> may, however, be employed in the

<pb id="p.9" />

courts, when a case comes on for the second time, but
never or rarely on the first occasion, unless we are
speaking before a judge who has knowledge of
the case from some other source.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="5" />The sole purpose of the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> is to prepare our
audience in such a way that they will be disposed to
lend a ready ear to the rest of our speech. The
majority of authors agree that this is best effected in
three ways, by making the audience well-disposed,
attentive and ready to receive instruction. I need
hardly say that these aims have to be kept in
view throughout the whole speech, but they are especially necessary at the commencement, when we
gain admission to the mind of the judge in order
to penetrate still further.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="6" />As regards good-will, we secure that either from
persons connected with the case or from the case
itself. Most writers have divided these persons into
three classes, the plaintiff, the defendant and the
judge.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> This classification is wrong, for the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi>
may sometimes derive its conciliatory force from the
person of the pleader. For although he may be
modest and say little about himself, yet if he is
believed to be a good man, this consideration will
exercise the strongest influence at every point of
the case. For thus he will have the good fortune to
give the impression not so much that he is a
zealous advocate as that he is an absolutely reliable
witness. It is therefore pre-eminently desirable
that he should be believed to have undertaken
the case out of a sense of duty to a friend or
relative, or even better, if the point can be made,
by a sense of patriotism or at any rate some serious
moral consideration. No doubt it is even more

<pb id="p.11" />

necessary for the parties themselves to create the
impression that they have been forced to take legal
action by some weighty and honourable reason or even
by necessity.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> But just as the authority of the speaker
carries greatest weight, if his undertaking of the case
is free from all suspicion of meanness, personal spite
or ambition, so also we shall derive some silent support
from representing that we are weak, unprepared, and
no match for the powerful talents arrayed against us,
a frequent trick in the <hi rend="italics">exordia</hi> of Messala.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> For
men have a natural prejudice in favour of those
who are struggling against difficulties, and a scrupulous judge is always specially ready to listen to an
advocate whom he does not suspect to have designs
on his integrity. Hence arose the tendency of
ancient orators to pretend to conceal their eloquence,
a practice exceedingly unlike the ostentation of our
own times.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> It is also important to avoid giving the
impression that we are abusive, malignant, proud
or slanderous toward any individual or body of
men, especially such as cannot be hurt without
exciting the disapproval of the judges.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> As to the
judge, it would be folly for me to warn speakers
not to say or even hint anything against him, but
for the fact that such things do occur. Our opponent's advocate will sometimes provide us with
material for our <hi rend="italics">exordium:</hi> we may speak of him
in honorific terms, pretending to fear his eloquence
and influence with a view to rendering them suspect
to the judge, or occasionally, though very seldom, we
may abuse him, as Asinius did in his speech on behalf
of the heirs of Urbinia, where he includes among the
proofs of the weakness of the plaintiff's case the fact
that he has secured Labienus as his advocate.

<pb id="p.13" />

<milestone unit="section" n="12" />Cornelius Celsus denies that such remarks can be
considered as belonging to the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> on the
ground that they are irrelevant to the actual case.
Personally I prefer to follow the authority of the
greatest orators, and hold that whatever concerns the
pleader is relevant to the case, since it is natural that
the judges should give readier credence to those to
whom they find it a pleasure to listen.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> The character
of our client himself may, too, be treated in various
ways: we may emphasise his worth or we may
commend his weakness to the protection of the
court. Sometimes it is desirable to set forth his
merits, when the speaker will be less hampered by
modesty than if he were praising his own. Sex, age
and situation are also important considerations, as for
instance when women, old men or wards are pleading
in the character of wives, parents or children.
<milestone unit="section" n="14" />For pity alone may move even a strict judge.
These points, however, should only be lightly touched
upon in the <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> not run to death. As regards
our opponent he is generally attacked on similar
lines, but with the method reversed. For power is
generally attended by envy, abject meanness by
contempt, guilt and baseness by hatred, three
emotions which are powerful factors to alienate the
good-will of the judges.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> But a simple statement will
not suffice, for even the uneducated are capable of
that: most of the points will require exaggeration
or extenuation as expediency may demand: the
method of treatment belongs to the orator, the
points themselves belong to the case.</p>
<p>We shall win the good-will of the judge not
merely by praising him,<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> which must be done with
tact and is an artifice common to both parties, but

<pb id="p.15" />

by linking his praise to the furtherance of our own
case. For instance, in pleading for a man of good
birth we shall appeal to his own high rank, in speaking
for the lowly we shall lay stress on his sense of justice, on his pity in pleading the cause of misfortune,
and on his severity when we champion the victims
of wrong, and so on.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> I should also wish, if possible,
to be acquainted with the character of the judge.
For it will be desirable to enlist their temperaments
in the service of our cause, where they are such as
are like to be useful, or to mollify them, if they are
like to prove adverse, just according as they are
harsh, gentle, cheerful, grave, stern, or easy-going.
It will, however,<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> sometimes happen that the judge
is hostile to us and friendly to our adversaries. Such
cases demand the attention of both parties and I am
not sure that the party favoured by the judge does
not require to handle the situation with even more
care than his opponent. For perverse judges have
sometimes a preposterous tendency to give judgment against their friends or in favour of those with
whom they have a quarrel, and of committing injustice merely to avoid the appearance of partiality.
<milestone unit="section" n="19" />Again some have been judges in cases where their
own interests were involved. I note, for instance,
in the books of observations published by Septimius
that Cicero appeared in such a case, while I myself,
when I appeared on behalf of Queen Berenice,
actually pleaded before her. In such cases we must
be guided by the same principles that I have laid
down above. The opponent of the judge will
emphasise his confidence in the justice of his client's
cause, while the advocate of his interests will
express the fear that the judge may be influenced

<pb id="p.17" />

by a quixotic delicacy.<milestone unit="section" n="20" /> Further, if the judge is
thought to have come into court with a prejudice
in favour of one side, we must try to remove or
strengthen that prejudice as circumstances may
demand. Again occasionally we shall have to calm
the judges' fears, as Cicero does in the <hi rend="italics">pro Milone,</hi>
where he strives to persuade them not to think that
Pompey's soldiers have been stationed in the court
as a threat to themselves. Or it may be necessary
to frighten them, as Cicero does in the <hi rend="italics">Verrines.</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">i. 15.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="21" />There are two ways of bringing fear to bear upon
the judges. The commonest and most popular is to
threaten them with the displeasure of the Roman
people or the transference of the juries to another
class<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">e.g.</hi> in the <hi rend="italics">Verrines</hi> Cicero points out to the jury, then
drawn entirely from senators, that they are on their trial.
If they fail in their duty, the constitution of the panels will
be altered and the <hi rend="italics">equites</hi> be admitted as well.</note>; the second is somewhat brutal and is rarely
employed, and consists in threatening them with a
prosecution for bribery: this is a method which is
fairly safe with a large body of judges, since it
checks the bad and pleases the good members of
the jury, but I should never recommend its employment with a single judge<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">It must be borne in mind that <hi rend="italics">iudex</hi> may be a juryman
forming one of a large panel, or a single judge trying a civil
action.</note> except in the very last
resort.<milestone unit="section" n="22" /> But if necessity should drive us to such a
course, we must remember that such threats do not
come under the art of oratory, any more than appeals
from the judgment of the court (though that is often
useful), or the indictment of the judge before he
gives his decision. For even one who is no orator
can threaten or lay an information.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="23" />If the case affords us the means of winning the
favour of the judge, it is important that the points
which seem most likely to serve to our purpose
should be selected for introduction into the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi>

<pb id="p.19" />

On this subject Verginius falls into error, for he
asserts that Theodorus lays down that some one
reflexion on each individual question that is involved
by the case should be introduced into the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi>
As a matter of fact Theodorus does not say this,<milestone unit="section" n="24" />
but merely that the judge should be prepared for
the most important of the questions that are to be
raised. There is nothing to object to in this rule,
save that he would make it of universal application,
whereas it is not possible with every question nor
desirable in every case. For instance, seeing that
the plaintiff's advocate speaks first, and that
till he has spoken the judge is ignorant of the
nature of the dispute, how is it possible for us to
introduce reflexions relating to all the questions
involved? The facts of the case must be stated
before that can be done. We may grant that some
questions may be mentioned, for that will sometimes
be absolutely necessary; but can we introduce all
the most important questions, or in other words the
whole case? If we do we shall have completed our
<hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> within the limits of the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi>
Again if, as often happens,<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> the case is somewhat
difficult, surely we should seek to win the good-will
of the judge by other portions of our speech sooner
than thrust the main questions upon him in all their
naked harshness before we have done anything to
secure his favour. If the main questions ought
always to be treated at the beginning of a speech,
we might dispense with the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="26" /> We shall
then occasionally introduce certain points from the
main questions into the <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> which will exercise
a valuable influence in winning the judge to regard
us with favour. It is not necessary to enumerate

<pb id="p.21" />

the points which are likely to gain us such favour,
because they will be obvious as soon as we have
acquainted ourselves with the circumstances of each
dispute, while in view of the infinite variety presented by cases it is out of the question to specify
them here.<milestone unit="section" n="27" /> Just, however, as it is in the interest
of our case to note and amplify these points, so it is
also to rebut or at any rate lessen the force of
anything that is damaging to our case. Again
our case may justify an appeal to compassion with
regard to what we have suffered in the past or are
likely to suffer.<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> For I do not share the opinion
held by some, that the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> and the <hi rend="italics">peroration</hi>
are to be distinguished by the fact that the latter
deals with the past, the former with the future.
Rather I hold that the difference between them is
this: in our opening any preliminary appeal to the
compassion of the judge must be made sparingly
and with restraint, while in the peroration we may
give full rein to our emotions, place fictitious
speeches in the mouths of our characters, call the
dead to life, and produce the wife or children of the
accused in court, practices which are less usual in
<hi rend="italics">exordia.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="29" /> But it is the function of the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> not
merely to excite the feelings to which I have alluded,
but to do all that is possible to show that our
opponent's case is not deserving of them. It is
advantageous to create the impression not merely
that our fate will be deserving of pity, if we lose, but
that our adversary will be swollen with outrageous
insolence if he prove successful.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="30" />But exordia are often drawn from matters which
do not, strictly speaking, concern either cases or the
persons involved, though not unrelated to either.

<pb id="p.23" />

In such relation to persons stand not only wives
and children of whom I have just spoken, but also
relations, friends, and at times districts and states
together with anything else that is like to suffer
injury from the fall of the client whom we defend.
<milestone unit="section" n="31" />As regards external circumstances<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">In the <hi rend="italics">pro Caelio</hi> (c. 1) Cicero calls attention to the fact
that the trial is taking place during a festival, all other legal
business being suspended. In the <hi rend="italics">pro Deiotaro</hi> (c. 2) he
calls attention to the unusual surroundings, the speech being
delivered in a private house. For the <hi rend="italics">pro Milone</hi> see §<milestone unit="section" n="20" />
of this chapter. In the first <hi rend="italics">Verrme</hi> (c. 1) he remarks that
it is generally believed that the corruption of the courts is
such that it is practically impossible to secure the condemnation of a wealthy man.</note> which have a
bearing on the case, I may mention time, which
is introduced in the exordium of the <hi rend="italics">pro Caelio,</hi>
place (in the <hi rend="italics">pro Deiotaro</hi>),the appearance of the
court (in the <hi rend="italics">pro Milone</hi>),public opinion (in the
<hi rend="italics">Verrines</hi>),and finally, as I cannot mention all,
the ill-repute of the law courts and the popular
expectation excited by the case. None of these
actually belong to the case, but all have some
bearing on it.<milestone unit="section" n="32" /> Theophrastus adds that the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi>
may be drawn from the speech of one's opponent,
as that of the <hi rend="italics">pro Ctesiphonte</hi> of Demosthenes appears
to be, where he asks that he may be allowed to
speak as he pleases and not to be restricted to the
form laid down by the accuser in his speech.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="33" />Confidence often labours under the disadvantage
of being regarded as arrogance. But there are
certain tricks for acquiring good-will, which though
almost universal, are by no means to be neglected, if
only to prevent their being first employed against
ourselves. I refer to rhetorical expressions of wishing, detestation, entreaty, or anxiety. For it keeps
the judge's attention on the alert, if he is led to
think the case novel, important, scandalous, or
likely to set a precedent, still more if he is excited
by concern for himself or the common weal, when

<pb id="p.25" />

his mind must be stirred by hope, fear, admonition,
entreaty and even by falsehood, if it seems to us
that it is likely to advance our case.<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> We shall also
find it a useful device for wakening the attention of
our audience to create the impression that we shall
not keep them long and intend to stick closely to
the point. The mere fact of such attention undoubtedly makes the judge ready to receive instruction from us, but we shall contribute still more to
this effect if we give a brief and lucid summary of
the case which he has to try; in so doing we shall
be following the method adopted by Homer and
Virgil at the beginning of their poems.<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> For as regards
the length of the <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> it should propound rather
than expound, and should not describe how each
thing occurred, but simply indicate the points on
which the orator proposes to speak. I do not think
a better example of this can be found than the
<hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> to the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio</hi> of Cicero.<milestone unit="section" n="36" /> <quote>I have
noted, judges, that the speech for the prosecution
was divided into two parts: of these, the first seemed
to rest and in the main to rely on the odium, now
inveterate, arising from the trial before Junius,
while the other appeared to touch, merely as a
matter of form, and with a certain timidity and
diffidence, on the question of the charge of poisoning, though it is to try this point that the present
court has been constituted in accordance with the
law.</quote> All this, however, is easier for the defender
than the prosecutor, since the latter has merely to remind the judge, while the former has to instruct him.
<milestone unit="section" n="37" />Nor shall any authority, however great, induce me
to abandon my opinion that it is always desirable to
render the judge attentive and ready to receive

<pb id="p.27" />

instruction. I am well aware that those who disagree with me urge that it is to the advantage of a
bad case that its nature should not be understood;
but such lack of understanding arises not from
inattention on the part of the judge, but from his
being deceived.<milestone unit="section" n="38" /> Our opponent has spoken and
perhaps convinced him; we must alter his opinion,
and this we cannot do unless we render him attentive
to what we have to say and ready to be instructed.
What are we to do then? I agree to the view that
we should cut down, depreciate and deride some of
our opponent's arguments with a view to lessening
the attention shown him by the judge, as Cicero did
in the <hi rend="italics">pro Ligario.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="39" /> For what was the purpose of
Cicero's irony save that Caesar should be induced to
regard the case as presenting only old familiar
features and consequently to give it less attention?
What was his purpose in the <hi rend="italics">pro Caelio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cael.</hi> 31.</note> save to
make the case seem far more trivial than had been
anticipated?</p>
<p>It is, however, obvious that of the rules which I
have laid down, some will be applicable to one case
and some to another.<milestone unit="section" n="40" /> The majority of writers
consider that there are five kinds of causes, the
<hi rend="italics">honourable, the</hi> <hi rend="italics">mean,</hi> the <hi rend="italics">doubtful</hi> or <hi rend="italics">ambiguous,</hi> the
<hi rend="italics">extraordinary</hi> and the <hi rend="italics">obscure,</hi> or as they are called in
Greek, <foreign lang="greek">e)/ndocon, a)/docon, a)mfi/docon, para/docon</foreign> and
<foreign lang="greek">dusparakolou/qhton.</foreign> To these some would add a sixth,
the <hi rend="italics">scandalous,</hi> which some again include under the
heading of the <hi rend="italics">mean,</hi> others under the <hi rend="italics">extraordinary.</hi>
<milestone unit="section" n="41" />The latter name is given to cases which are contrary
to ordinary expectation. In <hi rend="italics">ambiguous</hi> cases it is
specially important to secure the good-will of the
judge, in the <hi rend="italics">obscure</hi> to render him ready to receive

<pb id="p.29" />

instruction, in the <hi rend="italics">mean</hi> to excite his attention. As
regards the <hi rend="italics">honourable</hi> the very nature of the case is
sufficient to win the approval of the judge; in the
<hi rend="italics">scandalous</hi> and <hi rend="italics">extraordinary</hi> some kind of palliation
is required.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="42" />Some therefore divide the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> into two parts,
the <hi rend="italics">introduction</hi> and the <hi rend="italics">insinuation,</hi> making the former
contain a direct appeal to the good-will and attention
of the judge. But as this is impossible in scandalous
cases, they would have the orator on such occasions insinuate himself little by little into the minds of his
judges, especially when the features of the case which
meet the eye are discreditable, or because the subject
is disgraceful or such as to meet with popular disapproval, or again if the outward circumstances of the
case are such as to handicap it or excite odium (as for
instance when a patron appears against a client or a
father against a son), or pity (as when our opponent
is an old or blind man or a child).<milestone unit="section" n="43" /> To save the situation the rhetoricians lay down a number of rules at
quite inordinate length: they invent fictitious cases
and treat them realistically on the lines which would
be followed in actual pleading. But these peculiar
circumstances arise from such a variety of causes as
to render classification by species impossible, and
their enumeration save under the most general heads
would be interminable.<milestone unit="section" n="44" /> The line to be adopted will
therefore depend on the individual nature of each
case. As a general principle, however, I should
advise the avoidance of points which tell against us
and concentrate on those which are likely to be of
service. If the case itself is weak, we may derive
help from the character of our client; if his character
is doubtful, we may find salvation in the nature of

<pb id="p.31" />

the case. If both are hopeless, we must look out for
something that will damage our opponent. For
though it is desirable to secure as much positive
good-will as possible, the next best thing is to incur
the minimum of actual dislike.<milestone unit="section" n="45" /> Where we cannot
deny the truth of facts that are urged against us, we
must try to show that their significance has been
exaggerated or that the purpose of the act was not
what is alleged or that the facts are irrelevant or
that what was done may be atoned for by penitence
or has already been sufficiently punished. It is
consequently easier for an advocate to put forward
such pleas than for his client, since the former can
praise without laying himself open to the charge of
arrogance and may sometimes even reprove him with
advantage to the case.<milestone unit="section" n="46" /> At times, like Cicero in his
defence of Rabirius Postumus,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro</hi> Rab. i. 1.</note> he will pretend that
he himself is strongly moved, in order to win the
ear of the judge and to give the impression of
one who is absolutely convinced of the truth of his
cause, that so his statements may find all the readier
credence whether he defends or denies the actions
attributed to his client. Consequently it is of the first
importance, wherever the alternative is open to us,
to consider whether we are to adopt the character of
a party to the suit or of an advocate. In the schools,
of course, we have a free choice in the matter, but it
is only on rare occasions that a man is capable of
pleading his own case in the actual courts.<milestone unit="section" n="47" /> When
we are going to deliver a declamation on a theme
that turns largely on its emotional features, we
must give it a dramatic character suited to the
persons concerned. For emotions are not transferable at will, nor can we give the same forcible

<pb id="p.33" />

expression to another man's emotions that we should
give to our own.<milestone unit="section" n="48" /> The circumstances which call for
insinuation arise also in cases where the pleading of
our opponent has made a powerful impression on the
minds of the judges, or where the audience whom
we have to address are tired. The first difficulty we
shall evade by promising to produce our own proofs
and by eluding the arguments of our opponents, the
second by holding out hopes that we shall be brief
and by the methods already mentioned for capturing
the attention of the judges.<milestone unit="section" n="49" /> Again an opportune
display of wit will often restore their flagging spirits
and we may alleviate their boredom by the introduction of entertaining matter derived from any source
that may be available. It will also be found advantageous to anticipate the objections that may be
raised by our opponent, as Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Div. in</hi> Caec. i. 1.</note> does when he
says <quote>I know that some persons are surprised that
one, who for such a number of years has defended so
many and attacked none, should have come forward
as the accuser of Verres,</quote> he then goes on to show
that the accusation which he has undertaken is
really a defence of the allies, an artifice known as
<foreign lang="greek">pro/lhyis</foreign> or anticipation.<milestone unit="section" n="50" /> Although this is at times
a useful device, some of our declaimers employ it
on practically every occasion, on the assumption
that one should always start with the order thus
reversed.</p>
<p>The adherents of Apollodorus reject the view
stated above to the effect that there are only three
respects in which the mind of the judge requires to
be prepared, and enumerate many others, relating to
the character of the judge, to opinions regarding
matters which though outside the case have still

<pb id="p.35" />

some bearing on it, to the opinion current as to the
case itself, and so on <hi rend="italics">ad infinitum:</hi> to these they add
others relating to the elements of which every
dispute is composed, such as persons, deeds, words,
motives, time and place, occasions and the like.
Such views are, I admit, perfectly correct,<milestone unit="section" n="51" /> but are
covered by one or other of the three classes which I
have mentioned. For if I can secure good-will,
attention and readiness to learn on the part of my
judge, I cannot see what else I ought to require;
even fear, which perhaps may be thought more than
anything else to lie outside the considerations I have
mentioned, secures the attention of the judge and
deters him from favouring our opponent.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="52" />It is not, however, sufficient to explain the nature
of the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> to our pupils. We must also indicate
the easiest method of composing an <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi> I
would therefore add that he who has a speech to
make should consider what he has to say; before
whom, in whose defence, against whom, at what
time and place, under what circumstances he has to
speak; what is the popular opinion on the subject,
and what the prepossessions of the judge are likely
to be; and finally of what we should express our
deprecation or desire. Nature herself will give him
the knowledge of what he ought to say first.<milestone unit="section" n="53" /> Nowadays, however, speakers think that anything with
which they choose to start is a <hi rend="italics">proem</hi> and that
whatever occurs to them, especially if it be a reflexion
that catches their fancy, is an <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi> There are,
no doubt, many points that can be introduced into an
<hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> which are common to other parts of a speech,
but the best test of the appropriateness of a point to
any part of a speech is to consider whether it would

<pb id="p.37" />

lose effect by being placed elsewhere.<milestone unit="section" n="54" /> A most attractive form of <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> is that which draws its material
from the speech of our opponent, if only for the
reason that the fact of its not having been composed
at home, but having been improvised on the spot to
meet the needs of the case increases the orator's
reputation for natural talent by the readiness with
which it is produced and carries conviction owing to
the simple and ordinary language in which it is
clothed. As a result, even although the rest of the
speech has been committed to writing and carefully
elaborated, the whole of the speech will often be
regarded as extempore, simply because its commencement is clearly not the result of previous
study.<milestone unit="section" n="55" /> Indeed a certain simplicity in the thoughts,
style, voice and look of the speaker will often
produce so pleasing an effect in the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> that
even in a case where there is no room for doubt the
confidence of the speaker should not reveal itself too
openly. For as a rule the judge dislikes self-confidence in a pleader, and conscious of his rights
tacitly demands the respectful deference of the
orator.<milestone unit="section" n="56" /> No less care must be taken to avoid exciting
any suspicion in this portion of our speech, and we
should therefore give no hint of elaboration in the
<hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> since any art that the orator may employ
at this point seems to be directed solely at the
judge.<milestone unit="section" n="57" /> But to avoid all display of art in itself
requires consummate art: this admirable canon has
been insisted on by all writers, though its force has
been somewhat impaired by present conditions, since
in certain trials, more especially those brought on
capital charges or in the centumviral<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The court of the <hi rend="italics">cettumviri</hi> was specially concerned with
cases of inheritance.</note> court, the
judges themselves demand the most finished and

<pb id="p.39" />

elaborate speeches, think themselves insulted, unless
the orator shows signs of having exercised the
utmost diligence in the preparation of his speech,
and desire not merely to be instructed, but to be
charmed.<milestone unit="section" n="58" /> It is difficult to preserve the happy mean
in carrying this precept into effect: but by a skilful
compromise it will be possible to give the impression
of speaking with care but without elaborate design.
The old rule still holds good that no unusual word,
no overbold metaphor, no phrase derived from the
lumber-rooms of antiquity or from poetic licence
should be detected in the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="59" /> For our position
is not yet established, the attention of the audience
is still fresh and imposes restraint upon us: as soon
as we have won their good-will and kindled their
interest, they will tolerate such freedom, more
especially when we have reached topics whose
natural richness prevents any licence of expression
being noticed in the midst of the prevailing
splendour of the passage.<milestone unit="section" n="60" /> The style of the <hi rend="italics">exrordiumn</hi>
should not resemble that of our purple patches nor
that of the argumentative and narrative portions of
the speech, nor yet should it be prolix or continuously ornate: it should rather seem simple and
unpremeditated, while neither our words nor our
looks should promise too much. For a method of
pleading which conceals its art and makes no vain
display, being as the Greeks say <foreign lang="greek">a)nepi/fatos</foreign><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> unobtrusive.</note> will
often be best adapted to insinuate its way into the
minds of our hearers. But in all this we must be
guided by the extent to which it is expedient to
impress the minds of the judges.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="61" />There is no point in the whole speech where confusion of memory or loss of fluency has a worse effect,

<pb id="p.41" />

for a faulty <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> is like a face seamed with scars;
and he who runs his ship ashore while leaving port
is certainly the least efficient of pilots.<milestone unit="section" n="62" /> The length
of the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> will be determined by the case;
simple cases require a short introduction only,
longer <hi rend="italics">exordia</hi> being best suited to cases which are
complicated, suspect or unpopular. As for those
who have laid it down as a law applying to all
<hi rend="italics">exordia</hi> that they should not be more than four
sentences long, they are merely absurd. On the
other hand undue length is equally to be avoided,
lest the head should seem to have grown out of all
proportion to the body and the judge should be
wearied by that which ought to prepare him for
what is to follow.<milestone unit="section" n="63" /> The figure which the Greeks
<hi rend="italics">call apostrophe,</hi> by which is meant the diversion of
our words to address some person other than the
judge, is entirely banned by some rhetoricians as
far as the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> is concerned, and for this they
have some reason, since it would certainly seem to
be more natural that we should specially address
ourselves to those whose favour we desire to win.
<milestone unit="section" n="64" />Occasionally however some striking expression of
thought is necessary in the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> which can be
given greater point and vehemence if addressed to
some person other than the judge. In such a case
what law or what preposterous superstition is to
prevent us from adding force to such expression
of our thought by the use of this figure?<milestone unit="section" n="65" /> For the
writers of text-books do not forbid it because they
regard it as illicit, but because they think it useless.
Consequently if its utility be proved, we shall have
to employ it for the very reason for which we are
now forbidden to do so.<milestone unit="section" n="66" /> Moreover Demosthenes

<pb id="p.43" />

turns to address Aeschines in his <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Cor.</hi></note> while
Cicero adopts the same device in several of his
speeches, but more especially in the <hi rend="italics">pro Ligario,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">i. 2.</note>
where he turns to address Tubero.<milestone unit="section" n="67" /> His speech
would have been much less effective, if any other
figure had been used, as will be all the more clearly
realised, if the whole of that most vigorous passage
<quote>You are, then, in possession, Tubero, of the most
valuable advantage that can fall to an accuser etc.</quote>
be altered so as to be addressed to the judge. For
it is a real and most unnatural diversion of the
passage, which destroys its whole force, if we say
<quote>Tubero is then in possession of the most valuable
advantage that can fall to an accuser.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="68" /> In the
original form Cicero attacks his opponent and
presses him hard, in the passage as altered he
would merely have pointed out a fact. The same
thing results if you alter the turn of the passage in
Demosthenes. Again did not Sallust when
speaking against Cicero himself address his <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi>
to him and not to the judge? In fact he actually
opens with the words <quote>I should feel deeply injured
by your reflexions on my character, Marcus Tullius,</quote>
wherein he followed the precedent set by Cicero
in his speech against Catiline where he opens with
the words <quote>How long will you continue to abuse
our patience?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="69" /> Finally to remove all reason for
feeling surprise at the employment of <hi rend="italics">apostrophe,</hi>
Cicero in his defence of Scaurus,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">This speech is lost: the existing speech in his defence is
on the charge of extortion.</note> on a charge of
bribery (the speech is to be found in his Notebooks;
for he defended him twice) actually introduces an
imaginary person speaking on behalf of the accused,
while in his <hi rend="italics">pro Rahirio</hi> and his speech in defence
of this same Scaurus on a charge of extortion he

<pb id="p.45" />

employs illustrations, and in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio,</hi> as I
have already pointed out, introduces division into
heads.<milestone unit="section" n="70" /> Still such artifices, although they may be
employed at times to good effect, are not to be
indulged in indiscriminately, but only when there is
strong reason for breaking the rule. The same remark
applies to <hi rend="italics">simile</hi> (which must however be brief),
<hi rend="italics">metaphor</hi> and other <hi rend="italics">tropes,</hi> all of which are forbidden
by our cautious and pedantic teachers of rhetoric, but
which we shall none the less occasionally employ,
unless indeed we are to disapprove of the magnificent
example of irony in the <hi rend="italics">pro Ligario</hi> to which I have
already referred a few pages back.<milestone unit="section" n="71" /> The rhetoricians
have however been nearer the truth in their censure
of certain other faults that may occur in the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi>
The stock <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> which can be suited to a number
of different cases they style <hi rend="italics">vulgar;</hi> it is an unpopular
form but can sometimes be effectively employed and
has often been adopted by some of the greatest orators.
The <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> which might equally well be used by
our opponent, they style <hi rend="italics">common.</hi> That which our
opponent can turn to his own advantage, they call
<hi rend="italics">interchangeable,</hi> that which is irrelevant to the case,
<hi rend="italics">detached,</hi> and that which is drawn from some other
speech, <hi rend="italics">transferred.</hi> In addition to these they
censure others as <hi rend="italics">long</hi> and others as <hi rend="italics">contrary to rule.</hi>
Most of these faults are however not peculiar to the
<hi rend="italics">exordinum,</hi> but may be found in any or every portion
of a speech.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="72" />Such are the rules for the <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> wherever it
is employed. It may however sometimes be dispensed with. For occasionally it is superfluous, if
the judge has been sufficiently prepared for our
speech without it or if the case is such as to render

<pb id="p.47" />

such preparation unnecessary. Aristotle<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> iii. 14.</note> indeed
says that with good judges the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> is entirely
unnecessary. Sometimes however it is impossible
to employ it, even if we desire to do so, when,
for instance, the judge is much occupied, when time
is short or superior authority forces us to embark
upon the subject right away.<milestone unit="section" n="73" /> On the other hand
it is at times possible to give the force of an <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi>
to other portions of the speech. For instance we
may ask the judges in the course of our <hi rend="italics">statement of
the facts</hi> or of our <hi rend="italics">arguments</hi> to give us their best
attention and good-will, a proceeding which Prodicus
recommended as a means of wakening them when
they begin to nod. A good example is the
following:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cic. <hi rend="italics">pro Var. fr.</hi> 8.</note><milestone unit="section" n="74" /> <quote>Gaius Varenus, he who was killed
by the slaves of Ancharius—I beg you, gentlemen,
to give me your best attention at this point.</quote>
Further if the case involves a number of different
matters, each section must be prefaced with a short
introduction, such as <quote>Listen now to what follows,</quote>
or <quote>I now pass to the next point.</quote> Even in the
<hi rend="italics">proof</hi> there are many passages which perform the
same function as an <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> such as the passage in
the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xlii. 117.</note> where Cicero introduces an attack
on the censors and in the <hi rend="italics">pro Murena</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">iii. 7.</note> when he
apologises to Servius. But the practice is too
common to need illustration.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="76" />However on all occasions when we have employed
the <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> whether we intend to pass to the <hi rend="italics">statement
of facts</hi> or direct to the <hi rend="italics">proof,</hi> our intention should
be mentioned at the conclusion of the introduction,
with the result that the transition to what follows
will be smooth and easy.<milestone unit="section" n="77" /> There is indeed a pedantic
and childish affectation in vogue in the schools of

<pb id="p.49" />

marking the transition by some epigram and seeking
to win applause by this feat of legerdemain. Ovid
is given to this form of affectation in his <hi rend="italics">Metamorphoses,</hi> but there is some excuse for him owing to the
fact that he is compelled to weld together subjects
of the most diverse nature so as to form a continuous
whole.<milestone unit="section" n="78" /> But what necessity is there for an orator to
gloss over his transitions or to attempt to deceive the
judge, who requires on the contrary to be warned to
give his attention to the sequence of the various
portions of the speech? For instance the first part
of our <hi rend="italics">statement of the facts</hi> will be wasted, if the
judge does not realise that we have reached that
stage.<milestone unit="section" n="79" /> Therefore, although we should not be too
abrupt in passing to our <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> it is best
to do nothing to conceal our transition. Indeed, if
the <hi rend="italics">statement of fact</hi> on which we are about to embark
is somewhat long and complicated, we shall do well
to prepare the judge for it, as Cicero often does,
most notably in the following passage:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> iv. 11.</note> <quote>The introduction to my exposition of this point will be
rather longer than usual, but I beg you, gentlemen,
not to take it ill. For if you get a firm grasp of the
beginning, you will find it much easier to follow what
comes last.</quote> This is practically all that I can find
to say on the subject of the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi></p>
<p>II. It is a most natural and frequently necessary
proceeding, that after preparing the mind of the
judge in the manner described above we should indicate the nature of the subject on which he will have
to give judgment: that is the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="2" /> In
dealing with this question I shall deliberately pass
over the divisions made by certain writers, who make
too many classes and err on the side of subtlety. For

<pb id="p.51" />

they demand an explanation dealing not only with the
facts of the case which is before the court, but with the
person involved (as in the sentence,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Sall. Hist.</hi> iv. 25.</note> <quote>Marcus Lollius
Palicanus, a Picentine of humble birth, a man gifted
with loquacity rather than eloquence</quote>) or of the
place where an incident occurred (as in the sentence<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cic. <hi rend="italics">Verr.</hi> <milestone unit="chapter" n="1" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />xxiv. 63.</note> <quote>Lampsacus, gentlemen, is a town situated
on the Hellespont</quote>), or of the time at which something occurred (as in the verse<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Verg. <hi rend="italics">G.</hi> i. 43.</note>

<quote rend="blockquote">
<quote><l>In early spring, when on the mountains hoar</l>
<l>The snows dissolve),</l></quote></quote>

or of the causes of an occurrence, such as the
historians are so fond of setting forth, when they
explain the origin of a war, a rebellion or a pestilence.
Further they style some <hi rend="italics">statements of fact <quote>complete,</quote></hi>
and others <quote><hi rend="italics">incomplete,</hi><milestone unit="section" n="3" /></quote> a distinction which is self-evident. To this they add that our explanation may
refer to the past (which is of course the commonest
form), the present (for which compare Cicero's<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Rosc. Am.</hi> xxii. 60.</note>
remarks about the excitement caused among the
friends of Chrysogonus when his name was mentioned), or of the future (a form permissible only to
prophets): for <hi rend="italics">hypotyposis</hi> or picturesque description
cannot be regarded as a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="4" /> However
let us pass to matters of more importance.</p>
<p>The majority regard the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> as being
indispensable: but there are many considerations
which show that this view is erroneous. In the first
place there are some cases which are so brief, that
they require only a brief summary rather than a full
statement of the facts.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> This may apply to both
parties to a suit, as for instance in cases where there
is no necessity for explanation or where the facts are

<pb id="p.53" />

admitted and the whole question turns on a point of
law, as it so often does in the centumviral court, as
for example when we discuss, whether the heir of a
woman who has died intestate should be her son or
brother, or whether puberty is to be reckoned by age
or by physical development. The same situation
arises also in cases where the facts admit of full
statement, but are well known to the judge or have
been correctly set forth by a previous speaker.
<milestone unit="section" n="6" />Sometimes again the statement of facts can be
dispensed with only by one party, who is generally
the plaintiff, either because it is sufficient for him to
make a simple summary of his case or because it is
more expedient for him to do so. It may, for instance, suffice to say, <quote>I claim repayment of a
certain sum of money which was lent on certain
conditions</quote> or <quote>I claim a legacy in accordance with
the terms of the will.</quote> It is for the other party to
explain why these sums are not due to the plaintiff.
<milestone unit="section" n="7" />Again it is sometimes sufficient and expedient to
summarise a case in one sentence such as <quote>I say
that Horatius killed his sister.</quote> For the judge will
understand the whole charge from this simple
affirmation: the sequence of events and the motive
for the deed will be matters for the defence to expound.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> On the other hand in some cases the
accused may dispense with the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi>
when for instance the charge can neither be denied
nor palliated, but turns solely on some point of law:
the following case will illustrate my meaning. A
man who has stolen from a temple money belonging
to a private individual is accused of sacrilege: in
such a case a confession will be more seemly than
a full <hi rend="italics">statement of facts:</hi> <quote>We do not deny that the

<pb id="p.55" />

money was taken from the temple; but the accuser
is bringing a false accusation in charging my client
with sacrilege, since the money was not consecrated,
but private property: it is for you to decide whether
under these circumstances sacrilege has been
committed.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="9" />While however I think that there are occasional
cases where the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> may be dispensed
with, I disagree with those who say that there is no
<hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> when the accused simply denies the
charge. This opinion is shared by Cornelius Celsus
who holds that most cases of murder and all of
bribery and extortion fall into this class.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> For he
thinks that the only <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> is that which
gives a general account of the charge before the
court. Yet he himself acknowledges that Cicero
employed the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> in his defence of
Rabirius Postumus, in spite of the fact that Cicero
denies that any money came into the hands of
Rabirius (and this was the question at issue) and
gives no explanations relating to the actual charge in
his <hi rend="italics">statement of facts.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="11" /> For my part I follow the very
highest authorities in holding that there are two
forms of <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> in forensic speeches, the
one expounding the facts of the case itself, the other
setting forth facts which have a bearing on the case.
<milestone unit="section" n="12" />I agree that a sentence such as <quote>I did not kill
the man</quote> does not amount to a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts:</hi>
but there will be a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> occasionally, too,
a long one, in answer to the arguments put forward
by the accuser: it will deal with the past life of the
accused, with the causes which have brought an
innocent man into peril, and other circumstances
such as show the charge to be incredible.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> For the

<pb id="p.57" />

accuser does not merely say <quote>You killed him,</quote> but
sets forth the facts proving his assertion: tragedy will
provide an example, where Teucer accuses Ulysses
of murdering Ajax, and states that he was found in a
lonely place near the lifeless body of his enemy with
a blood-stained sword in his hands. To this Ulysses
does not merely reply that he did not do the deed,
but adds that he had no quarrel with Ajax, the
contest between them having been concerned solely
with the winning of renown: he then goes on to
say how he came to be in the lonely place, how he
found Ajax lying lifeless and drew the sword from
the wound. Then follow arguments based on these
facts.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> But even when the accuser says <quote>You were
found on the spot where your enemy was killed</quote>
and the accused says <quote>I was not,</quote> a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi>
is involved; for he must say where he was. Consequently cases of bribery and extortion will require
as many statements of this kind as there are
charges: the charges themselves will be denied, but
it will be necessary to counter the arguments of the
accuser either singly or all together by setting forth
the facts in quite a different light.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> Is it, I ask you,
irrelevant for one accused of bribery to set forth
his parentage, his past life and the services on which
he relied for success in his candidature? And if a
man is indicted for extortion, will it not be to his
advantage to set forth not merely his past record,
but also the reasons which have made the whole
province or the accuser or a witness hostile to
himself?<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> If these are not <hi rend="italics">statements of facts,</hi> neither
is the first portion of Cicero's<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">V. 11.</note> defence of Cluentius,
beginning with the words <quote>Aulus Cluentius Habitus.</quote> For there he says nothing about the charge

<pb id="p.59" />

of poisoning, but confines himself entirely to setting
forth the reasons for the hostility of Cluentius'
mother to her son.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> There are also statements
which do not set forth the facts of the case itself,
but facts which are none the less relevant to the
case: the speaker's purpose may be to illustrate the
case by some parallel, as in the passage in the
<hi rend="italics">Verrines</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">V. 3. The shepherd was crucifed because the carrying
of arms was forbidden.</note> about Lucius Domitius who crucified a
shepherd because he admitted that he had used a
hunting spear to kill the boar which he had brought
him as a present;<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> or he may desire to dispel some
charge that is irrelevant to the case as in the passage
of the speech for Rabirius Postumus,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">X. 28. The charge in question was that Rabirius had
worn the Greek <hi rend="italics">pallium</hi> instead of the Roman <hi rend="italics">toga.</hi> But as
an official of the king he was forced to wear Greek dress.</note> which runs as
follows: <quote>For when he came to Alexandria, gentlemen, the only means of saving his money which the
king suggested to Postumus was that he should
take charge of the royal household and act as a kind
of steward.</quote> Or the orator may desire to heighten
the effect of his charges, as Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Verr.</hi> v. 10.</note> does in his
description of the journey of Verres.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="19" />Sometimes a fictitious statement is employed
either to stir the emotions of the judges, as in that
passage of the <hi rend="italics">proo Roscio Amerino</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xxii. 60.</note> dealing with
Chrysogonus to which I referred just recently, or to
entertain them with a show of wit, as in the
passage of the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xx. 57 <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> describing the brothers
Caepasius: sometimes again a digression may be
introduced to add beauty to the speech, as in the
passage about Proserpine in the <hi rend="italics">Verrines,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IV. 48. The words quoted do not occur in our MSS of
Cicero.</note> beginning <quote>It was here that a mother is once said to have
sought her daughter.</quote> All these examples serve to
show that he who denies a charge may not necessarily
refrain from stating, but may actually state that very
fact which he denies.</p>

<pb id="p.61" />

<p><milestone unit="section" n="20" />Even the assertion which I made above to the
effect that a <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> of facts familiar to the judge
is superfluous, is not to be taken too literally. My
meaning is that it may be dispensed with, if the
judge knows not merely what has been done, but
takes a view of the facts which is favourable to our
case.<milestone unit="section" n="21" /> For the purpose of the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> is
not merely to instruct, but rather to persuade the
judge. Therefore, when we desire to influence him
in some way or other, although he may require no
instruction, we shall preface our statement with
some such remarks as these: <quote>I know that you are
aware of the general nature of the case, but I trust
you will not take it ill if I ask you to consider each
point in detail.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="22" /> At times again we may pretend
that we are repeating the facts for the benefit of
some new member of the jury,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">i.e. introduced to fill the place of a juror who had had
to leave the jury.</note> at times that we do
so with a view to letting every bystander as well realise
the gross unfairness of our opponents' assertions.
Under these circumstances our statement must be
diversified by a free use of figures to avoid wearying
those to whom the facts are familiar: we shall for
instance use phrases such as <quote>You remember,</quote> <quote>It
may perhaps be superfluous to dwell on this point,</quote>
<quote>But why should I say more, as you are well acquainted
with the fact?</quote>, <quote>You are not ignorant how this
matter stands</quote> and so on.<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> Besides, if we are always to
regard as superfluous a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> made before
a judge who is familiar with the case, we may even
go so far as to regard it as superfluous at times to
plead the case at all.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="24" />There is a further question which is still more
frequently raised, as to whether the <hi rend="italics">statement of
facts</hi> should always follow immediately on the

<pb id="p.63" />

<hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi> Those who hold that it should always do so
must be admitted to have some reason on their side.
For since the purpose of the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> is to make
the judge more favourably disposed and more
attentive to our case and more amenable to
instruction, and since the <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> cannot be brought
forward until the facts of the case are known, it
seems right that the judge should be instructed in
the facts without delay.<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> But the practice may be
altered by circumstances, unless it is contended that
Cicero in his magnificent published defence of Milo
delayed his <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> too long by placing three
questions before it; or unless it is argued that, if it
bad been held to be impermissible to defend a man
at all who acknowledged that he had killed another,
or if Milo's case had already been prejudged and
condemnation passed by the senate, or if Gnaeus
Pompeius, who in addition to exerting his influence
in other ways had surrounded the court with an
armed guard, had been regarded with apprehension
as hostile to the accused, it would have served his
case to set forth how Clodius had set an ambush for
Milo.<milestone unit="section" n="26" /> These three questions, then, served the
purpose of an exordium, since they all of them were
designed to prepare the minds of the judges.
Again in the <hi rend="italics">pro Vareno</hi> Cicero delayed his
statement of facts until he had first rebutted
certain allegations put forward by the prosecution.
This may be done with advantage whenever we
have not merely to rebut the charge, but to turn
the tables on our opponents: thus after first
rebutting the charge, we make <hi rend="italics">our statement of
facts</hi> the opening of an incrimination of the other
party just as in actual fighting we are most

<pb id="p.65" />

concerned to parry our adversary's blows before
we strike him ourselves.<milestone unit="section" n="27" /> There will also not
infrequently be certain cases, in which it is easy to
rebut the charge that is under trial, but the conduct
of which is hampered by the past life of our client
and the many and serious crimes which he has
committed. We must dispose of these first, in order
that the judge may give a favourable hearing to our
defence of the actual facts which form the question
at issue. For example, if we have to defend
Marcus Caelius, the best course for his advocate to
adopt will be to meet the imputations of luxury,
wantonness and immorality which are made against
him before we proceed to the actual charge of poisoning. It is with these points that the speech of Cicero
in his defence is entirely concerned. Is he then to
go on to make a statement about the property of
Palla and explain the whole question of rioting, a
charge against which Caelius has already defended
himself in the speech which he delivered on his own
behalf?<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> We however are the victims of the practice
of the schools in accordance with which certain points
or themes as we call them are put forward for discussion, outside which our refutation must not go,
and consequently a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> always follows
the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi> It is this too that leads declaimers to
take the liberty of inserting a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> even
when they speak second for their side.<milestone unit="section" n="29" /> For when
they speak for the prosecution they introduce both a
<hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> as if they were speaking first, and a
refutation of the arguments for the defence, as if
they were replying: and they are right in so doing.
For since declamation is merely an exercise in forensic
pleading, why should they not qualify themselves to

<pb id="p.67" />

speak either first or second<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See note prefixed to Index.</note>? Those however who
do not understand the reason for such a practice,
think that when they appear in the courts they
should stick to the custom of the schools with which
they have become familiar.<milestone unit="section" n="30" /> But even scholastic
rhetoricians occasionally substitute a brief summary
for the full statement of the facts. For what statement of the case can be made when a wife is accusing
a jealous husband of maltreating her, or a father is
indicting his son turned Cynic before the censors
for indecent behaviour<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See Index, <hi rend="italics">s. v.</hi> Cynicus.</note>? In both cases the charge
can be sufficiently indicated by one word placed
in any part of the speech. But enough of these
points.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="31" />I will now proceed to the method to be adopted
in making our <hi rend="italics">statement of facts.</hi> The <hi rend="italics">statement of
facts</hi> consists in the persuasive exposition of that
which either has been done, or is supposed to
have been done, or, to quote the definition given by
Apollodorus, is a speech instructing the audience as to
the nature of the case in dispute. Most writers, more
especially those of the Isocratean school, hold that
it should be lucid, brief and plausible (for it is of
no importance if we substitute clear for lucid, or
credible or probable for plausible).<milestone unit="section" n="32" /> I agree with
this classification of its qualities, although Aristotle<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> iii. 16.</note>
disagrees with Isocrates on one point, and pours
scorn on his injunction to be brief, as though it
were necessary that a statement should be either
long or short and it were impossible to hit the happy
mean. The followers of Theodorus on the other
hand recognise only plausibility on the ground
that it is not always expedient that our exposition
should be either short or clear.<milestone unit="section" n="33" /> It will be necessary

<pb id="p.69" />

therefore for me to devote some care to the differentiation of the various features of this portion of a
speech, in order that I may show under what
circumstances each is specially useful.</p>
<p>The <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> will be either wholly in our favour
or wholly in that of our opponent or a mixture of
both. If it is entirely in our own favour, we may
rest content with the three qualities just mentioned,
the result of which is to make it easier for the judge
to understand, remember and believe what we say.<milestone unit="section" n="34" />
Now I should regret that anyone should censure my
conduct in suggesting that a <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> which is
wholly in our favour should be <hi rend="italics">plausible,</hi> when as
a matter of fact it is <hi rend="italics">true.</hi> There are many things
which are true, but scarcely credible, just as there
are many things which are plausible though false.
It will therefore require just as much exertion on
our part to make the judge believe what we say
when it is true as it will when it is fictitious.<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> These
good qualities, which I have mentioned above, do
not indeed cease to be virtues in other portions of the
speech; for it is our duty to avoid obscurity in every
part of our pleading, to preserve due proportion
throughout and to say nothing save what is likely
to win belief. But they require special observance
in that portion of the speech which is the first
from which the judge can learn the nature of the
case: if at this stage of the proceedings he fails to
understand, remember or believe what we say, our
labour is but lost in the remainder of the speech.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="36" />We shall achieve lucidity and clearness in our
statement of facts, first by setting forth our story in
words which are appropriate, significant and free
from any taint of meanness, but not on the other

<pb id="p.71" />

hand farfetched or unusual, and secondly by giving
a distinct account of facts, persons, times, places and
causes, while our delivery must be adapted to our
matter, so that the judge will take in what we say
with the utmost readiness.<milestone unit="section" n="37" /> This latter virtue is
disregarded by the majority of speakers who are
used to the noisy applause of a large audience,
whether it be a chance gathering or an assembly of
<hi rend="italics">claqueurs,</hi> and consequently are unnerved by the
attentive silence of the courts. They feel that they
have fallen short of eloquence, if they do not make
everything echo with noise and clamour; they think
that to state a matter simply is suited only to everyday speech such as falls within the capacity of any
uneducated man, while all the time it is hard to say
whether they are less willing or less capable of
performing a task which they despise on account of
its supposed easiness.<milestone unit="section" n="38" /> For even when they have
tried everything, they will never find anything more
difficult in the whole range of oratory than that
which, once heard, all think they would have said,—
a delusion due to the fact that they regard what has
been said as having no merit save that of truth. But
it is just when an orator gives the impression of
absolute truth that he is speaking best.<milestone unit="section" n="39" /> As it is,
when such persons as these get a fair field for stating their case, they select this as the precise occasion
for affected modulations of the voice, throwing back
their heads, thumping their sides and indulging in
every kind of extravagance of statement, language
and style. As a result, while the speech, from its
very monstrosity, meets with applause, the case
remains unintelligible. However, let us pass to
another subject; my aim is to win favour for

<pb id="p.73" />

pointing out the right road rather than to give
offence by rebuking such perversity.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="40" />The <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> will be brief, if in the first
place we start at that point of the case at which it
begins to concern the judge, secondly avoid irrelevance, and finally cut out everything the removal
of which neither hampers the activities of the judge
nor harms our own case.<milestone unit="section" n="41" /> For frequently conciseness
of detail is not inconsistent with length in the
whole. Take for instance such a statement as the
following: <quote>I came to the harbour, I saw a ship, I
asked the cost of a passage, the price was agreed, I
went on board, the anchor was weighed, we loosed
our cable and set out.</quote> Nothing could be terser
than these assertions, but it would have been quite
sufficient to say <quote>I sailed from the harbour.</quote> And
whenever the conclusion gives a sufficiently clear
idea of the premisses, we must be content with
having given a hint which will enable our audience
to understand what we have left unsaid.<milestone unit="section" n="42" /> Consequently when it is possible to say <quote>I have a young
son,</quote> it is quite superfluous to say, <quote>Being desirous of
children I took a wife, a son was born whom I
acknowledged and reared and brought up to manhood.</quote> For this reason some of the Greeks draw a
distinction between a concise statement (the word
they use is <foreign lang="greek">su/ntomos</foreign>) and a brief statement, the
former being free from all superfluous matter, while
the latter may conceivably omit something that
requires to be stated.<milestone unit="section" n="43" /> Personally, when I use the
word brevity, I mean not saying less, but not saying
more than occasion demands. As for repetitions
and tautologies and diffuseness, which some writers
of textbooks tell us we must avoid, I pass them by;

<pb id="p.75" />

they are faults which we should shun for other reasons
beside our desire for brevity.<milestone unit="section" n="44" /> But we must be
equally on our guard against the obscurity which
results from excessive abridgment, and it is better to
say a little more than is necessary than a little less.
For though a diffuse irrelevance is tedious, the
omission of what is necessary is positively dangerous.
<milestone unit="section" n="45" />We must therefore avoid even tile famous terseness
of Sallust (though in his case of course it is a merit),
and shun all abruptness of speech, since a style
which presents no difficulty to a leisurely reader,
flies past a hearer and will not stay to be
looked at again; and whereas the reader is
almost always a man of learning, the judge often
comes to his panel from the country side and is
expected to give a decision on what he can understand. Consequently we must aim, perhaps everywhere, but above all in our <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> at
striking the happy mean in our language, and the
happy mean may be defined as saving just what
is necessary and just what is sufficient.<milestone unit="section" n="46" /> By <quote>just
what is necessary</quote> I mean not the bare minimum
necessary to convey our meaning; for our brevity
must not be devoid of elegance, without which it
would be merely uncouth: pleasure beguiles the
attention, and that which delights us ever seems less
long, just as a picturesque and easy journey tires us
less for all its length than a difficult short cut through
an arid waste.<milestone unit="section" n="47" /> And I would never carry my desire
for brevity so far as to refuse admission to details
which may contribute to the plausibility of our
narrative. Simplify and curtail your statement of
facts in every direction and you will turn it into
something more like a confession. Moreover, the

<pb id="p.77" />

circumstances of the case will often necessitate a
long <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> in which case, as I have
already enjoined, the judge should be prepared for
it at the conclusion of the <hi rend="italics">exordium.</hi> Next we must
put forth all our art either to shorten it or to render
it less tedious.<milestone unit="section" n="48" /> We must do what we can to make
it less long by postponing some points, taking care
however to mention what it is that we propose to
postpone. Take the following as an example. <quote>As
regards his motives for killing him, his accomplices
and the manner in which he disposed his ambush,
I will speak when I come to the <hi rend="italics">proof.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="49" /></quote> Some
things indeed may be omitted altogether from our
marshalling of the facts, witness the following
example from Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Caec.</hi> iv. 11.</note> <quote>Fulcinius died; there are
many circumstances which attended that event, but
as they have little bearing on this case, I shall pass
them by.</quote> Division of our statement into its various
heads is another method of avoiding tedium: for
example, <quote>I will tell you first what preceded this
affair, then what occurred in its actual development,
and finally you shall hear its sequel.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="50" /> Such a
division will give the impression of three short statements rather than of one long one. At times it will be
well to interrupt our narrative by interjecting some
brief remark like the following: <quote>You have heard
what happened before: now learn what follows.</quote> The
judge will be refreshed by the fact that we have
brought our previous remarks to a close and will
prepare himself for what may be regarded as a fresh
start.<milestone unit="section" n="51" /> If however after employing all these artifices
our array of facts is still long, it will not be without
advantage to append a summary at the end of it as
a reminder: Cicero does this even at the close of a

<pb id="p.79" />

brief <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> in the <hi rend="italics">pro Ligario:</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Lig.</hi> ii. 4.</note> <quote>To
this day, Caesar, Quintus Ligarius is free from all
blame: he left his home not merely without the
least intention of joining in any war, but when there
was not the least suspicion of any war etc.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="52" />The <hi rend="italics">statement of fact</hi> will be credible, if in the first
place we take care to say nothing contrary to nature,
secondly if we assign reasons and motives for the
facts on which the inquiry turns (it is unnecessary to
do so with the subsidiary facts as well), and if we
make the characters of the actors in keeping with
the facts we desire to be believed: we shall for
instance represent a person accused of theft as
covetous, accused of adultery as lustful, accused of
homicide as rash, or attribute the opposite qualities
to these persons if we are defending them: further
we must do the same with place, time and the like.
<milestone unit="section" n="53" />It is also possible to treat the subject in such a way
as to give it an air of credibility, as is done in
comedy and farce. For some things have such natural
sequence and coherence that, if only the first
portion of your <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> is satisfactory, the judge
will himself anticipate what you have got to
say in the later part.<milestone unit="section" n="54" /> It will also be useful to
scatter some hints of our proofs here and there, but
in such a way that it is never forgotten that we are
making a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> and not a proof. Sometimes, however, we must also support our assertions
by a certain amount of argument, though this must
be short and simple: for instance in a case of
poisoning we shall say, <quote>He was perfectly well
when he drank, he fell suddenly to the ground, and
blackness and swelling of the body immediately
supervened.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="55" /> The same result is produced by

<pb id="p.81" />

preparatory remarks such as the following: <quote>The
accused is a strong man and was fully armed, while
his opponents were weak, unarmed and suspecting no
evil.</quote> We may in fact touch on everything that we
propose to produce in our <hi rend="italics">proof;</hi> while making our
statement of facts, as for instance points connected
with persons, cause, place, time, the instrument and
occasion employed.<milestone unit="section" n="56" /> Sometimes, when this resource
is unavailable, we may even confess that the charge,
though true, is scarcely credible, and that therefore
it must be regarded as all the more atrocious; that
we do not know how the deed was done or why, that
we are filled with amazement, but will prove our
case.<milestone unit="section" n="57" /> The best kind of preparatory remarks are
those which cannot be recognised as such: Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> x. 28.</note>
for instance, is extraordinarily happy in the way he
mentions in advance everything that shows that
Clodius lay in wait for Milo and not Milo for Clodius.
The most effective stroke of all is his cunning feint
of simplicity: <quote>Milo, on the other hand, having
been in the senate all day till the house rose, went
home, changed his shoes and clothes, and waited for
a short time, while his wife was getting ready, as is
the way with women.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="58" /> What an absence of haste
and premeditation this gives to Milo's proceedings.
And the great orator secures this effect not merely
by producing facts which indicate the slow and
tardy nature of Milo's departure, but by the use of
the ordinary language of everyday speech and a
careful concealment of his art. Had he spoken
otherwise, his words would by their very sound have
warned the judge to keep an eye on the advocate.
<milestone unit="section" n="59" />The majority of readers regard this passage as lacking in distinction, but this very fact merely serves

<pb id="p.83" />

to show how the art which is scarce detected by a
reader succeeded in hoodwinking the judge. It is
qualities of this kind that make the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi>
credible.<milestone unit="section" n="60" /> If a student requires to be told that we
must avoid contradiction and inconsistency in our
<hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> it will be vain to attempt to instruct
him on the remaining points, although some writers
of text-books produce this precept as if it were a
mystery only discovered by their own personal
penetration.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="61" />To these three qualities some add magnificence of
diction or <foreign lang="greek">megalopre/peia</foreign> as they call it this quality
is not, however, suitable to all cases. For what place
has language that rises above the ordinary level in
the majority of private suits dealing with loans,
letting and hiring and interdicts? Nor yet is it
always expedient, as may be inferred from the
passage just cited from the <hi rend="italics">pro Milone.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="62" /> We must
remember, too, that there are many cases in which
confession, excuse or modification are necessary with
regard to our statements: and magnificence is a
quality wholly out of keeping with such procedure.
Magnificence of diction is therefore no more specially
appropriate to the statement of facts than language
calculated to excite pity or hatred, or characterised
by dignity, charm or wit. Each of these qualities
is admirable in its proper place, but none can be
regarded as the peculiar and inalienable property of
this portion of the speech.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="63" />Theodectes asserts that the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi>
should not merely be magnificent, but attractive
in style. But this quality again though suitable
enough to the statement of facts, is equally so in
other portions of the speech. There are others

<pb id="p.85" />

who add palpability, which the Greeks call <foreign lang="greek">e)na/rgeia.</foreign>
<milestone unit="section" n="64" />And I will not conceal the fact that Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Top.</hi> xxvi. 97.</note> himself
holds that more qualities are required. For in
addition to demanding that it should be plain, brief
and credible, he would have it clear, characteristic
and worthy of the occasion. But everything in
a speech should be characteristic and worthy of the
occasion as far as possible. Palpalility, as far
as I understand the term, is no doubt a great virtue,
when a truth requires not merely to be told, but to
some extent obtruded, still it may be included under
lucidity. Some, however, regard this quality as
actually being injurious at times, on the ground that
in certain cases it is desirable to obscure the truth.
This contention is, however, absurd.<milestone unit="section" n="65" /> For he who
desires to obscure the situation, will state what is
false in lieu of the truth, but must still strive to
secure an appearance of palpability for the facts
which he narrates.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="66" />A chance turn of the discussion has led us to a
difficult type of <hi rend="italics">statement of facts.</hi> I will therefore
proceed to speak of those in which the facts are
against us. Under such circumstances some have
held that we should omit the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi>
altogether. Nothing can be more easy, except
perhaps to throw up the case altogether. But
suppose you undertake a case of this kind with
some good reason. It is surely the worst art to
admit the badness of the case by keeping silence.
We can hardly hope that the judge will be so
dense as to give a decision in favour of a case which
he knows we were unwilling to place before him.
<milestone unit="section" n="67" />I do not of course deny that just as there may be
some points which you should deny in your <hi rend="italics">statement</hi>

<pb id="p.87" />

<hi rend="italics">of facts,</hi> others which you should add, and yet again
others that you should alter, so there may be some
which you should pass over in silence. But still
only those points should be passed over which we
ought and are at liberty to treat in this way. This
is sometimes done for the sake of brevity, as in the
phrase <quote>He replied as he thought fit.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="68" /> We
must therefore distinguish between case and case.
In those where there is no question of guilt but
only of law, we may, even though the facts he
against us, admit the truth. <quote>He took money
from the temple, but it was private property, and
therefore he is not guilty of sacrilege. He abducted
a maiden, but the father<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The victim can claim either that the ravisher should
marry her or be put to death. Her father cannot however
make either of these demands on her behalf.</note> can have no option as to
his fate.<milestone unit="section" n="69" /> He assaulted a freeborn boy, and the
latter hanged himself, but that is no reason for the
author of the assault to be awarded capital punishment as having caused his death; he will instead
pay 10,000 sesterces, the fine imposed by law for
such a crime.</quote> But even in making these admissions we may to some extent lessen the odium
caused by the statement of our opponent. For even
our slaves extenuate their own faults.<milestone unit="section" n="70" /> In some
cases, too, we may mitigate a bad impression by
words which avoid the appearance of a <hi rend="italics">statement of
facts.</hi> We may say, for instance, <quote>He did not, as
our opponent asserts, enter the temple with the
deliberate intention of theft nor seek a favourable
occasion for the purpose, but was led astray by
the opportunity, the absence of custodians, and
the sight of the money (and money has always an
undue influence on the mind of man), and so
yielded to temptation. What does that matter?
He committed the offence and is a thief. It is

<pb id="p.89" />

useless to defend an act to the punishment of
which we can raise no objection.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="71" /> Again we may
sometimes go near condemning our client ourselves. <quote><hi rend="italics">Do</hi> you wish me to say that you were
under the influence of wine? that you made a mistake? that the darkness deceived you? That may
be true. But still you committed an assault on a
freeborn boy; pay your 10,000 sesterces.</quote> Sometimes we may fortify our case in advance by a
preliminary summary, from which we proceed to the
full <hi rend="italics">statement of facts.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="72" /> All the evidence points to
the guilt of three sons who had conspired against
their father. After drawing lots they entered
their father's bedroom while he slept, one following
the other in the order predetermined and each
armed with a sword. None of them had the heart
to kill him, he woke and they confessed all.<milestone unit="section" n="73" /> If,
however, the father, who has divided his estate
among them and is defending them when accused
of parricide, pleads as follows: <quote>As regards my
defence against the law, it suffices to point out,
that these young men are charged with parricide
in spite of the fact that their father still lives and is
actually appearing on behalf of his children. What
need is there for me to set forth the facts as they
occurred since the law does not apply to them? But if
you desire me to confess my own guilt in the matter,
I was a hard father to them and watched over my
estate, which would have been better managed by
them, with miserly tenacity.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="74" /> And if he then should
add, <quote>they were spurred to attempt the crime by
others who had more indulgent fathers; but their
real feelings towards their father have been proved
by the result; they could not bring themselves to

<pb id="p.91" />

kill him. It would have been quite unnecessary
for them to take an oath to kill him, if they had
really had the heart to do the deed, while the only
explanation of their drawing lots is that each of
them wished to avoid the commission of the crime.</quote>
If such were his pleading, all these pleas would,
such as they are, find the judges all the more
disposed to mercy, since the brief defence offered
in the first summary statement would have paved
the way for them.<milestone unit="section" n="75" /> But if the question is whether
an act has been committed or what its nature may
be, even though everything be against us, how can
we avoid a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> without gross neglect
of our case? The accuser has made a <hi rend="italics">statement of facts
facts,</hi> and has done so not merely in such a way as
to indicate what was done, but has added such
comments as might excite strong prejudice against
us and made the facts seem worse than they are
by the language which he has used. On the top
of this have come the <hi rend="italics">proofs,</hi> while the <hi rend="italics">peroration</hi>
has kindled the indignation of the judges and left
them full of anger against us.<milestone unit="section" n="76" /> The judge naturally
waits to hear what we can state in our behalf. If
we make no statement, he cannot help believing
that our opponent's assertions are correct and that
their tone represents the truth. What are we to
do then? Are we to restate the same facts? Yes,
if the question turns on the nature of the act, as
it will if there is no doubt about the commission,
but we must restate them in a different way,
alleging other motives and another purpose and
putting a different complexion on the case.<milestone unit="section" n="77" /> Some
imputations we may mitigate by the use of other
words; luxury will be softened down into generosity,

<pb id="p.93" />

avarice into economy, carelessness into simplicity,
and I shall seek to win a certain amount of favour
or pity by look, voice and attitude. Sometimes a
frank confession is of itself sufficient to move the
jury to tears. And I should like to ask those who
differ from me whether they are prepared to defend
what they have refused to state, or no.<milestone unit="section" n="78" /> For if
they refuse either to defend or to state the facts,
they will be giving away their whole case. If, on
the other hand, they do propose to put in a defence,
they must at least, as a rule, set forth what they
intend to justify. Why then not state fully facts
which can be got rid of and must in fact be pointed
out to make that possible?<milestone unit="section" n="79" /> Or again what
difference is there between a <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> and a <hi rend="italics">statement
of facts</hi> save that the latter is a <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> put forward
in continuous form, while a <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> is a verification
of the facts as put forward in the <hi rend="italics">statement?</hi> Let
us consider therefore whether under such circumstances the <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> should not be somewhat
longer and fuller than usual, since we shall require
to make some preliminary remarks and to introduce
certain special arguments (note that I say arguments,
and not argumentation), while it will add greatly
to the force of our defence if we assert not once
nor twice that we shall prove what we say is true
and that the significance of the facts cannot be
brought out by one opening statement, bidding them
wait, delay forming their opinions and hope for the
best.<milestone unit="section" n="80" /> Finally it is important to include in our
statement anything that can be given a different
complexion from that put upon it by our opponent.
Otherwise even an <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> will be superfluous
in a case of this kind. For what is its purpose if

<pb id="p.95" />

not to make the judge better disposed for the
investigation of the case? And yet it will be
agreed that the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> is never more useful than
when it is necessary to divert the judge from some
prejudice that he has formed against us.<milestone unit="section" n="81" /> Conjectural<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">For this technical term = cases turning on questions of
fact, see III. vi. 30 <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> cases, on the other hand—that is to say
questions of fact—require a statement, which will
more often deal with the circumstances from which
a knowledge of the point at issue may be derived
than with the actual point which is under trial.
When the accuser states these circumstances in
such a manner as to throw suspicion on the case for
the defence, and the accused has consequently to
dispel that suspicion, the facts must be presented to
the judge in quite a different light by the latter.<milestone unit="section" n="82" /> But,
it may be urged, some arguments are strong when put
forward in bulk, but far less effective when employed
separately. My answer is that this remark does not
affect the question whether we ought to make a
statement of fact, but concerns the question how it
should be made. For what is there to prevent us
from amassing and producing a number of arguments
in the <hi rend="italics">statement,</hi> if that is likely to help our cause?
Or from subdividing our statement of facts and
appending the proofs to their respective sections
and so passing on to what remains to be said?
<milestone unit="section" n="83" />Neither do I agree with those who assert that
the order of our <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> should always
follow the actual order of events, but have a preference for adopting the order which I consider
most suitable. For this purpose we can employ a
variety of figures. Sometimes, when we bring up
a point in a place better suited to our purpose,
we may pretend that it had escaped our notice;

<pb id="p.97" />

occasionally, too, we may inform the judge that we
shall adhere to the natural order for the remainder
of our statement, since by so doing we shall make
our case clearer, while at times after stating a fact,
we may append the causes which preceded it.<milestone unit="section" n="84" /> For
there is no single law or fixed rule governing the
method of defence. We must consider what is
most advantageous in the circumstances and nature
of the case, and treat the wound as its nature
dictates, dressing at once or, if the dressing can be
delayed, applying a temporary bandage.<milestone unit="section" n="85" /> Again I
do not regard it as a crime to repeat a statement of
a fact more than once, as Cicero does in the <hi rend="italics">pro
Cluentio.</hi> It is not merely permissible, but sometimes necessary, as in trials for extortion and all
complicated cases; and only a lunatic will allow a
superstitious observance of rules to lead him counter
to the interests of his case.<milestone unit="section" n="86" /> The reason for placing
the statement of facts before the proof is to prevent
the judge from being ignorant of the question at
issue. Why then, if each individual point has to be
proved or refuted, should not each individual point be
stated as well? If my own experience may be
trusted, I know that I have followed this practice in
the courts, whenever occasion demanded it, and my
procedure has been approved both by learned authorities and the judges themselves, while the duty of
setting forth the case was generally entrusted to me.
I am not boasting, for there are many with whom I
have been associated as counsel, who can bring me to
book if I lie.<milestone unit="section" n="87" /> On the other hand this is no reason
for not following the order of events as a general rule.
Indeed inversion of the order has at times a most
unhappy effect, as for example if you should mention

<pb id="p.99" />

first that a woman has brought forth and then that
she has conceived, or that a will has been read and
then that it has been signed. In such cases, if you
should happen to have mentioned the later incident,
it is better to say nothing about the former, which
must quite obviously have come first.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="88" />Sometimes, too, we get false statements of facts;
these, as far as actual pleading in the courts is concerned, fall into two classes. In the first case the statement depends on external support; Publius Clodius,
for instance, relied on his witnesses when he stated
that he was at Interamna on the night when he committed abominable sacrilege at Rome. The other has
to be supported by the speaker's native talent, and
sometimes consists simply in an assumption of modesty,
which is, I imagine, the reason why it is called a
gloss,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">color</hi> is a technical term for <quote>the particular aspect given
to a case by the skilful manipulation of the facts—the 'gloss'
or ' varnish' put on them by the accused or accuser.</quote>—
Peterson on Quint. x. i. 116.</note> while at other times it will be concerned with
the question at issue.<milestone unit="section" n="89" /> Whichever of these two forms
we employ, we must take care, first that our fiction
is within the bounds of possibility, secondly that it
is consistent with the persons, dates and places involved and thirdly that it presents a character and
sequence that are not beyond belief: if possible,
it should be connected with something that is
admittedly true and should be supported by some
argument that forms part of the actual case. For if
we draw our fictions entirely from circumstances
lying outside the case, the liberty which we have
taken in resorting to falsehood will stand revealed.
<milestone unit="section" n="90" />Above all we must see that we do not contradict
ourselves, a slip which is far from rare on the part of
spinners of fiction: for some things may put a most
favourable complexion on portions of our case, and
yet fail to agree as a whole. Further, what we say

<pb id="p.101" />

must not be at variance with the admitted truth. Even
in the schools, if we desire a <hi rend="italics">gloss,</hi> we must not look
for it outside the facts laid down by our theme.<milestone unit="section" n="91" /> In
either case the orator should bear clearly in mind
throughout his whole speech what the fiction is to
which he has committed himself, since we are apt to
forget our falsehoods, and there is no doubt about the
truth of the proverb that a liar should have a good
memory.<milestone unit="section" n="92" /> But whereas, if the question turns on some
act of our own, we must make one statement and
stick to it, if it turns on an act committed by others,
we may cast suspicion on a number of different
points. In certain controversial themes of the schools,
however, in which it is assumed that we have put a
question and received no reply, we are at liberty to
enumerate all the possible answers that might have
been given.<milestone unit="section" n="93" /> But we must remember only to invent
such things as cannot be checked by evidence: I
refer to occasions when we make our own minds
speak (and we are the only persons who are in their
secret) or put words in the mouth of the dead (for
what they say is not liable to contradiction) or
again in the mouth of someone whose interests are
identical with ours (for he will not contradict), or
finally in the mouth of our opponent (for he will not
be believed if he does deny).<milestone unit="section" n="94" /> <hi rend="italics">Glosses</hi> drawn from
dreams and superstitions have long since lost their
value, owing to the very ease with which they can
be invented. But it will avail us little to use <hi rend="italics">glosses</hi>
in a <hi rend="italics">statement of fact,</hi> unless they are consistent
throughout the whole of our speech, more especially
as certain things can only be proved by persistent
assertion.<milestone unit="section" n="95" /> Take for instance the case of the parasite
who claims as his son a young man who has been

<pb id="p.103" />

thrice disinherited by a wealthy father and thrice
restored to his own. He will be able to put forward
as a <hi rend="italics">gloss</hi> or plea that poverty was the reason why he
exposed the child, that he assumed the role of a
parasite because his son was in the house in question
and, lastly, that the reason why the young man was
thrice disinherited was simply that he was not the
son of the man who disinherited him.<milestone unit="section" n="96" /> But unless
every word that he utters reveals an ardent paternal
affection, hatred for his wealthy opponent and
anxiety on behalf of the youth, who will, he knows,
be exposed to serious danger if he remains in the
house where he is the victim of such dislike, he will
be unable to avoid creating the suspicion that he
has been suborned to bring the action.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="97" />It sometimes happens in the controversial themes
of the schools, though I doubt whether it could ever
occur in the courts, that both sides employ the same
<hi rend="italics">gloss</hi> and support it on their own behalf.<milestone unit="section" n="98" /> An
example of this may be found in the theme which
runs as follows. <quote>A wife has stated to her husband
that her stepson has attempted to seduce her and
that a time and place have been assigned for their
meeting: the son has brought the same charge
against his stepmother, with the exception that a
different time and place are mentioned. The father
finds the son in the place mentioned by the wife,
and the wife in the place mentioned by the son.
He divorces her, and then, as she says nothing in
her own defence, disinherits the son.</quote> No defence
can be put forward for the son which is not also a
defence of the stepmother.<milestone unit="section" n="99" /> However, what is common to both sides of the case will be stated, and
then arguments will be drawn from a comparison of

<pb id="p.105" />

the characters of the two parties, from the order in
which they laid information against each other and
from the silence of the divorced wife.<milestone unit="section" n="100" /> Still we
must not ignore the fact that there are some cases
which do not admit of any form of <hi rend="italics">gloss,</hi> but must
be defended forthright. An example is provided by
the case of the rich man who scourged the statue
of a poor man who was his enemy, and was subsequently indicted for assault. Here no one can deny
that the act was outrageous, but it may be possible
to maintain that it is not punishable by law.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="101" />If, however, part of the statement of facts tells in
our favour and part against us, we must consider
whether in view of the circumstances of the case
the parts in question should be blent or kept
apart. If the points which are damaging to our
case be in the majority, the points which are in
its favour will be swamped. Under those circumstances it will be best to keep them apart and, after
setting forth and proving the points which help our
case, to meet the rest by employing the remedies
mentioned above.<milestone unit="section" n="102" /> If, on the other hand, it be the
points in our favour which predominate, we may
even blend them with the others, since thus the
traitors in our camp will have less force. None the
less these points, both good and bad, must not be set
forth naked and helpless: those in our favour must
be supported by some argument, and then reasons
must be added why the points which tell against
us should not be believed; since if we do not distinguish clearly between the two, it is to be feared
that those which are favourable may suffer from
their bad company.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="103" />Further rules are laid down with regard to the

<pb id="p.107" />

statement of fact, forbidding us to indulge in
digression, apostrophe or argumentation or to put
our words into the mouths of others. Some even
add that we should make no appeal to the passions.
These rules should for the most part be observed,
indeed they should never be infringed unless the
circumstances absolutely demand it.<milestone unit="section" n="104" /> If our statement is to be clear and brief, almost anything can
be justified sooner than digression. And if we do
introduce a digression, it must always be short and
of such a nature that we give the impression of
having been forced from our proper course by
some uncontrollable emotion. The passage in
Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Clu.</hi> vi. 15.</note> about the marriage of Sasia is a good example of this.<milestone unit="section" n="105" /> <quote>What incredible wickedness in a
woman! Unheard of in the history of mankind till
she dared the sin! What unbridled and unrestrained lust, what amazing daring! One might
have thought that, even if she had no regard for the
vengeance of heaven and the opinion of man, she
would at least have dreaded that night of all nights
and those torches that lighted her to the bridal bed:
that she would have shrunk in horror from the
threshold of her chamber, from her daughter's room
and the very walls that had witnessed her former
marriage.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="106" /> As to addressing another in place of
the judge, it may be a means of making a point with
greater brevity and give it greater force. On this
subject I hold the same view that I expressed in
dealing with the <hi rend="italics">exordium,</hi> as I do on the subject of
impersonation. This artifice however is employed not
only by Servius Sulpicius in his speech on behalf of
Aufidia, when he cries <quote>Am I to suppose that you
were drowsed with sleep or weighed down by some

<pb id="p.109" />

heavy lethargy?</quote> but by Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Verr.</hi> v. xlv. 118.</note> as well, when in a
passage which, like the above, belongs to the statement of facts, in speaking of the ships' captains he
says, <quote>You will give so much to enter, etc.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="107" /> Again
in the pro <hi rend="italics">Clueniio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Clu.</hi> xxvi.</note> does not the conversation
between Staienus and Bulbus conduce to speed and
enhance the credibility of the statements ? In
case it should be thought that Cicero did this
without design (quite an incredible supposition in
his case), I would point out that in the <hi rend="italics">Partitiones</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">ix. 31.</note>
he lays it down that the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> should
be characterised by passages which will charm and
excite admiration or expectation, and marked by
unexpected turns, conversations between persons and
appeals to every kind of emotion.<milestone unit="section" n="108" /> We shall, as I
have already said, never argue points in the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> but we may sometimes introduce
arguments, as for example Cicero does in the pro
<hi rend="italics">Ligario,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">ii. 4. Ligarius was accused of having fought for the Pompeians in Africa. Cicero points out that he went out to Africa
before the outbreak of war was dreamed of and that his
whole attitude was discreet.</note> when he says that he ruled his province in
such a way that it was to his interest that peace
should continue. We shall sometimes also, if
occasion demand, insert a brief defence of the facts
in the statement and trace the reasons that led up
to them.<milestone unit="section" n="109" /> For we must state our facts like advocates,
not witnesses. A statement in its simplest form
will run as follows, <quote>Quintus Ligarius went out
as legate to C. Considius.</quote> But how will Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Lig.</hi> i. 2.</note> put
it ? <quote>Quintus Ligarius,</quote> he says, <quote>set out for Africa
as legate to Gaius Considius at a time when there
was no thought of war.</quote> And again elsewhere<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> ii. 4.</note><milestone unit="section" n="110" />
he says, <quote>Not only not to war, but to a country
where there was no thought of war.</quote> And when the
sense would have been sufficiently clear had he

<pb id="p.111" />

said no more than <quote>Quintus Ligarius would not
suffer himself to be entangled in any transaction,</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Lig.</hi> i. 3.</note>
he adds <quote>for he had his eyes fixed on home and
wished to return to his own people.</quote> Thus he made
what he stated credible by giving a reason for it
and at the same time coloured it with emotion.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="111" />I am therefore all the more surprised at those
who hold that there should be no appeal to the
emotions in the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts.</hi> If they were to
say <quote>Such appeals should be brief and not on the
scale on which they are employed in tile <hi rend="italics">peroration,</hi></quote>
I should agree with them; for it is important that
the statement should be expeditious. But why,
while I am instructing the judge, should I refuse to
move him as well?<milestone unit="section" n="112" /> Why should I not, if it is
possible, obtain that effect at the very opening of
the case which I am anxious to secure at its conclusion, more especially in view of the fact that I
shall find the judge far more amenable to the
cogency of my proof, if I have previously filled his
mind with anger or pity?<milestone unit="section" n="113" /> Does not Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Verr.</hi> v 62. A Roman citizen might not be scourged. <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> St. Paul.</note> in his
description of the scourging of a Roman citizen, in a
few brief words stir all the emotions, not merely by
describing the victim's position, the place where the
outrage was committed and the nature of the
punishment, but also by praising the courage with
which he bore it? For he shows us a man of the
highest character who, when beaten with rods,
uttered not a moan nor an entreaty, but only cried
that lie was a Roman citizen, thereby bringing
shame on his oppressor and showing his confidence
in the law.<milestone unit="section" n="114" /> Again does he not throughout the
whole of his statement excite the warmest indignation at the misfortunes of Philodamus<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> i. 30</note> and move

<pb id="p.113" />

us even to tears when he speaks of his punishment
and describes, or rather shows us as in a picture,
the father weeping for the death of his son and the
son for the death of his father?<milestone unit="section" n="115" /> What can any
peroration present that is more calculated to stir
our pity? If you wait for the <hi rend="italics">peroration</hi> to stir your
hearer's emotions over circumstances which you
have recorded unmoved in your <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi>
your appeal will come too late. The judge is
already familiar with them and hears their mention
without turning a hair, since he was unstirred when
they were first recounted to him. Once the habit
of mind is formed, it is hard to change it.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="116" />For my own part (for I will not conceal my
opinion, though it rests rather on actual examples
than on rules), I hold that the <hi rend="italics">statement of fact</hi> more
than any portion of the speech should be adorned
with the utmost grace and charm. But much will
depend on the nature of the subject which we have
to set forth.<milestone unit="section" n="117" /> In slighter cases, such as are the
majority of private suits, the decoration must be
restrained and fit close to the subject, while the
utmost care must be exercised in choice of words.
The words which in our purple passages are swept
along by the force of our eloquence and lost in the
profusion of our language, must in cases such as
these be clear and, as Zeno says, <quote>steeped with meaning.</quote> The rhythm should be unobtrusive, but as
attractive as possible,<milestone unit="section" n="118" /> while the figures must neither
be derived from poetry nor such as are contrary to
current usage, though warranted by the authority of
antiquity (for it is important that our language should
be entirely normal), but should be designed to relieve
tedium by their variety and should be frequently

<pb id="p.115" />

changed to relax the strain of attention. Thus we
shall avoid repeating the same terminations and
escape monotony of rhythm and a stereotyped turn
of phrase. For the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> lacks all the
other allurements of style and, unless it is characterised by this kind of charm, will necessarily fall flat.
<milestone unit="section" n="119" />Moreover there is no portion of a speech at which
the judge is more attentive, and consequently nothing
that is well said is lost. And the judge is, for some
reason or other, all the more ready to accept what
charms his ear and is lured by pleasure to belief.
<milestone unit="section" n="120" />When on the other hand the subject is on a larger
scale, we have a chance to excite horror by our
narration of abominable wrongs or pity by a tale
of woe: but we must do so in such a way as not to
exhaust our stock of emotions on the spot, but
merely to indicate our harrowing story in outline so
that it may at once be clear what the completed
picture is like to be.<milestone unit="section" n="121" /> Again I am far from disapproving of the introduction of some striking
sentence designed to stimulate the judge's jaded
palate. The best way of so doing is the interposition of a short sentence like the following:
<quote>Milo's slaves did what everyone would have
wished his own slaves to do under similar circumstances</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> x. 29.</note>: at times we may even be a little more
daring and produce something like the following:
<quote>The mother-in-law wedded her son-in-law: there
were no witnesses, none to sanction the union, and
the omens were dark and sinister.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Clu. v.</hi> 14.</note><milestone unit="section" n="122" /> If this was
done in days when every speech was designed for
practical purposes rather than display and the courts
were far stricter than to-day, how much more should
we do it now, when the passion for producing a

<pb id="p.117" />

thrill of pleasure has forced its way even into cases
where a man's life or fortunes are in peril? I shall
say later to what extent I think we should indulge
popular taste in this respect: in the meantime I
shall admit that some such indulgence is necessary.
<milestone unit="section" n="123" />A powerful effect may be created if to the actual
facts of the case we add a plausible picture of what
occurred, such as will make our audience feel as if
they were actual eyewitnesses of the scene. Such
is the description introduced by Marcus Caelius in
his speech against Antonius. <quote>For they found him
lying prone in a drunken slumber, snoring with all
the force of his lungs, and belching continually,
while the most distinguished of his female companions sprawled over every couch, and the rest of
the seraglio lay round in all directions.<milestone unit="section" n="124" /> They
however perceived the approach of the enemy and,
half-dead with terror, attempted to arouse Antonius,
called him by name, heaved up his head, but all in
vain, while one whispered endearing words into his
ear, and another slapped him with some violence.
At last he recognised the voice and touch of each
and tried to embrace her who happened to be
nearest. Once wakened he could not sleep, but
was too drunk to keep awake, and so was bandied
to and fro between sleeping and waking in the
hands of his centurions and his paramours.</quote> Could
you find anything more plausible in imagination, more
vehement in censure or more vivid in description?</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="125" />There is another point to which I must call attention, namely the credit which accrues to the <hi rend="italics">statement
of facts</hi> from the authority of the speaker. Now
such authority should first and foremost be the reward of our manner of life, but may also be conferred

<pb id="p.119" />

by our style of eloquence. For the more dignified
and serious our style, the greater will be the weight
that it will lend to our assertions.<milestone unit="section" n="126" /> It is therefore
specially important in this part of our speech to avoid
anything suggestive of artful design, for the judge is
never more on his guard than at this stage. Nothing
must seem fictitious, nought betray anxiety; everything must seem to spring from the case itself rather
than the art of the orator.<milestone unit="section" n="127" /> But our modern orators
cannot endure this and imagine that their art is
wasted unless it obtrudes itself, whereas as a matter
of fact the moment it is detected it ceases to be art.
We are the slaves of applause and think it the goal
of all our effort. And so we betray to the judges
what we wish to display to the bystanders.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="128" />There is also a kind of repetition of the <hi rend="italics">statement</hi>
which the Greeks call <foreign lang="greek">e)pidihgh/sis.</foreign> It belongs to
declamation rather than forensic oratory, and was invented to enable the speaker (in view of the fact that
the statement should be brief) to set forth his facts
at greater length and with more profusion of ornament, as a means of exciting indignation or pity. I
think that this should be done but rarely and that
we should never go to the extent of repeating the
<hi rend="italics">statement</hi> in its entirety. For we can attain the same
result by a repetition only of parts. Anyone, however, who desires to employ this form of repetition,
should touch but lightly on the facts when making
his <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> and should content himself with merely
indicating what was done, while promising to set
forth how it was done more fully when the time
comes for it.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="129" />Some hold that the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> should always
begin by referring to some person, whom we must

<pb id="p.121" />

praise if he is on our side, and abuse if he is on the
side of our opponents. It is true that this is very
often done for the good reason that a law-suit must
take place between persons.<milestone unit="section" n="130" /> Persons may however
also be introduced with all their attendant circumstances, if such a procedure is likely to prove useful.
For instance, <quote>The father of my client, gentlemen,
was Aulus Cluentius Habitus, a man whose character,
reputation and birth made him the leading man not
only in his native town of Larinum, but in all the
surrounding district.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> v. 11.</note><milestone unit="section" n="131" /> Or again they may be introduced without such circumstances, as in the
passage beginning <quote>For Quintus Ligarius etc.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Lig. i.</hi> 2.</note>
Often, too, we may commence with a fact as Cicero
does in the <hi rend="italics">pro Tullio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Tull. vi.</hi> 14.</note>: <quote>Marcus Tullius has a farm
which he inherited from his father in the territory
of Thurium,</quote> or Demosthenes in the speech in defence of Ctesiphonl,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">§ 18.</note>—<quote>On the outbreak of the
Phocian war.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="132" />As regards the conclusion of the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi>
there is a controversy with those who would have
the statement end where the issue to be determined
begins. Here is an example. <quote>After these events
the praetor Publius Dolabella issued an interdict in
the usual form dealing with rioting and employment
of armed men, ordering, without any exception, that
Aebutius should restore the property from which he
had ejected Caecina. He stated that he had done so.
A sum of money was deposited. It is for you to
decide to whom this money is to go.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cic. <hi rend="italics">pro Caec.</hi> viii. 23.</note> This rule
can always be observed by the prosecutor, but not
always by the defendant.</p>
<p>III. In the natural order of things the <hi rend="italics">statement of fact</hi> is followed by the <hi rend="italics">verification.</hi> For it

<pb id="p.123" />

is necessary to prove the points which we stated
with the proof in view. But before I enter on this
portion, I have a few words to say on the opinions
held by certain rhetoricians. Most of them are in
the habit, as soon as they have completed the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> of digressing to some pleasant and
attractive topic with a view to securing the utmost
amount of favour from their audience.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> This practice
originated in the display of the schools of declaration and thence extended to the courts as soon as
causes came to be pleaded, not for the benefit of the
parties concerned, but to enable the advocates to
flaunt their talents. I imagine that they feared that
if the slender stream of concise statement, such as is
generally required, were followed by the pugnacious
tone inevitable in the arguing of the case, the speech
would fall flat owing to the postponement of the
pleasures of a more expansive eloquence.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> The objection to this practice lies in the fact that they do
this without the slightest consideration of the
difference between case and case or reflecting
whether what they are doing will in any way assist
them, on the assumption that it is always expedient
and always necessary. Consequently they transfer
striking thoughts from the places which they should
have occupied elsewhere and concentrate them in
this portion of the speech, a practice which involves
either the repetition of a number of things that they
have already said or their omission from the place
which was really theirs owing to the fact that they
have already been said.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> I admit however that this
form of digression can be advantageously appended,
not merely to the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts,</hi> but to each of
the different questions or to the questions as a whole,

<pb id="p.125" />

so long as the case demand, or at any rate permit it.
Indeed such a practice confers great distinction and
adornment on a speech, but only if the digression
fits in well with the rest of the speech and follows
naturally on what has preceded, not if it is thrust in
like a wedge parting what should naturally come
together.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> For there is no part of a speech so closely
connected with any other as the <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> with the
<hi rend="italics">proof,</hi> though of course such a digression may be
intended as the conclusion of the <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> and the
beginning of the <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> There will therefore sometimes be room for digression; for example if the end
of the <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> has been concerned with some specially horrible theme, we may embroider the theme
as though our indignation must find immediate
vent.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> This, however, should only be done if
there is no question about the facts. Otherwise it is more important to verify your charge than
to heighten it, since the horrible nature of a charge
is in favour of the accused, until the charge is
proved. For it is just the most flagrant crimes that
are the most difficult to prove.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> Again a digression
may be advantageous if after setting forth the services
rendered by your client to his opponent you denounce
the latter for his ingratitude, or after producing a
variety of charges in your statement, you point out
the serious danger in which the advancement of such
charges is likely to involve you.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> But all these digressions should be brief. For as soon as he has
heard the facts set forth in order, the judge is in a
hurry to get to the proof and desires to satisfy himself of the correctness of his impressions at the
earliest possible moment. Further, care must be
taken not to nullify the effect of the <hi rend="italics">statement</hi> by

<pb id="p.127" />

diverting the minds of the court to some other theme
and wearying them by useless delay.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="9" />But, though such digressions are not always necessary at the end of the <hi rend="italics">statement,</hi> they may form a very
useful preparation for the examination of the main
question, more especially if at first sight it presents
an aspect unfavourable to our case, if we have to
support a harsh law or demand severe punishment.
For this is the place for inserting what may be
regarded as a second <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> with a view to
exciting or mollifying the judge or disposing him
to lend a favouring ear to our proofs. Moreover we can do this with all the greater freedom
and vehemence at this stage of the proceedings
since the case is already known to the judge.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> We
shall therefore employ such utterances as emollients to soften the harder elements of our statement, in order that the ears of the jury may be
more ready to take in what we have to say in the
sequel and to grant us the justice which we ask.
For it is hard to persuade a man to do anything
against the grain.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> It is also important on such
occasions to know whether the judge prefers equity
or a strict interpretation of the law, since the necessity for such digression will vary accordingly.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="12" />Such passages may also serve as a kind of peroration after the main question. The Greeks call
this <foreign lang="greek">pare/kbasis,</foreign> the Romans <hi rend="italics">egressus</hi> or <hi rend="italics">egressio</hi>
(digression). They may however, as I have said,
be of various kinds and may deal with different
themes in any portion of the speech. For instance
we may extol persons or places, describe regions,
record historical or even legendary occurrences.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> As
examples I may cite the praise of Sicily and the rape

<pb id="p.129" />

of Proserpine<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Verr.</hi> I vii. 27.</note> in the <hi rend="italics">Verrines,</hi> or the famous recital of
the virtues of Gneius Pompeius in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cornelio,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See note on IV. iv. 8.</note>
where the great orator as though the course of his
eloquence had been broken by the mere mention of
the general's name, interrupts the topic on which he
had already embarked and digresses forthwith to sing
his praises.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> <foreign lang="greek">pare/kbasis</foreign> may, I think, be defined as the
handling of some theme, which must however have
some bearing on the case, in a passage that involves
digression from the logical order of our speech. I do
not see therefore why it should be assigned a special
position immediately following on the <hi rend="italics">statement of
facts</hi> any more than I understand why they think
that the name is applicable only to a digression where
some statement has to be made, when there are so
many different ways in which a speech may leave
the direct route.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> For whatever we say that falls
outside the five divisions of the speech already laid
down is a digression, whether it express indignation,
pity, hatred, rebuke, excuse, conciliation or be designed to rebut invective. Other similar occasions
for digression on points not involved by the question
at issue arise when we amplify or abridge a topic,
make any kind of emotional appeal or introduce any
of those topics which add such charm and elegance
to oratory, topics that is to say such as luxury,
avarice, religion, duty: but these would hardly
seem to be digressions as they are so closely attached
to arguments on similar subjects that they form part
of the texture of the speech.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> There are however a
number of topics which are inserted in the midst of
matter which has no connexion with them, when
for example we strive to excite, admonish, appease,
entreat or praise the judge. Such passages are

<pb id="p.131" />

innumerable. Some will have been carefully prepared beforehand, while others will be produced to
suit the occasion or the necessity of the moment, if
anything extraordinary should occur in the course of
our pleading, such as an interruption, the intervention of some individual or a disturbance.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> For example,
this made it necessary for Cicero to digress even in
the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> when he was defending Milo, as is
clear from the short speech<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The speech actually delivered, not the long speech which
has come down to us, but was never delivered.</note> which he made on
that occasion. But the orator who makes some
preface to the main question or proposes to
follow up his proofs with a passage designed to
commend them to the jury, may digress at some
length. On the other hand, if he breaks as say in
the middle of his speech, he should not be long in
returning to the point from which he departed.</p>
<p>IV. After the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> some place the
<hi rend="italics">proposition</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">III. ix. 5; xi. 27.</note> which they regard as forming a division
of a forensic speech. I have already expressed
my opinion of this view.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">III. ix. 2.</note> But it seems to me
that the beginning of every <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> is a <hi rend="italics">proposition,</hi>
such as often occurs in the demonstration of the
main question and sometimes even in the enunciation
of individual arguments, more especially of those
which are called <foreign lang="greek">e)pixeirh/mata</foreign><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See v. xiv. 14.</note> But for the moment
I shall speak of the first kind. It is not always necessary to employ it.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> The nature of the main question
is sometimes sufficiently clear without any <hi rend="italics">proposition,</hi>
especially if the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> ends exactly where
the question begins. Consequently the recapitulation generally employed in the case of arguments is
sometimes placed immediately after the statement
of facts. <quote>The affair took place, as I have described,
gentlemen: he that laid the ambush was defeated,

<pb id="p.133" />

violence was conquered by violence, or rather I
should say audacity was crushed by valour.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> xi. 30.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="3" />Sometimes <hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> is highly advantageous, more
especially when the fact cannot be defended and
the question turns on the definition of the fact;
as for example in the case of the man who has taken
the money of a private individual from a temple: we
shall say, <quote><hi rend="italics">My</hi> client is charged with sacrilege. It
is for you to decide whether it <hi rend="italics">was</hi> sacrilege,</quote> so
that the judge may understand that his sole duty is
to decide whether the charge is tantamount to
sacrilege.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> The same method may be employed
in obscure or complicated cases, not merely to make
the case clearer, but sometimes also to make it more
moving. This effect will be produced, if we at once
support our pleading with some such words as the
following: <quote>It is expressly stated in the law that
for any foreigner who goes up on to the wall the
penalty is death. You are undoubtedly a foreigner,
and there is no question but that you went up on to
the wall. The conclusion is that you must submit
to the penalty.</quote> For this <hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> forces a confession upon our opponent and to a certain extent
accelerates the decision of the court. It does more
than indicate the question, it contributes to its
solution.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="5" /><hi rend="italics">Propositions</hi> may be single, double or manifold:
this is due to more than one reason. For several
charges may be combined, as when Socrates was
accused of corrupting the youth and of introducing
new superstitions; while single <hi rend="italics">propositions</hi> may be
made up of a number of arguments, as for instance
when Aeschines is accused of misconduct as an
ambassador on the ground that he lied, failed to

<pb id="p.135" />

carry out his instructions, wasted time and accepted
bribes.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> The defence may also contain several <hi rend="italics">propositions:</hi> for instance against a claim for money we
may urge, <quote>Your claim is invalid; for you had no
right to act as agent nor had the party whom you
represent any right to employ an agent: further, he
is not the heir of the man from whom it is asserted
that I borrowed the money, nor am I his debtor.</quote>
<milestone unit="section" n="7" />These <hi rend="italics">propositions</hi> can be multiplied at pleasure, but
it is sufficient to give an indication of my meaning.
If <hi rend="italics">propositions</hi> are put forward singly with the proofs
appended, they will form several distinct <hi rend="italics">propositions:</hi>
if they are combined, they fall under the head of
<hi rend="italics">partition.</hi></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="8" /><hi rend="italics">A proposition</hi> may also be put forward unsupported, as is generally done in conjectural cases:
<quote>The formal accusation is one of murder, but I also
charge the accused with theft.</quote> Or it may be
accompanied by a reason: <quote>Gaius Cornelius is guilty
of an offence against the state; for when he was
tribune of the plebs, he himself read out his bill to
the public assembly.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The speech is lost. In 67 B.C. Cornelius as tribune of
the plebs proposed a law enacting that no man should be
released from the obligations of a law save by decree of
the people. This struck at a privilege usurped by the
senate, and Servilius Globulus, another tribune, forbade the
herald to read out the proposal. Cornelius then read it
himself. He was accused of <hi rend="italics">maiestas,</hi> defended by Cicero
in 65 B.C. and acquitted.</note> I In addition to these forms of
<hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> we can also introduce a <hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> of our
own, such as <quote>I accuse him of adultery,</quote> or may
use the <hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> of our opponent, such as <quote>The
charge brought against me is one of adultery,</quote> or
finally we may employ a <hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> which is common
to both sides, such as <quote>The question in dispute
between myself and my opponent is, which of the
two is next-of-kin to the deceased who died intestate.</quote> Sometimes we may even couple contradictory
<hi rend="italics">propositions,</hi> as for instance <quote>I say this, my opponent
says that.</quote></p>

<pb id="p.137" />

<p><milestone unit="section" n="9" />We may at times produce the effect of a <hi rend="italics">proposition,</hi> even though it is not in itself a <hi rend="italics">proposition, by</hi>
adding after the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> some phrase such
as the following: <quote>These are the points on which
you will give your decision,</quote> thereby reminding the
judge to give special attention to the question and
giving him a fillip to emphasise the point that we
have finished the <hi rend="italics">statement of facts</hi> and are beginning
the <hi rend="italics">proof,</hi> so that when we start to verify our statements he may realise that he has reached a fresh stage
where he must begin to listen with renewed attention.</p>
<p>V. <hi rend="italics">Partition</hi> may be defined as the enumeration in
order of our own <hi rend="italics">propositions,</hi> those of our adversary
or both. It is held by some that this is indispensable on the ground that it makes the case clearer
and the judge more attentive and more ready to be
instructed, if he knows what we are speaking about
and what we are going subsequently to speak about.
<milestone unit="section" n="2" />Others, on the contrary, think that such a course is
dangerous to the speaker on two grounds, namely
that sometimes we may forget to perform what we
have promised and may, on the other hand, come
upon something which we have omitted in the <hi rend="italics">partition.</hi> But this will never happen to anyone unless
he is either a fool or has come into court without
thinking out his speech in detail beforehand.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> Besides, what can be simpler or clearer than a straightforward <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> ? It follows nature as a guide and
the adhesion to a definite method is actually of the
greatest assistance to the speaker's memory. Therefore I cannot approve the view even of those who
lay down that <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> should not extend beyond
the length of three <hi rend="italics">propositions.</hi> No doubt there is
a danger, if our <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> is too complicated, that it

<pb id="p.139" />

may slip the memory of the judge and disturb his
attention. But that is no reason why it should be
tied down to a definite number of <hi rend="italics">propositions,</hi> since
the case may quite conceivably require more.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> There
are further reasons why we should sometimes dispense with <hi rend="italics">partition.</hi> In the first place there are
many points which can be produced in a more
attractive manner, if they appear to be discovered on
the spot and not to have been brought ready made
from our study, but rather to have sprung from the
requirements of the case itself while we were speaking. Thus we get those not unpleasing figures such
as <quote>It has almost escaped me,</quote> <quote>I had forgotten,</quote>
or <quote>You do well to remind me.</quote> For if we set forth
all that we propose to prove in advance, we shall
deprive ourselves of the advantage springing from
tile charm of novelty.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> Sometimes we shall even
have to hoodwink the judge and work upon him by
various artifices so that he may think that our aim is
other than what it really is. For there are cases
when a <hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> may be somewhat startling: if the
judge foresees this, he will shrink from it in advance,
like a patient who catches sight of the surgeon's
knife before the operation. On the other hand, if
we have given him no preliminary notice and our
words take him unawares, without his interest in
them having been previously roused by any warning,
we shall gain a credence which we should not have
secured had we stated that we were going to raise
the point.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> At times we must not merely avoid
distinguishing between the various questions, but must
omit them altogether, while our audience must be
distracted by appeals to the emotion and their attention diverted. For the duty of the orator is not

<pb id="p.141" />

merely to instruct: the power of eloquence is greatest
in emotional appeals. Now there is no room for
passion if we devote our attention to minute and
microscopic division at a time when we are seeking
to mislead the judgment of the person who is trying
the case.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> Again, there are certain arguments which
are weak and trivial when they stand alone, but
which have great force when produced in a body.
We must, therefore, concentrate such arguments,
and our tactics should be those of a sudden charge
in mass. This, however, is a practice which should
be resorted to but rarely and only under extreme
necessity when reason compels us to take a course
which is apparently irrational.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> In addition it must
be pointed out that in any <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> there is always
some one point of such special importance, that when
the judge has heard it he is impatient with the remainder, which he regards as superfluous. Consequently if we have to prove or refute a number of
points <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> will be both useful and attractive,
since it will indicate in order what we propose to say
on each subject. On the other hand, if we are defending one point on various grounds <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> will
be unnecessary.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> If you were to make a <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> such
as the following, <quote>I will not say that the character
of my client is such as to render him incapable of
murder, I will only say that he had no motive for
murder and that at the time when the deceased was
killed he was overseas,</quote> in that case all the proofs
which you propose to bring before this, the final
proof, must needs seem superfluous to the judge.
<milestone unit="section" n="10" />For the judge is always in a hurry to reach the most
important point. If he has a patient disposition he
will merely make a silent appeal to the advocate,

<pb id="p.143" />

whom he will treat as bound by his promise. On
the other hand, if he is busy, or holds exalted
position, or is intolerant by nature, he will insist in
no very courteous manner on his coming to the point.
<milestone unit="section" n="11" />For these reasons there are some who disapprove of
the <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> adopted by Cicero in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">iv. 9. Oppianicus had been indicted by Cluentius for an
attempt upon his life and condemned. The <quote>previous judgments</quote> referred to were condemnations of his accomplices,
which made Oppianicus' condemnation inevitable. Oppianicus was condemned, and it was alleged that this was due to
bribery by Cluentius. Cluentius was now on his trial for
the alleged murder of various persons.</note>
where he premises that he is going to show, first,
<quote>that no man was ever arraigned for greater crimes
or on stronger evidence than Oppianicus,</quote> secondly,
<quote>that previous judgments had been passed by those
very judges by whom he was condemned,</quote> and
finally, <quote>that Cluentius made no attempt to bribe
the jury, but that his opponent did.</quote> They argue
that if the third point can be proved, there is no
need to have urged the two preceding.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> On the
other hand you will find no one so unreasonable or so
foolish as to deny that the <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> in the <hi rend="italics">pro Murena</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">v. 11.</note>
is admirable. <quote>I understand, gentlemen, that the
accusation falls into three parts, the first aspersing
my client's character, the second dealing with his
candidature for the magistracy, and the third with
charges of bribery.</quote> These words make the case as
clear as possible, and no one division renders any
other superfluous.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="13" />There are also a number who are in doubt as to
a form of defence which I may exemplify as follows:
<quote>If I murdered him, I did right; but I did not
murder him.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. vi 10.</note> What, they ask, is the value of the
first part, if the second can be proved, since they are
mutually inconsistent, and if anyone employs both
arguments, we should believe neither? This contention is partially justified; we should employ the

<pb id="p.145" />

second alone only if the fact can be proved without
a doubt.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> But if we have any doubts as to being able
to prove the stronger argument, we shall do well to
rely on both. Different arguments move different
people. He who thinks that the act was committed
may regard it as a just act, while he who is deaf to
the plea that the act was just may perhaps believe
that it was never committed: one who is confident
of his powers as a marksman may be content with one
shaft, whereas he who has no such confidence will do
well to launch several and give fortune a chance to
come to his assistance.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> Cicero in the <hi rend="italics">pro Milone</hi>
reveals the utmost skill in showing first that Clodius
laid an ambush for Milo and then in adding as a
supernumerary argument that, even if he had not
done so, he was nevertheless so bad a citizen that
his slaying could only have done credit to the
patriotism of the slayer and redounded to his glory.
<milestone unit="section" n="16" />I would not however entirely condemn the order
mentioned above,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">§ 13.</note> since there are certain arguments
which, though hard in themselves, may serve to
soften those which come after. The proverb, <quote>If you
want to get your due, you must ask for something
more,</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The proverb would seem originally to refer to bargaining
in the market: the salesman, knowing he will be beaten
down, sets his original price too high. But it would equally
apply to claims for damages in the courts.</note><milestone unit="section" n="17" /> is not wholly unreasonable. Still no one
should interpret it to mean that you must stop short
of nothing. For the Greeks are right when they
lay it down as a rule that we should not attempt
the impossible. But whenever the double-barrelled
defence of which I am speaking is employed, we
must aim at making the first argument support the
credibility of the second. For he who might without danger to himself have confessed to the commission of the act, can have no motive for lying
when he denies the commission.</p>

<pb id="p.147" />

<p><milestone unit="section" n="18" />Above all it is important, whenever we suspect
that the judge desires a proof other than that on
which we are engaged, to promise that we will satisfy
him on the point fully and without delay, more
especially if the question is one of our client's
honour.<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> But it will often happen that a discreditable case has the law on its side, and to prevent
the judges giving us only a grudging and reluctant hearing on the point of law, we shall have to
warn them with some frequency that we shall shortly
proceed to defend our client's honour and integrity,
if they will only wait a little and allow us to follow
the order of our proofs.<milestone unit="section" n="20" /> We may also at times
pretend to say certain things against the wishes of
our clients, as Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">lii.</note> does in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio</hi> when
he discusses the law dealing with judicial corruption.
Occasionally we may stop, as though interrupted by
our clients, while often we shall address them and
exhort them to let us act as we think best. Thus
we shall make a gradual impression on the mind of
the judge, and, buoyed up by the hope that we are
going to clear our client's honour, he will be less ill-disposed toward the harder portions of our proof.
And when he has accepted these,<milestone unit="section" n="21" /> he will be all the
readier to listen to our defence of our client's
character. Thus the two points will render mutual
assistance to each other; the judge will be more
attentive to our legal proofs owing to his hope that
we shall proceed to a vindication of character and
better disposed to accept that vindication because
we have proved our point of law.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="22" />But although <hi rend="italics">partition</hi> is neither always necessary
nor useful, it will, if judiciously employed, greatly

<pb id="p.149" />

add to the lucidity and grace of our speech. For
it not only makes our arguments clearer by isolating
the points from the crowd in which they would
otherwise be lost and placing them before the
eyes of the judge, but relieves his attention by
assigning a definite limit to certain parts of our
speech, just as our fatigue upon a journey is relieved
by reading the distances on the milestones which we
pass.<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> For it is a pleasure to be able to measure how
much of our task has been accomplished, and the
knowledge of what remains to do stimulates us to
fresh effort over the labour that still awaits us. For
nothing need seem long, when it is definitely known
how far it is to the end.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> Quintus Hortensius
deserves the high praise which has been awarded
him for the care which he took over his <hi rend="italics">partitions,</hi>
although Cicero more than once indulges in kindly
mockery of his habit of counting his headings on his
fingers. For there is a limit to gesture, and we must
be specially careful to avoid excessive minuteness and
any suggestion of articulated structure in <hi rend="italics">our partition.</hi>
If our divisions are too small,<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> they cease to be limbs
and become fragments, and consequently detract not
a little from the authority of our speech. Moreover,
those who are ambitious of this sort of reputation,
in order that they may appear to enhance the nicety
and tile exhaustive nature of their division, introduce
what is superfluous and subdivide things which
naturally form a single whole. The result of their
labours is, however, not so much to increase the
number of their divisions as to diminish their importance, and after all is done and they have split
up their argument into a thousand tiny compartments,
they fall into that very obscurity which the <hi rend="italics">partition</hi>
was designed to eliminate.</p>

<pb id="p.151" />

<p><milestone unit="section" n="26" />The <hi rend="italics">proposition,</hi> whether single or multiple, must,
on every occasion when it can be employed with
profit, be clear and lucid; for what could be more
discreditable than that a portion of the speech,
whose sole purpose is to prevent obscurity elsewhere, should itself be obscure? Secondly it must
be brief and must not be burdened with a single
superfluous word; for we are not explaining what
we <hi rend="italics">are</hi> saying, but what we are going to say.<milestone unit="section" n="27" /> We
must also ensure that it is free alike from omissions
and from redundance. Redundance as a rule occurs
through our dividing into <hi rend="italics">species</hi> when it would be
sufficient to divide into <hi rend="italics">genera,</hi> or through the addition of <hi rend="italics">species</hi> after stating the <hi rend="italics">genus.</hi> The following
will serve as an example: <quote>I will speak of virtue,
justice and abstinence.</quote> But justice and abstinence
are <hi rend="italics">species</hi> of tile <hi rend="italics">genus</hi> virtue.<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> Our first <hi rend="italics">partition</hi>
will be between admitted and disputed facts.
Admitted facts will then be divided into those
acknowledged by our opponent and those acknowledged by ourselves. Disputed facts will be divided
into those which we and those which our opponents
allege. But the worst fault of all is to treat your
points in an order different from that which was
assigned them in your <hi rend="italics">proposition.</hi></p></div1>

<pb id="p.155" />

<div1 type="book" n="5" org="uniform" sample="complete"><head>Book V</head>

<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="pr" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />There have been certain writers of no small
authority<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Ar. <hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> i. 4 Also Quint. IV. v. 6.</note> who have held that the sole duty of the
orator was to instruct: in their view appeals to the
emotions were to be excluded for two reasons, first
on the ground that all disturbance of the mind was
a fault, and secondly that it was wrong to distract
the judge from the truth by exciting his pity, bringing influence to bear, and the like. Further, to seek
to charm the audience, when the aim of the orator
was merely to win success, was in their opinion not
only superfluous for a pleader, but hardly worthy of
a self-respecting man.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> The majority however, while
admitting that such arts undoubtedly formed part of
oratory, held that its special and peculiar task is to
make good the case which it maintains and refute
that of its opponent.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> Whichever of these views is
correct (for at this point I do not propose to express
my own opinion), they will regard this book as
serving a very necessary purpose, since it will deal
entirely with the points on which they lay such
stress, although all that I have already said on the
subject of judicial causes is subservient to the same
end.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> For the purpose of the <hi rend="italics">exordium</hi> and the <hi rend="italics">slatement of facts</hi> is merely to prepare the judge for these
points, while it would be a work of supererogation to
know the <hi rend="italics">bases</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. vi.</note> of cases or to consider the other

<pb id="p.157" />

points dealt with above,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">III. xi.</note> unless we intend to proceed
to the consideration of the <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> Finally,<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> of the
five parts<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">I. ix. 1; IV. iii. 15.</note> into which we divided judicial cases, any
single one other than the <hi rend="italics">proof</hi> may on occasion be
dispensed with. But there can be no suit in which
the <hi rend="italics">proof is</hi> not absolutely necessary. With regard
to the rules to be observed in this connexion, we
shall, I think, be wisest to follow our previous method
of classification and show first what is common to all
cases and then proceed to point out those which are
peculiar to the several kinds of cases.</p>

	<milestone unit="chapter" n="1" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />
<p>1. To begin with it may be noted that the division laid down by Aristotle<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> i. ii. 2.</note> has met with almost
universal approval. It is to the effect that there are
some proofs adopted by the orator which lie outside
the art of speaking, and others which he himself
deduces or, if I may use the term, begets out of his
case. The former therefore have been styled <foreign lang="greek">a)/texnoi</foreign>
or <hi rend="italics">inartificial</hi> proofs, the latter <foreign lang="greek">e)/ntexnoi</foreign> or <hi rend="italics">artificial.</hi>
<milestone unit="section" n="2" />To the first class belong decisions of previous courts,
rumours, evidence extracted by torture, documents,
oaths, and witnesses, for it is with these that the
majority of forensic arguments are concerned. But
though in themselves they involve no art, all the
powers of eloquence are as a rule required to disparage
or refute them. Consequently in my opinion those
who would eliminate the whole of this class of proof
from their rules of oratory, deserve the strongest
condemnation.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> It is not, however, my intention to
embrace all that can be said for or against these views.
I do not for instance propose to lay down rules for
commonplaces, a task requiring infinite detail, but
merely to sketch out the general lines and method

<pb id="p.159" />

to be followed by the orator. The method once
indicated, it is for the individual orator not merely to
employ his powers on its application, but on the
invention of similar methods as the circumstances of
the case may demand. For it is impossible to deal
with every kind of case, even if we confine ourselves
to those which have actually occurred in the past
without considering those which may occur in the
future.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="2" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />As regards decisions in previous courts, these
fall under three heads. First, we have matters
on which judgment has been given at some time or
other in cases of a similar nature: these are, however, more correctly termed precedents, as for
instance where a father's will has been annulled or
confirmed in opposition to his sons. Secondly,
there are judgments concerned with the case itself;
it is from these that the name <hi rend="italics">praeiudicium</hi> is
derived: as examples I may cite those passed
against Oppianicus<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> xvii. <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> or by the senate against Milo.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil. v.</hi></note>
Thirdly, there are judgments passed on the actual
case, as for example in cases where the accused has
been deported,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Banished persons who have been accused afresh after their restoration.</note> or where renewed application is
made for the recognition of an individual as a free
man,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">When a slave claimed his liberty by <hi rend="italics">assertio</hi> through a representative known as <hi rend="italics">assertor,</hi> his case was not disposed
of once and for all by a first failure, but the claim might be
presented anew.</note> or in portions of cases tried in the centumviral
court which come before two different panels of
judges.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The meaning is not clear. The Latin suggests that
portions of a case might be tried by two panels sitting
separately, while the case as a whole was tried by the two
panels sitting conjointly. The <hi rend="italics">hasta</hi> (spear) was the symbol
of the centumviral court. <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> XI. i. 78.</note><milestone unit="section" n="2" /> Such previous decisions are as a rule
confirmed in two ways: by the authority of those
who gave the decision and by the likeness between the
two cases. As for their reversal, this can rarely be

<pb id="p.161" />

obtained by denouncing the judges, unless they have
been guilty of obvious error. For each of those who
are trying the case wishes the decision given by
another to stand, since he too has to give judgment
and is reluctant to create a precedent that may
recoil upon himself.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> Consequently, as regards the
first two classes, we must, if possible, take refuge in
some dissimilarity between the two cases, and two
cases are scarcely ever alike in all their details.
If, however, such a course is impossible and the
case is the same as that on which the previous
decision was given, we must complain of the negligence shown in the conduct of the previous case
or of the weakness of the parties condemned,
or of undue influence employed to corrupt the
witnesses, or again of popular prejudice or ignorance
which reacted unfavourably against our client; or
else we must consider what has occurred since to
alter the aspect of the case.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> If none of these courses
can be adopted, it will still be possible to point out
that the peculiar circumstances of many trials have
led to unjust decisions; hence condemnations such
as that of Rutilius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Publius Rutilius Rufus condemned for extortion while
governor of Asia, owing to a conspiracy of the publicans
against him. He went into voluntary exile at Mitylene and
was highly honoured by the people of Asia. 91 B.C.</note> and acquittals such as those of
Clodius and Catiline. We must also ask the judges
to consider the facts of the case on their merits
rather than make their verdict the inevitable consequence of a verdict given by others.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> When, however, we are confronted by decrees of the senate, or
ordinances of emperors or magistrates, there is no
remedy, unless we can make out that there is some
difference, however small, between the cases, or
that the same persons or persons holding the same
powers have made some subsequent enactment reversing the former decision. Failing this, there will
be no case for judgment.</p>

<pb id="p.163" />

<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="3" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />With regard to rumour and common report,
one party will call them the verdict of public opinion and the testimony of the world at large; the
other will describe them as vague talk based on no
sure authority, to which malignity has given birth
and credulity increase, an ill to which even the most
innocent of men may be exposed by the deliberate
dissemination of falsehood on the part of their
enemies. It will be easy for both parties to produce
precedents to support their arguments.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="4" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />A like situation arises in the case of evidence
extracted by torture: one party will style torture an
infallible method of discovering the truth, while the
other will allege that it also often results in false
confessions, since with some their capacity of endurance makes lying an easy thing, while with others
weakness makes it a necessity. It is hardly worth
my while to say more on the subject, as the speeches
both of ancient and modern orators are full of this
topic.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> Individual cases may however involve special
considerations in this connexion. For if the point at
issue is whether torture should be applied, it will
make all the difference who it is who demands or
offers it, who it is that is to be subjected to torture,
against whom the evidence thus sought will tell, and
what is the motive for the demand. If on the other
hand torture has already been applied, it will make
all the difference who was in charge of the proceedings, who was the victim and what the nature of the
torture, whether the confession was credible or consistent, whether the witness stuck to his first statement or changed it under the influence of pain, and
whether he made it at the beginning of the torture
or only after it had continued some time. The

<pb id="p.165" />

variety of such questions is as infinite as the variety
of actual cases.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="5" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />It is also frequently necessary to speak
against documents, for it is common knowledge that
they are often not merely rebutted, but even
attacked as forgeries. But as this implies either
fraud or ignorance on the part of the signatories, it
is safer and easier to make the charge one of ignorance, because by so doing we reduce the number
of the persons accused.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> But our proceedings as a
whole will draw their arguments from the circumstances of the case at issue. For example, it may be
incredible that an incident occurred as stated in the
documents, or, as more often happens, the evidence
of the documents may be overthrown by other proofs
which are likewise of an <hi rend="italics">inartificial</hi> nature; if, for
example, it is alleged that the person, whose interests are prejudiced by the document, or one of
the signatories was absent when the document was
signed, or deceased before its signature, or if the
dates disagree, or events preceding or following the
writing of the document are inconsistent with it.
Even a simple inspection of a document is often
sufficient for the detection of forgery.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="6" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />With regard to oaths,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">An oath might be taken by one of the parties as an
alternative to evidence. In court such an oath might be
taken only on the proposal of the adversary; the litigant
might not swear on his own initiative, although an oath
might be taken voluntarily before the case came into court.
The matter of the oath rested with the profferer, and the
taking of such a proffered oath meant victory for the
swearer.</note> parties either offer to
take an oath themselves, or refuse to accept the oath
of their opponent, demand that their opponent
should take an oath or refuse to comply with a
similar demand when proffered to themselves. To
offer to take an oath unconditionally without
demanding that one's opponent should likewise take
an oath is as a rule a sign of bad faith.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> If, however,
anyone should take this course, he will defend his
action by appealing to the blamelessness of his life

<pb id="p.167" />

as rendering perjury on his part incredible, or by the
solemn nature of the oath, with regard to which he
will win all the greater credence, if without the
least show of eagerness to take the oath he makes it
clear that he does not shrink from so solemn a duty.
Or again, if the case is such as to make this possible,
he will rely on the trivial nature of the point in
dispute to win belief, on the ground that he would
not incur the risk of the divine displeasure when so
little is at stake. Or, finally, he may in addition to
the other means which he employs to win his case
offer to take an oath as a culminating proof of a
clear conscience.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> The man who refuses to accept his
opponent's offer to take an oath, will allege that the
inequality of their respective conditions are not the
same for both parties and will point out that many
persons are not in the least afraid of committing
perjury, even philosophers having been found to deny
that the gods intervene in human affairs; and further
that he who is ready to take an oath without being
asked to do so, is really proposing to pass sentence
on his own case and to show what an easy and trivial
thing he thinks the oath which he offers to take.
<milestone unit="section" n="4" />On the other hand the man who proposes to put
his opponent on oath appears to act with moderation,
since he is making his adversary a judge in his own
case, while he frees the actual judge from the burden
of coming to a decision, since the latter would
assuredly prefer to rest on another man's oath than
on his own.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> This fact makes the refusal to take an
oath all the more difficult, unless indeed the affair
in question be of such a nature that it cannot be
supposed that the facts are known to the person
asked to take the oath. Failing this excuse, there

<pb id="p.169" />

is only one course open to him: he must say that
his opponent is trying to excite a prejudice against
him and is endeavouring to give the impression that
he has real ground for complaint though he is not in
a position to win his case; consequently, though a
dishonest man would eagerly have availed himself of
the proposal, he prefers to prove the truth of his
statements rather than leave a doubt in anyone's
mind as to whether he has committed perjury or no.
<milestone unit="section" n="6" />But in my young days advocates grown old in pleading used to lay it down as a rule that we should
never be in a hurry to propose that our opponent
should take an oath, just as we should never allow
him the choice of a judge<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The choice of the single <hi rend="italics">iudex</hi> in civil cases rested with
the plaintiff, though the defendant had the right to refuse
the person proposed.</note> nor select our judge
from among the supporters of the opposite side: for
if it is regarded as a disgrace to such a supporter<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Not an actual advocate, but a supporter and adviser
on points of law.</note>
to say anything against his client, it is surely a still
worse disgrace that he should do anything that will
harm his client's case.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="7" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />It is, however, the evidence that gives the
greatest trouble to advocates. Evidence may be
given either in writing or orally by witnesses present
in court. Documentary evidence is easier to dispose
of. For it is likely that the deponent was less
ashamed of himself in the presence of a small
number of witnesses, and his absence from court is
attacked as indicating a lack of confidence. If we
cannot call the character of the deponent in question,
we may attack the witnesses to his signature.
<milestone unit="section" n="2" />Further there is always a certain tacit prejudice
against documentary evidence, since no one can be
forced to give such evidence save of his own free will,
whereby he shows that he harbours unfriendly feelings towards the person against whom he bears

<pb id="p.171" />

witness. On the other hand an advocate should be
chary of denying that a friend may give true
evidence against a friend or an enemy against an
enemy, provided they are persons of unimpeachable
credit. But the subject admits of copious discussion, from whichever side it be regarded.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="3" />The task of dealing with the evidence of witnesses
present in court is, however, one of great difficulty,
and consequently whether defending or impugning
them the orator employs a twofold armoury in the
shape of a set speech and examination.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Interrogatio</hi> includes both the examination in chief and
cross-examination.</note> In set
speeches it is usual to begin with observations either
on behalf of or against witnesses in general.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> In so
doing we introduce a commonplace, since one side
will contend that there can be no stronger proof than
that which rests on human knowledge, while the
other, in order to detract from their credibility, will
enumerate all the methods by which false evidence
is usually given.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> The next procedure is the common
practice of making a special attack, which all the
same involves impugning the validity of evidence
given by large numbers of persons. We know, for
instance, that the evidence of entire nations<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">e.g.</hi> in cases of extortion, where a whole province might
give evidence against the accused.</note> and
whole classes of evidence have been disposed of by
advocates. For example, in the case of hearsay
evidence, it will be urged that those who produce
such evidence are not really witnesses, but are
merely reporting the words of unsworn persons, while
in cases of extortion, those who swear that they paid
certain sums to the accused are to be regarded not
as witnesses, but as parties to the suit.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> Sometimes
however the advocate will direct his speech against
single individuals. Such a form of attack may be
found in many speeches, sometimes embedded in

<pb id="p.173" />

the speech for the defence and sometimes published
separately like the speech against the evidence of
Vatinius.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Vatinius had appeared as a witness against Sestius, who
was defended by Cicero.</note><milestone unit="section" n="7" /> The whole subject, therefore, demands a
thorough investigation, as the task which we have
in hand is the complete education of an orator.
Otherwise the two books written on this subject by
Domitius Afer would suffice. I attended his lectures
when he was old and I was young, and consequently
have the advantage not merely of having read his
book, but of having heard most of his views from
his own lips. He very justly lays down the rule that
in this connexion it is the first duty of an orator to
make himself thoroughly acquainted with the case,
a remark which of course applies to all portions of
a speech.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> How such knowledge may be acquired I
shall explain when I come to the appropriate portion
of this work.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">XII. viii.</note> This knowledge will suggest material
for the examination and will supply weapons ready
to the speaker's hand: it will also indicate to him
the points for which the judge's mind must be
prepared in the set speech. For it is by the set speech
that the credit of witnesses should be established
or demolished, since the effect of evidence on the
individual judge depends on the extent to which he
has been previously influenced in the direction of
believing the witness or the reverse.</p>
<p>And since there are two classes of witnesses<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">In civil cases evidence was as a rule voluntary; in
criminal cases the accuser might <hi rend="italics">subpoena</hi> witnesses, while
the defence was restricted to voluntary testimony.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="9" />those who testify of their own free will and those
who are summoned to attend in the public courts of
whom the former are available to either party, the
latter solely to the accusers, we must distinguish
between the duties of the advocate who produces
witnesses and the advocate who refutes them.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="10" />He who produces a voluntary witness is in a

<pb id="p.175" />

position to know what he is likely to say: consequently the task of examining him would seem to
be rendered easier. But even here such cases make
a great demand on the acumen and watchfulness of
the advocate, who must see that his witness is neither
timid, inconsistent nor imprudent.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> For the opposing
counsel have a way of making a witness lose his head
or of leading him into some trap; and once a witness
trips, he does more harm to his own side than he
would have done good, had he retained his composure
and presence of mind. The advocate must therefore
put his witnesses through their paces thoroughly
in private before they appear in court and must
test them by a variety of questions such as may
well be put to them by his opponent. The result
will be that they will not contradict themselves
or, if they do make some slip, can be set upon
their feet again by a timely question from the advocate who produces them.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> Still, even in the case
of witnesses whose evidence is consistent, we must
be on our guard against treachery. For such
witnesses are often put up by one's opponent and,
after promising to say everything that will help our
case, give answers of exactly the opposite character
and carry more weight by the admission of facts
which tell against us than they would have done had
they disproved them.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> We must therefore discover
what motives they have for doing our opponent a hurt,
and the fact that they were once his enemies will
not suffice our purpose: we must find out whether
they have ceased to be ill-disposed to him or whether
they desire by means of their evidence to effect a
reconciliation with him, in order to assure ourselves that they have not been bribed or repented of

<pb id="p.177" />

their previous attitude and changed their purpose.
Such precautions are necessary even with witnesses
who know that what they propose to say is true;
but it is still more necessary with those who promise
to give false evidence.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> For experience shows that
they are more likely to repent of their purpose, their
promises are less to be relied on, and, if they do keep
their promise, their evidence is easier to refute.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="15" />Witnesses appearing in answer to a subpoena may
be divided into two classes: those who desire to
harm the accused, and those who do not. The
accuser sometimes is aware of their disposition,
sometimes unaware. For the moment let us assume
that he is aware of their disposition, although I must
point out that in either case the utmost skill is required in their examination.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> For if an advocate is
producing a witness who is desirous of harming the
accused, he must avoid letting this desire become
apparent, and must not at once proceed to question
him on the point at issue. On the contrary this
point must be approached by a circuitous route in
such a manner as to make it seem that the statement which the witness is really desirous of making
has been forced from him. Again lie should not
press the witness too much, for fear he should impair
his credit by the glibness with which lie answers
every question, but should draw from him just so
much as may seem reasonable to elicit from a single
witness.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> On the other hand in the case of a witness
who is reluctant to tell the truth, the essential for
successful examination is to extort the truth against
his will This can only be done by putting questions
which have all the appearance of irrelevance.
If this he done, he will give replies which he

<pb id="p.179" />

thinks can do no harm to the party which he
favours, and subsequently will be led on from the
admissions which he has made to a position which
renders it impossible for him to deny the truth of
the facts which he is reluctant to state.<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> For just as
in a set speech we usually collect detached arguments which in themselves seem innocuous to the
accused, but taken together prove the case against
him, so we must ask the reluctant witness a number
of questions relative to acts antecedent or subsequent
to the case, places, dates, persons, etcetera, with a
view to luring him into some reply which will force
him to make the admissions which we desire or to
contradict his previous evidence.<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> If this fails, we
must content ourselves with making it clear that he
is reluctant to tell what he knows, and lead him
with a view to tripping him up on some point or
other, even though it be irrelevant to the case; we
must also keep him in the witness-box for an unusual
length of time, so that by saying everything that can
be said and more than is necessary on behalf of the
accused, he may be rendered suspect to the judge.
Thus he will do the accused no less harm than if he
had told the truth against him.<milestone unit="section" n="20" /> But if (to proceed to
our second supposition) the advocate does not know
what the intentions of the witness may be, he must
advance gradually inch by inch and sound him by
examination and lead him step by step to the particular reply which it is desired to elicit.<milestone unit="section" n="21" /> But since
these witnesses are sometimes so artful that their
first replies are designed to meet the wishes of the
questioner, in order to win all the greater credit
when subsequently they answer in a very different
way, it will be the duty of the advocate to dismiss

<pb id="p.181" />

a suspect witness while he can still do so with
advantage.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="22" />In the case of advocates for the defence examination is in some respects easier, in some more
difficult. It is more difficult because it is rarely
possible for them to have any previous knowledge of
what the witness is likely to say, and easier because,
when they come to cross-examine, they know what
he has already said.<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> Consequently in view of the
uncertainty involved, there is need for careful inquiry with a view to discovering the character of the
witness against the accused and what are his motives
for hostility and what its extent: and all such points
about the witness should be set forth in advance
and disposed of, whether we desire to represent the
evidence against the accused as instigated by hatred,
envy, bribery or influence. Further, if our opponents
bring forward only a small number of witnesses, we
must attack them on that head; if on the other
hand they produce an excessive number, we must
accuse them of conspiracy: if the witnesses are
persons of inconspicuous rank, we must minimise
their importance, while if they are powerful, we shall
accuse our adversaries of bringing undue influence to
bear.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> It will, however, be still more helpful if we
expose the motives which they have for desiring to
injure the accused, and these will vary according to
the nature of the case and the parties concerned.
For the other lines of argument mentioned above
are often answered by the employment of commonplaces on similar lines, since the prosecutor, if he
produce but few witnesses of inconspicuous rank, can
parade the simple honesty of his methods on the
ground that he has produced none save those who

<pb id="p.183" />

are in a position to know the real facts, while if he
produce a number of distinguished witnesses, it is
even easier to commend them to the court.<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> But at
times, just as we have to praise individual witnesses,
so we may have to demolish them, whether their
evidence has been given in documentary form or they
have been summoned to appear in person. This was
easier and of more frequent occurrence in the days
when the examination of the witnesses was not
deferred till after the conclusion of the pleading.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">It is not clear to what Quintilian refers. There are, it is
true, passages in Cicero where the orator speaks of evidence
as already given, but the speeches where these references are
found are all second pleadings.</note>
With regard to what we should say against individual
witnesses, no general rules can be laid down: it will
depend on the personality of the witness.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="26" />It remains to consider the technique to be followed
in the examination of witnesses. The first essential
is to know your witness. For a timid witness may
be terrorised, a fool outwitted, an irascible man
provoked, and vanity flattered. The shrewd and
self-possessed witness, on the other hand, must be
dismissed at once as being malicious and obstinate;
or refuted, not by cross-examination, but by a brief
speech from the counsel for the defence; or may be
put out of countenance by some jest, if a favourable
opportunity presents itself; or, if his past life admits
of criticism, his credit may be overthrown by the
scandalous charges which can be brought against him.
<milestone unit="section" n="27" />It has been found advantageous at times when confronted with an honest and respectable witness to
refrain from pressing him hard, since it is often the
case that those who would have defended themselves
manfully against attack are mollified by courtesy.
But every question is either concerned with the
case itself or with something outside the case. As
regards the first type of question counsel for the

<pb id="p.185" />

defence may, by adopting a method which I have
already recommended for the prosecutor,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Alive, § 17, 18.</note> namely by
commencing his examination with questions of an
apparently irrelevant and innocent character and
then by comparing previous with subsequent replies,
frequently lead witnesses into such a position that
it becomes possible to extort useful admissions from
them against their will.<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> The schools, it is true, give
no instruction either as to theory or practice in this
subject, and skill in examination comes rather
from natural talent or practice. If, however, I am
asked to point out a model for imitation, I can
recommend but one, namely that which may be
found in the dialogues of the Socratics and more
especially of Plato, in which the questions put are
so shrewd that although individually as a rule the
answers are perfectly satisfactory to the other side,
yet the questioner reaches the conclusion at which
he is aiming.<milestone unit="section" n="29" /> Fortune sometimes is so kind that a
witness gives an answer involving some inconsistency,
while at times (and this is a more frequent occurrence)
one witness contradicts another. But acute examination methodically conducted will generally reach
the same result which is so often reached by chance.
<milestone unit="section" n="30" />There are also a number of points strictly irrelevant
to the case on which questions may be put with
advantage. We may for example ask questions about
the past life of other witnesses or about the witness'
own character, with a view to discovering whether
they can be charged with some disgraceful conduct,
or degrading occupation, with friendship with the
prosecutor or hostility toward the accused, since
in replying to such questions they may say something which will help our cause or may be convicted

<pb id="p.187" />

of falsehood or of a desire to injure the accused.
But above all our examination must be circumspect,<milestone unit="section" n="31" />
since a witness will often launch some smart repartee
in answering counsel for the defence and thereby
win marked favour from the audience in general.
Secondly, we must put our questions as far as possible
in the language of everyday speech that the witness,
who is often an uneducated man, may understand our
meaning, or at any rate may have no opportunity of
saying that he does not know what we mean, a
statement which is apt to prove highly disconcerting
to the examiner.<milestone unit="section" n="32" /> I must however express the
strongest disapproval of the practice of sending a
suborned witness to sit on the benches of the opposing party, in order that on being called into the
witness-box from that quarter he may thereby do all
the more damage to the case for the accused by
speaking against the party with whose adherents he
was sitting or, while appearing to help him by his
testimony, deliberately giving his evidence in such
an extravagant and exaggerated manner, as not only
to detract from the credibility of his own statements, but to annul the advantage derived from
the evidence of those who were really helpful. I
mention this practice not with a view to encourage
it, but to secure its avoidance.</p>
<p>Documentary evidence is not frequently in conflict
with oral. Such a circumstance may be turned to
advantage by either side. For one party will rest
its case on the fact that the witness is speaking on
oath, the other on the unanimity of the signatories.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">An over-statement, since in many cases the signatories
could only testify that the statement was that actually
made by the deponent; with its truth they were not
necessarily concerned.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="33" />Again there is often a conflict between the evidence
and the arguments. One party will argue that the
witnesses know the facts and are bound by the

<pb id="p.189" />

sanctity of their oath, while the arguments are
nought but ingenious juggling with the facts. The
other party will argue that witnesses are procured by
influence, fear, money, anger, hatred, friendship, or
bribery, whereas arguments are drawn from nature;
in giving his assent to the latter the judge is believing the voice of his own reason, in accepting the
former he is giving credence to another.<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> Such
problems are common to a number of cases, and are
and will always be the subject of vehement debate.
Sometimes there are witnesses on both sides and the
question arises with regard to themselves as to which
are the more respectable in character, or with regard
to the case, which have given the more credible evidence, with regard to the parties to the case, which
has brought the greater influence to bear on the
witnesses.<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> If to this kind of evidence anyone should
wish to add evidence of the sort known as supernatural, based on oracles, prophecies and omens, I
would remind him that there are two ways in which
these may be treated. There is the general method,
with regard to which there is an endless dispute
between the adherents of the Stoics and the Epicureans, as to whether the world is governed by providence. The other is special and is concerned with
particular departments of the art of divination, according as they may happen to affect the question at issue.
<milestone unit="section" n="36" />For the credibility of oracles may be established
or destroyed in one way, and that of soothsayers,
augurs, diviners and astrologers in another, since
the two classes differ entirely in nature. Again the
task of establishing or demolishing such evidence as
the following will give the orator plenty to do; as
for example if certain words have been uttered under

<pb id="p.191" />

the influence of wine, in sleep or in a fit of madness,
or if information has been picked up from the mouths
of children, whom the one party will assert to be incapable of invention, while the other will assert that
they do not know what they are saying.<milestone unit="section" n="37" /> The following method may not merely be used with great effect,
but may even be badly missed when it is not employed. <hi rend="italics">You gave me the money. Who counted it out?
Where did this occur and from what source did the money
come? You accuse me of poisoning. Where did I buy
the poison and from whom? What did I pay for it and
whom did I employ to administer it? Who was my
accomplice?</hi> Practically all these points are discussed
by Cicero in dealing with the charge of poisoning in
the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio.</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> IX. 167.</note> This concludes my observations
upon inartificial proofs. I have stated them as briefly
as I could.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="8" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />The second class of proofs are wholly the
work of art and consist of matters specially adapted
to produce belief. They are, however, as a rule almost
entirely neglected or only very lightly touched on
by those who, avoiding arguments as rugged and
repulsive things, confine themselves to pleasanter
regions and, like those who, as poets tell, were bewitched by tasting a magic herb in the land of the
Lotus-eaters or by the song of the Sirens into preferring pleasure to safety, follow the empty semblance
of renown and are robbed of that victory which is the
aim of eloquence.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> And yet those other forms of
eloquence, which have a more continuous sweep and
flow, are employed with a view to assisting and
embellishing the arguments and produce the appearance of super inducing a body upon the sinews, on
which the whole case rests; thus if it is asserted

<pb id="p.193" />

that some act has been committed under the influence of anger, fear or desire, we may expatiate
at some length on the nature of each of these
passions. It is by these same methods that we
praise, accuse, exaggerate, attenuate, describe, deter,
complain, console or exhort.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> But such rhetorical
devices may be employed in connexion with matters
about which there is no doubt or at least which we
speak of as admitted facts. Nor would I deny that
there is some advantage to be gained by pleasing
our audience and a great deal by stirring their
emotions. Still, all these devices are more effective,
when the judge thanks he has gained a full knowledge
of the facts of the case, which we can only give him
by argument and by the employment of every other
known means of proof.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="4" />Before, however, I proceed to classify the various
species of artificial proof, I must point out that there
are certain features common to all kinds of proof.
For there is no question which is not concerned
either with things or persons, nor can there be any
ground for argument save in connexion with matters
concerning things or persons, which may be considered
either by themselves or with reference to something
else;<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> while there can be no proof except such as is
derived from things consequent or things opposite,
which must be sought for either in the time preceding, contemporaneous with or subsequent to the
alleged fact, nor can any single thing be proved save
by reference to something else which must be
greater, less than or equal to it.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> As regards arguments, they may be found either in the questions
raised by the case, which may be considered by themselves quite apart from any connexion with individual

<pb id="p.195" />

things or persons, or in the case itself, when anything is discovered in it which cannot be arrived at
by the light of common reason, but is peculiar to the
subject on which judgment has to be given. Further,
all proofs fall into three classes, necessary, credible,
and not impossible.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> Again there are four forms of
proof. First, we may argue that, because one thing
is, another thing is not; as <hi rend="italics">It is day and therefore not
night.</hi> Secondly, we may argue that, because one
thing is, another thing is; as <hi rend="italics">The sun is risen, thereit is day.</hi> Thirdly, it may be argued that because one
thing is not, another thing is; as <hi rend="italics">It is not night, therefore it is day.</hi> Finally, it may be argued that, because
one thing is not, another thing is not; as <hi rend="italics">He is not a
reasoning being, therefore he is not a man.</hi> These
general remarks will suffice by way of introduction
and I will now proceed to details.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="9" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />Every artificial proof consists either of indications, arguments or examples. I am well aware that
many consider indications to form part of the arguments. My reasons for distinguishing them are twofold. In the first place indications as a rule come
under the head of inartificial proofs: for a bloodstained garment, a shriek, a dark blotch and the like
are all evidence analogous to documentary or oral
evidence and rumours; they are not discovered by
the orator, but are given him with the case itself.
<milestone unit="section" n="2" />My second reason was that indications, if indubitable,
are not arguments, since they leave no room for
question, while arguments are only possible in
controversial matters. If on the other hand they
are doubtful, they are not arguments, but require
arguments to support them.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="3" />The two first species into which artificial proofs

<pb id="p.197" />

may be divided are, as I have already said, those
which involve a conclusion and those which do not.
The former are those which cannot be otherwise and
are called <foreign lang="greek">tekmh/ria,</foreign> by the Greeks, because they are
indications from which there is no getting away.
These however seem to me scarcely to come under
the rules of art. For where an indication is irrefutable, there can be no dispute as to facts.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> This
happens whenever there can be no doubt that something is being or has been done, or when it is impossible for it to be or have been done. In such cases
there can be no dispute as to the fact. This kind of
proof may be considered in connexion with past,
present or future time.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> For example, a woman who is
delivered of a child must have had intercourse with
a man, and the reference is to the past. When there
is a high wind at sea, there must be waves, and the
reference is to the present. When a man has received a wound in the heart, he is bound to die, and
the reference is to the future. Nor again can there
be a harvest where no seed has been sown, nor can
a man be at Rome when he is at Athens, nor have
been wounded by a sword when he has no scar.
Some have the same force when reversed:<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> a man
who breathes is alive, and a man who is alive breathes.
Some again cannot be reversed: because he who
walks moves it does not follow that he who moves
walks.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> So too a woman, who has not been delivered
of a child, may have had intercourse with a man,
there may be waves without a high wind, and a man
may die without having received a wound in the
heart. Similarly seed may be sown without a harvest
resulting, a man, who was never at Athens, may

<pb id="p.199" />

never have been at Rome, and a man who has a scar
may not have received a sword-wound.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="8" />There are other indications or <foreign lang="greek">ei)ko/ta,</foreign> that is
probabilities, as the Greeks call them, which do not
involve a necessary conclusion. These may not
be sufficient in themselves to remove doubt, but
may yet be of the greatest value when taken in
conjunction with other indications.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> The Latin
equivalent of the Greek <foreign lang="greek">shmei=on</foreign> is <hi rend="italics">signum,</hi> a sign,
though some have called it <hi rend="italics">indicium,</hi> an indication,
or <hi rend="italics">vestigium,</hi> a trace. Such signs or indications
enable us to infer that something else has happened;
blood for instance may lead us to infer that a
murder has taken place. But bloodstains on a
garment may be the result of the slaying of a victim
at a sacrifice or of bleeding at the nose. Everyone
who has a bloodstain on his clothes is not necessarily a murderer.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> But although such an indication
may not amount to proof in itself, yet it may be
produced as evidence in conjunction with other
indications, such for instance as the fact that the
man with the bloodstain was the enemy of the
murdered man, had threatened him previously or
was in the same place with him. Add the indication
in question to these, and what was previously only a
suspicion may become a certainty.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> On the other
hand there are indications which may be made to
serve either party, such as livid spots, swellings
which may be regarded as symptoms either of
poisoning or of bad health, or a wound in the breast
which may be treated as a proof of murder or of
suicide. The force of such indications depends on the
amount of extraneous support which they receive.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="12" />Hermagoras would include among such indications as do not involve a necessary conclusion, an

<pb id="p.201" />

argument such as the following, <quote>Atalanta cannot
be a virgin, as she has been roaming the woods in
the company of young men.</quote> If we accept this
view, I fear that we shall come to treat all inferences
from a fact as indications. None the less such arguments are in practice treated exactly as if they were
indications.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> Nor do the Areopagites, when they
condemned a boy for plucking out the eyes of
quails, seem to have had anything else in their
mind than the consideration that such conduct
was an indication of a perverted character which
might prove hurtful to many, if he had been
allowed to grow up. So, too, the popularity of
Spurius Maelius and Marcus Manlius was regarded
as an indication that they were aiming at supreme
power.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> However, I fear that this line of reasoning
will carry us too far. For if it is an indication
of adultery that a woman bathes with men, the
fact that she revels with young men or even an
intimate friendship will also be indications of the
same offence. Again depilation, a voluptuous gait,
or womanish attire may be regarded as indications of
effeminacy and unmanliness by anyone who thinks
that such symptoms are the result of an immoral
character, just as blood is the result of a wound: for
anything, that springs from the matter under investigation and comes to our notice, may properly
be called an indication.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> Similarly it is also usual
to give the names of signs to frequently observed
phenomena, such as prognostics of the weather which
we may illustrate by the Vergilian</p>

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>For wind turns Phoebe's face to ruddy gold</l></quote><bibl default="NO">Verg. G. i. 431.</bibl></cit></quote>

<p>and</p>

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>The crow</l>
<l>With full voice, good-for-naught, invites the rain.</l></quote><bibl default="NO"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> i. 388.</bibl></cit></quote>

<pb id="p.203" />

<p>If these phenomena are caused by the state of the
atmosphere, such an appellation is correct enough.<milestone unit="section" n="16" />
For if tile moon turns red owing to the wind, her
hue is certainly a sign of wind. And if, as the same
poet infers,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Verg. <hi rend="italics">G.</hi> i. 422.</note> the condensation and rarification of
the atmosphere causes that <quote>concert of bird-voices</quote>
of which he speaks, we may agree in regarding it as
a sign. We may further note that great things are
sometimes indicated by trivial signs, witness the
Vergilian crow; that trivial events should be
indicated by signs of greater importance is of course
no matter for wonder.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="10" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />I now turn to arguments, the name under
which we comprise the <foreign lang="greek">e)nqumh/mata, e)pixeirh/mata,</foreign> and
<foreign lang="greek">a)podei/ceis</foreign> of the Greeks, terms which, in spite of
their difference, have much the same meaning. For
the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> (which we translate by <hi rend="italics">commentun</hi> or
<hi rend="italics">commentatio,</hi> there being no alternative, though we
should be wiser to use the Greek name) has three
meanings: firstly it means anything conceived in
the mind (this is not however the sense of which
I am now speaking);<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> secondly it signifies a proposition with a reason, and thirdly a conclusion of an
argument drawn either from denial of consequents or
from incompatibles<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">v. viii. 5; xiv. 2. n.</note>; although there is some controversy on this point. For there are some who style a
conclusion from consequents an <hi rend="italics">epicheireme,</hi> while it
will be found that the majority hold the view that an
<hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> is a conclusion from incompatibles:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See v. xiv. 2, VIII. v. 9.</note>
wherefore Cornificius styles it a <hi rend="italics">contrarium</hi> or argument from contraries. Some again call it a rhetorical<milestone unit="section" n="3" />
syllogism, others an incomplete syllogism, because
its parts are not so clearly defined or of the same
number as those of the regular syllogism, since such

<pb id="p.205" />

precision is not specially required by the orator.
Valgius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. i. 18. A rhetorician of the reign of Augustus.</note> translates <foreign lang="greek">e)pixei/rhma</foreign> by <hi rend="italics">aggressio,</hi><milestone unit="section" n="4" /> that is
an attempt. It would however, in my opinion, be
truer to say that it is not our handling of the
subject, but the thing itself which we attempt which
should be called an <foreign lang="greek">e)pixei/rhma,</foreign> that is to say the
argument by which we try to prove something and
which, even if it has not yet been stated in so many
words, has been clearly conceived by the mind.
<milestone unit="section" n="5" />Others regard it not as an attempted or imperfect
proof, but a complete proof, falling under the most
special<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The last or lowest species. <hi rend="italics">p.</hi> § 56 and VII. i. 23.</note> species of proof; consequently, according to
its proper and most generally received appellation it
must be understood in the sense of a definite conception of some thought consisting of at least three
parts.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> the major and minor premisses and the conclusion.
See v. xiv. 6 <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> Some call an <foreign lang="greek">e)pixei/rhma</foreign> a <hi rend="italics">reason,</hi><milestone unit="section" n="6" /> but Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> . xxxi. 34.</note>
is more correct in calling it a <hi rend="italics">reasoning,</hi> although he
too seems to derive this name from the syllogism
rather than anything else; for he calls the
<hi rend="italics">syllogistic basis</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. vi. 43, 46, 51.</note> a <hi rend="italics">ratiocinative basis</hi> and quotes philosophers to support him. And since there is a certain kinship between a syllogism and an <hi rend="italics">epicheireme,</hi>
it may be thought that he was justified in his use of
the latter term.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> An <foreign lang="greek">a)po/decis</foreign> is a clear proof; hence
the use of the term <foreign lang="greek">grammikai\ a)podei/ceis,</foreign> <quote>linear
demonstrations</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See I. x. 38.</note> by the geometricians. Caecilius
holds that it differs from the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> solely in the
kind of conclusion arrived at and that an <hi rend="italics">apodeixis</hi> is
simply an incomplete <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> for the same reason
that we said an enthymeme differed from a syllogism.
For an <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> is also part of a syllogism. Some
think that an <hi rend="italics">apodeixis</hi> is portion of an <hi rend="italics">epicheireme,</hi>

<pb id="p.207" />

namely the part containing the proof.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> But all
authorities, however much they may differ on other
points, define both in the same way, in so far as they
call both a method of proving what is not certain by
means of what is certain. Indeed this is the nature
of all arguments, for what is certain cannot be
proved by what is uncertain. To all these forms of
argument the Greeks give the name of <foreign lang="greek">pi/steis</foreign>, a
term which, though the literal translation is <hi rend="italics">fides</hi> <quote>a
warrant of credibility,</quote> is best translated by <hi rend="italics">probatio</hi>
<quote>proof.</quote> But <hi rend="italics">argument</hi> has several other meanings.
<milestone unit="section" n="9" />For the plots of plays composed for acting in the
theatre are called arguments, while Pedianus, when
explaining the themes of the speeches of Cicero,
says <hi rend="italics">The argument is as follows.</hi> Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">In some letter now lost.</note> himself in
writing to Brutus says, <hi rend="italics">Fearing that I might transfer
something from that source to my Cato, although the
argument is quite different.</hi> It is thus clear that all
subjects for writing are so called.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> Nor is this to be
wondered at, since the term is also in common use
among artists; hence the Vergilian phrase <hi rend="italics">A mighty
argument.</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Aen.</hi> vii. 791, with Reference to the design on the shield of
Turnus.</note> Again a work which deals with a number
of different themes is called <quote>rich in argument.</quote>
But the sense with which we are now concerned is
that which provides proof Celsus indeed treats
the terms, proof, indication, credibility, attempt,
simply as different names for the same things, in
which, to my thinking, he betrays a certain confusion of thought.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> For proof and credibility are not
merely the result of logical processes, but may
equally be secured by inartificial arguments. Now
I have already<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">v. ix. 2.</note> distinguished signs or, as he prefers
to call them, indications from arguments. Consequently, since an argument is a process of reasoning

<pb id="p.209" />

which provides proof and enables one thing to be
inferred from another and confirms facts which are
uncertain by reference to facts which are certain,
there must needs be something in every case which
requires no proof.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> Otherwise there will be nothing
by which we can prove anything; there must be
something which either is or is believed to be true,
by means of which doubtful things may be rendered
credible. We may regard as certainties, first, those
things which we perceive by the senses, things for
instance that we hear or see, such as signs or indications; secondly, those things about which there is
general agreement, such as the existence of the gods
or the duty of loving one's parents;<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> thirdly, those
things which are established by law or have passed
into current usage, if not throughout the whole
world, at any rate in the nation or state where the
case is being pleaded—there are for instance many
rights which rest not on law, but on custom; finally,
there are the things which are admitted by either
party, and whatever has already been proved or is
not disputed by our adversary.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> Thus for instance it
may be argued that since the world is governed by
providence, the state should similarly be governed
by some controlling power: it follows that the state
must be so governed, once it is clear that the world
is governed by providence.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> Further, the man who is
to handle arguments correctly must know the nature
and meaning of everything and their usual effects.
For it is thus that we arrive at probable arguments
or <foreign lang="greek">ei)ko/ta</foreign> as the Greeks call them.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> With regard to
credibility there are three degrees. First, the
highest, based on what usually happens, as for instance the assumption that children are loved by

<pb id="p.211" />

their parents. Secondly, there is the highly
probable, as for instance the assumption that a man
in the enjoyment of good health will probably live
till to-morrow. The third degree is found where
there is nothing absolutely against an assumption,
such as that a theft committed in a house was the
work of one of the household.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> Consequently
Aristotle in the second book of his <hi rend="italics">Rhetoric</hi> has
made a careful examination of all that commonly
happens to things and persons, and what things and
persons are naturally adverse or friendly to other
things or persons, as for instance, what is the
natural result of wealth or ambition or superstition,
what meets with the approval of good men, what is
the object of a soldier's or a farmer's desires, and by
what means everything is sought or shunned.<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> For
my part I do not propose to pursue this subject. It
is not merely a long, but an impossible or rather an
infinite task; moreover it is within the compass of
the common understanding of mankind. If, however, anyone wishes to pursue the subject, I have
indicated where he may apply.<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> But all credibility,
and it is with credibility that the great majority of
arguments are concerned, turns on questions such
as the following: whether it is credible that a father
has been killed by his son, or that a father has committed incest with his daughter, or to take questions
of an opposite character, whether it is credible that
a stepmother has poisoned her stepchild, or that a
man of luxurious life has committed adultery; or
again whether a crime has been openly committed,
or false evidence given for a small bribe, since each
of these crimes is the result of a special cast of
character as a rule, though not always; if it were

<pb id="p.213" />

always so, there would be no room for doubt, and
no argument.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="20" />Let us now turn to consider the <quote>places</quote> of arguments, although some hold that they are identical
with the topics which I have already discussed
above.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">In previous chapter.</note> But I do not use this term in its usual
acceptance, namely, commonplaces<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See ii. iv. 22, v. xii. 6 and xiii. 57.</note> directed against
luxury, adultery, and the like, but in the sense of
the secret places where arguments reside, and from
which they must be drawn forth.<milestone unit="section" n="21" /> For just as all
kinds of produce are not provided by every country,
and as you will not succeed in finding a particular bird
or beast, if you are ignorant of the localities where
it has its usual haunts or birthplace, as even the
various kinds of fish flourish in different surroundings, some preferring a smooth and others a rocky
bottom, and are found on different shores and in
divers regions (you will for instance never catch
a sturgeon or wrasse in Italian waters), so not
every kind of argument can be derived from every
circumstance, and consequently our search requires
discrimination.<milestone unit="section" n="22" /> Otherwise we shall fall into serious
error, and after wasting our labour through lack of
method we shall fail to discover the argument which
we desire, unless assisted by some happy chance.
But if we know the circumstances which give rise to
each kind of argument, we shall easily see, when
we come to a particular <quote>place,</quote> what arguments
it contains.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="23" />Firstly, then, arguments may be drawn from
persons; for, as I have already said,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">v. viii. 4.</note> all arguments
fall into two classes, those concerned with things and
those concerned with persons, since causes, time,
place, occasion, instruments, means and the like are

<pb id="p.215" />

all accidents of things. I have no intention of
tracing all the accidents of persons, as many have
done, but shall confine myself to those from which
arguments may be drawn.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> Such are birth, for
persons are generally regarded as having some
resemblance to their parents and ancestors, a resemblance which sometimes leads to their living
disgracefully or honourably, as the case may be;
then there is nationality, for races have their own
character, and the same action is not probable in the
case of a barbarian, a Roman and a Greek;<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> country
is another, for there is a like diversity in the laws,
institutions and opinions of different states; sex,
since for example a man is more likely to commit a
robbery, a woman to poison; age, since different
actions suit different ages; education and training,
since it makes a great difference who were the instructors and what the method of instruction in each
individual case;<milestone unit="section" n="26" /> bodily constitution, for beauty is
often introduced as an argument for lust, strength as
an argument for insolence, and their opposites for
opposite conduct; fortune, since the same acts are
not to be expected from rich and poor, or from one
who is surrounded by troops of relations, friends or
clients and one who lacks all these advantages;
condition, too, is important, for it makes a great
difference whether a man be famous or obscure, a
magistrate or a private individual, a father or a son,
a citizen or a foreigner, a free man or a slave,
married or unmarried, a father or childless.<milestone unit="section" n="27" /> Nor
must we pass by natural disposition, for avarice,
anger, pity, cruelty, severity and the like may often
be adduced to prove the credibility or the reverse of
a given act; it is for instance often asked whether a

<pb id="p.217" />

man's way of living be luxurious, frugal or parsimonious. Then there is occupation, since a rustic, a
lawyer, a man of business, a soldier, a sailor, a doctor
all perform very different actions.<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> We must also
consider the personal ambitions of individuals, for
instance whether they wish to be thought rich or
eloquent, just or powerful. Past life and previous
utterances are also a subject for investigation, since
we are in the habit of inferring the present from the
past. To these some add passion, by which they
mean some temporary emotion such as anger or fear;
they also add design, which may refer to the past,<milestone unit="section" n="29" />
present or future. These latter, however, although
accidents of persons, should be referred to that class
of arguments which we draw from causes, as also
should certain dispositions of mind, for example
when we inquire whether one man is the friend or
enemy of another.<milestone unit="section" n="30" /> Names also are treated as
accidents of persons; this is perfectly true, but names
are rarely food for argument, unless indeed they
have been given for some special reasons, such as the
titles of Wise, Great, Pious, or unless the name has
suggested some special thought to the bearer.
Lentulus<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Publius Cornelius Lentulus Sura, Catilinarian conspirator. <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Sail <hi rend="italics">Cat. c.</hi> 46.</note> for instance had the idea of conspiracy
suggested to him by the fact that according to the
Sibylline books and the Responses of the soothsayers the tyranny was promised to three members
of the Cornelian family, and he considered himself to
be the third in succession to Sulla and Cinna, since
he too bore the name Cornelius.<milestone unit="section" n="31" /> On tile other hand
the conceit employed by Euripides<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Phoeniss. 636. <foreign lang="greek">a)lhqw=s d' o)/noma *polunei/kh path\r e)/qeto/ soi</foreign>
<foreign lang="greek">qei/a| pronoi/a| neike/wn e)pw/numon,</foreign> <quote>with truth did our father call
thee Polynices with divine foreknowledge naming thee after
'strife.'</quote></note> where he makes
Eteocles taunt his brother Polynices on the ground
that his name is evidence of character, is feeble in
the extreme. Still a name will often provide the
subject for a jest,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See vi. iii. 53.</note> witness the frequent jests of

<pb id="p.219" />

Cicero on the name of Verres. Such, then, and the
like are the accidents of persons. It is impossible
to deal with them all either here or in other portions
of this work, and I must content myself with pointing out the lines on which further enquiry should
proceed.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="32" />I now pass to things: of these actions are the most
nearly connected with persons and must therefore be
treated first. In regard to every action the question
arises either Why or Where or When or How or By
what means the action is performed.<milestone unit="section" n="33" /> Consequently
arguments are drawn from the causes of past or future
actions. The matter of these causes, by some called
<foreign lang="greek">u(/lh,</foreign> by others <foreign lang="greek">du/namis,</foreign> falls into two genera, which
are each divided into four species. For the motive
for any action is as a rule concerned with the acquisition, increase, preservation and use of things that are
good or with the avoidance, diminution, endurance
of things that are evil or with escape there from.
All these considerations carry great weight in deliberative oratory as well.<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> But right actions have
right motives, while evil actions are the result of
false opinions, which originate in the things which
men believe to be good or evil. Hence spring errors
and evil passions such as anger, hatred, envy, desire,
hope, ambition, audacity, fear and others of a similar
kind. To these accidental circumstances may often
be added, such as drunkenness or ignorance, which
serve sometimes to excuse and sometimes to prove
a charge, as for instance when a man is said to have
killed one person while lying in wait for another.
Further,<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> motives are often discussed not merely to
convict the accused of the offence with which he is
charged, but also to defend him when he contends

<pb id="p.221" />

that his action was right, that is to say proceeded
from an honourable motive, a theme of which I have
spoken more fully in the third book.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">III. xi. 4–9.</note><milestone unit="section" n="36" /> Questions
of definition are also at times intimately connected
with motives. Is a man a tyrannicide if he kills a
tyrant by whom he has been detected in the act
of adultery? Or is lie guilty of sacrilege who tore
down arms dedicated in a temple to enable him to
drive the enemy from the city?<milestone unit="section" n="37" /> Arguments are also
drawn from place. With a view to proving our facts
we consider such questions as whether a place is hilly
or level, near the coast or inland, planted or uncultivated, crowded or deserted, near or far, suitable for
carrying out a given design or the reverse. This is a
topic which is treated most carefully by Cicero in his
<hi rend="italics">pro Milone.</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> xx.</note><milestone unit="section" n="38" /> These points and the like generally
refer to questions of fact, but occasionally to
questions of law as well. For we may ask whether
a place is public or private, sacred or profane, our
own or another's, just as where persons are concerned
we ask whether a man is a magistrate, a father, a
foreigner.<milestone unit="section" n="39" /> Hence arise such questions as the following. <quote>You have stolen private money, but since you
stole it from a temple, it is not theft but sacrilege.</quote>
<quote>You have killed adulterers, an act permitted by law,
but since the act was done in a brothel, it is murder.</quote>
"You have committed an assault, but since the
object of your assault was a magistrate, the crime is
lèse-majesté.<milestone unit="section" n="40" /> Similarly it may be urged in defence,
<quote>The act was lawful, because I was a father, a
magistrate.</quote> But such points afford matter for
argument when there is a controversy as to the
facts, and matter for enquiry when the dispute
turns on a point of law. Place also frequently

<pb id="p.223" />

affects the quality of an action, for the same action
is not always lawful or seemly under all circumstances, while it makes considerable difference in
what state the enquiry is taking place, for they differ
both in custom and law.<milestone unit="section" n="41" /> Further arguments drawn
from place may serve to secure approval or the
reverse. Ajax for instance in Ovid<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Met.</hi> xiii. 5. Ajax had saved the ships from being burned
by the Trojans. The dispute as to whether the arms of
Achilles should be awarded to him or to Ulysses is being
tried there. Ajax's argument is, <quote>Can you refuse me my due
reward on the very spot where I saved you from disaster?</quote></note> says:—

<quote rend="blockquote">
<quote><l>What! do we plead our cause before the ships?</l>
<l>And is Ulysses there preferred to me?</l></quote></quote>

Again one of the many charges brought against
Milo was that he killed Clodius on the monument of
his ancestors.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Ail.</hi> vii. 17. i.e. on the Appian Way constructed by
one of Clodius' ancestors.</note><milestone unit="section" n="42" /> Such arguments may also carry
weight in deliberative oratory, as may those drawn
from time, which I shall now proceed to discuss.
Time may, as I have said elsewhere,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">III. vi. 25.</note> be understood
in two different senses, general and special. The first
sense is seen in words and phrases such as <quote>now,</quote>
<quote>formerly,</quote> <quote>in the reign of Alexander,</quote> <quote>in the
days of the siege of Troy,</quote> and whenever we speak
of past, present or future. The second sense occurs
when we speak either of definite periods of time
such as <quote>in summer,</quote> <quote>in winter,</quote> <quote>by night,</quote> <quote>by
day,</quote> or of fortuitous periods such as <quote>in time of
pestilence,</quote> <quote>in time of war,</quote> <quote>during a banquet.</quote>
<milestone unit="section" n="43" />Certain Latin writers have thought it a sufficient
distinction to call the general sense <quote>time,</quote> and the
special <quote>times.</quote> In both senses time is of importance
in advisory speeches and demonstrative oratory, but
not so frequently as in forensic.<milestone unit="section" n="44" /> For questions of law
turn on time, while it also determines the quality of
actions and is of great importance in questions of
fact; for instance, occasionally it provides irrefragable

<pb id="p.225" />

proofs, which may be illustrated by a case which I
have already cited,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">v. v. 2.</note> when one of the signatories to a
document has died before the day on which it was
signed, or when a person is accused of the commission of some crime, although he was only an infant
at the time or not yet born.<milestone unit="section" n="45" /> Further, all kinds of
arguments may easily be drawn either from facts
previous to a certain act, or contemporary or subsequent.<milestone unit="section" n="45" /> As regards antecedent facts the following
example will illustrate my meaning; <quote>You threatened to kill him, you went out by night, you started
before him.</quote> Motives of actions may also belong to
past time.<milestone unit="section" n="46" /> Some writers have shown themselves
over-subtle in their classification of the second class
of circumstances, making <quote>a sound was heard</quote> an
example of circumstances <hi rend="italics">combined</hi> with an act and
<quote>a shout was raised</quote> an instance of circumstances
<hi rend="italics">attached</hi> to an act. As regards subsequent circumstances I may cite accusations such as <quote>You hid
yourself, you fled, livid spots and swellings appeared
on the corpse.</quote> The counsel for the defence will
employ the same divisions of time to discredit the
charge which is brought against him.<milestone unit="section" n="47" /> In these
considerations are included everything in connexion
with words and deeds, but in two distinct ways.
For some things are done because something else is
like to follow, and others because something else
has previously been done, as for instance, when the
husband of a beautiful woman is accused of having
acted as a procurer on the ground that he bought
her after she was found guilty of adultery, or
when a debauched character is accused of parricide on the ground that he said to his father
<quote>You have rebuked me for the last time.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Both cases are clearly themes from the schools of
rhetoric.</note> For

<pb id="p.227" />

in the former case the accused is not a procurer
because he bought the woman, but bought her
because he was a procurer, while in the latter the
accused is not a parricide because he used these
words, but used them because lie intended to kill his
father.<milestone unit="section" n="48" /> With regard to accidental circumstances,
which also provide matter for arguments, these
clearly belong to subsequent time, but are distinguished by a certain special quality, as for instance if
I should say, <quote>Scipio was a better general than
Hannibal, for he conquered Hannibal</quote>;<quote>He was a
good pilot, for he was never shipwrecked</quote>; <quote>He was
a good farmer, for he gathered in huge harvests</quote>;
or referring to bad qualities, <quote>He was a prodigal, for
he squandered his patrimony</quote>; <quote>His life was disgraceful, for he was hated by all.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="49" /> We must also
consider the resources possessed by the parties
concerned, more especially when dealing with questions of fact; for it is more credible that a smaller
number of persons were killed by a larger, a weaker
party by a stronger, sleepers by men that were wide
awake, the unsuspecting by the well-prepared, while
the converse arguments may be used to prove the
opposite.<milestone unit="section" n="50" /> Such considerations arise both in deliberative and forensic oratory: in the latter they occur
in relation to two questions, namely, whether some
given person had the will, and whether lie had the
power to do the deed; for hope will often create
the will to act. Hence the well-known inference in
Cicero:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> x. 29.</note> <quote>Clodius lay in wait for Milo, not Milo for
Clodius, for Clodius had a retinue of sturdy slaves,
while Milo was with a party of women; Clodius was
mounted, Milo in a carriage, Clodius lightly clad,
Milo hampered by a cloak.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="51" /> With resources we may

<pb id="p.229" />

couple instruments, which form part of resources and
means. But sometimes instruments will provide us
with indications as well, as for instance if we find
a javelin sticking in a dead body.<milestone unit="section" n="52" /> To these we may
add manner, the Greek <foreign lang="greek">tro/pos,</foreign> in regard to which
we ask how a thing was done. Manner is concerned
sometimes with quality and the letter of the law<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See § 40. Also III. vi. 55 and 66.</note>
(we may for instance argue that it was unlawful to
kill an adulterer by poison), sometimes with questions of fact, as for example if I argue that an act
was committed with a good intent and therefore
openly, or with a bad intent and therefore treacherously, by night, in a lonely place.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="53" />In all cases, however, in which we enquire into the
nature and meaning of an act, and which can be
considered by themselves apart from all considerations of persons and all else that gives rise to the
actual cause, there are clearly three points to which
we must give attention, namely Whether it is, What
it is and Of what kind it is. But as there are certain <quote>places</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See above § 20.</note> of argument which are common to
all three questions, this triple division is impracticable and we must therefore consider these questions rather in connexion with those <quote>places</quote> in
which they most naturally arise.<milestone unit="section" n="54" /> Arguments, then,
may be drawn from definition, sometimes called
<hi rend="italics">finitio</hi> and sometimes <hi rend="italics">finis.</hi> Definition is of two
kinds. We may ask whether a particular quality is a
virtue or make a definition precede and ask what is
the nature of a virtue. Such a definition is either
stated in general terms, such as <hi rend="italics">Rhetoric is the science
of speaking well,</hi> or in detail, such as <hi rend="italics">Rhetoric is the
science of correct conception, arrangement and utterance,
coupled with a retentive memory and a dignified delivery.</hi>

<pb id="p.231" />

Further,<milestone unit="section" n="55" /> we may define a word by giving its content
as in the preceding instances, or by etymology: we
may for instance explain <hi rend="italics">assiduus</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"> Paulus (exc. Fest.) gives the following explanation of this
absurd derivation, for which Cicero tells that Aelius Stilo
was responsible: <quote>Some think that <hi rend="italics">assiduus</hi> was originally
the epithet applied to one who served in the army at his own
expense, contributing an <hi rend="italics">as</hi></quote> (<hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> instead of receiving it)!</note> by deriving it from
<hi rend="italics">as</hi> and <hi rend="italics">do, locuples</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">locheples</hi> (<quote>wealthy</quote>) is derived from <hi rend="italics">locus</hi> = the posses
sors of many places.</note> by deriving it from <hi rend="italics">copia locorum,
pecuniosus</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pecuniosus</hi> (<quote>moneyed</quote>) is derived from <hi rend="italics">pecus</hi> = <quote>rich
in herds.</quote></note> from <hi rend="italics">copiapecorum. Genus, species, difference</hi>
and <hi rend="italics">property</hi> seem more especially to afford scope for
definition, for we derive arguments from all of these.
<milestone unit="section" n="56" /><hi rend="italics">Genus</hi> is of little use when we desire to prove a
<hi rend="italics">species,</hi> but of great value for its elimination. A tree
is not necessarily a plane tree, but that which is not
a tree is certainly not a plane tree; again, a virtue is
not necessarily the virtue of justice, but that which
is not a virtue is certainly not justice. We must
proceed from the <hi rend="italics">genus</hi> to the ultimate <hi rend="italics">species;</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> § 5.</note> for
example, to say that man is an animal will not
suffice; for animal merely gives us the <hi rend="italics">genus:</hi> nor
yet will the addition of the words <quote>subject to
death</quote> be adequate; for although this epithet gives
us a species, it is common to other animals as well.
If, however, we define man as a rational animal, we
need nothing further to make our meaning clear.
<milestone unit="section" n="57" />On the other hand <hi rend="italics">species</hi> will give us clear proof of
<hi rend="italics">genus,</hi> but is of little service for its elimination.
For example, justice is always a virtue, but that
which is not justice may still be a virtue, such as
fortitude, constancy or self-control. <hi rend="italics">Genus</hi> therefore
cannot be eliminated by <hi rend="italics">species</hi> unless all the <hi rend="italics">species</hi>
included in the <hi rend="italics">genus</hi> be eliminated, as for instance
in the following sentence: <hi rend="italics">That which is neither rational</hi>

<pb id="p.233" />

<hi rend="italics">nor mortal nor an animal is not a man.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="58" /> To these they
add <hi rend="italics">property</hi> and <hi rend="italics">difference. Properties</hi> serve to
establish definitions, <hi rend="italics">differences</hi> to overthrow them.
A <hi rend="italics">property</hi> is that which happens to one particular
object and that alone; speech and laughter for
instance are <hi rend="italics">properties</hi> of man. Or it may be something specially belonging to an object, but not to it
alone; heating for instance is a <hi rend="italics">property</hi> of fire. The
same thing may also have a number of <hi rend="italics">properties:</hi>
light and heat are both <hi rend="italics">properties</hi> of fire. Consequently, the omission of any <hi rend="italics">property</hi> in a definition
will impair it, but the introduction of a <hi rend="italics">property,</hi>
whatever it may be, will not necessarily establish a
definition.<milestone unit="section" n="59" /> We have, however, often to consider
what is a <hi rend="italics">property</hi> of some given object; for example,
if it should be asserted, on the ground of etymology,
that the peculiar <hi rend="italics">property</hi> of a tyrannicide is to kill
tyrants, we should deny it: for an executioner is not
<hi rend="italics">ipso facto</hi> a tyrannicide, if he executes a tyrant who
has been delivered to him for the purpose, nor again
is he a tyrannicide who kills a tyrant unwittingly or
against his will.<milestone unit="section" n="60" /> What is not a <hi rend="italics">property</hi> will be a
<hi rend="italics">difference:</hi> it is, for instance, one thing to be a slave,
and another to be in a state of servitude; hence the
distinction raised in connexion with persons assigned
to their creditors for debt: <hi rend="italics">A slave, if he is manumitted becomes a freedman, but this is not the case with
one who is assigned.</hi> There are also other points of
difference which are dealt with elsewhere.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">VII. iii. 26. Also III vi. 25.</note><milestone unit="section" n="61" /> Again,
the term difference is applied in cases when the
<hi rend="italics">genus</hi> is divided into <hi rend="italics">species</hi> and one <hi rend="italics">species</hi> is subdivided. Animal, for instance, is a genus, mortal a
<hi rend="italics">species,</hi> while terrestrial or biped is a <hi rend="italics">difference:</hi> for
they are not actually properties, but serve to show

<pb id="p.235" />

the difference between such animals and quadrupeds
or creatures of the sea. This distinction, however,
comes under the province not so much of argument
as of exact definition. Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Cic. Top.</hi> iii. 13.</note> separates <hi rend="italics">genus</hi> and <hi rend="italics">species,</hi><milestone unit="section" n="62" /> which latter he calls <hi rend="italics">form,</hi> from definition
and includes them under relation. For example,
if a person to whom another man has left all his
silver should claim all his silver money as well, he
would base his claim upon <hi rend="italics">genus;</hi> on the other hand
if when a legacy has been left to a married woman
holding the position of <hi rend="italics">materfamilias,</hi> it should be
maintained that the legacy is not due to a woman
who never came into the power of her husband, the
argument is based on <hi rend="italics">species,</hi> since there are two
kinds of marriage.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">There was the formal marriage <hi rend="italics">per coemptionem,</hi> bringing
the woman under the power (<hi rend="italics">in manum</hi>)of her husband and
giving her the title of <hi rend="italics">materfamilias,</hi> and the informal marriage
based on cohabitation without involving the wife's coming <hi rend="italics">in
manum mariti.</hi></note> Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cic. <hi rend="italics">Top.</hi></note><milestone unit="section" n="63" /> further shows that
definition is assisted by <hi rend="italics">division,</hi> which he distinguishes from <hi rend="italics">partition,</hi> making the latter the
dissection of a whole into its parts and the former
the division of a <hi rend="italics">genus</hi> into its <hi rend="italics">forms</hi> or <hi rend="italics">species.</hi> The
number of parts he regards as being uncertain, as for
instance the elements of which a state consists; the
<hi rend="italics">forms or species</hi> are, however, certain, as for instance
the number of forms of government, which we are
told are three, democracy, oligarchy, and monarchy.
It is true that he does not use these illustrations,<milestone unit="section" n="64" />
since, as he was writing to Trebatius,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">A famous lawyer, <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> III. xi. 18. v. 17.</note> he preferred
to draw his examples from law. I have chosen my
illustrations as being more obvious. <hi rend="italics">Properties</hi> have
relation to questions of fact as well; for instance,
it is the <hi rend="italics">property</hi> of a good man to act rightly, of an
angry man to be violent in speech or action, and
consequently we believe that such acts are committed by persons of the appropriate character, or

<pb id="p.237" />

not committed by persons of inappropriate character.
For just as certain persons possess certain qualities,
so certain others do not possess certain qualities,
and the argument is of precisely the same nature,
though from opposite premises.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="65" />In a similar way <hi rend="italics">division</hi> is valuable both for proof
and refutation. For proof, it is sometimes enough to
establish one thing. <quote>To be a citizen, a man must
either have been born or made such.</quote> For refutation,
both points must be disproved: <quote>he was neither born
nor made a citizen.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="66" /> This may be done in many ways,
and constitutes a form of argument by elimination,
whereby we show sometimes that the whole is false,
sometimes that only that which remains alter the
process of elimination is true. An example of the
first of these two cases would be: <quote>You say that you
lent him money. Either you possessed it yourself, received it from another, found it or stole it. If you did
not possess it, receive it from another, find or steal it,
you did not lend it to him.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="67" /> The residue after elimination is shown to be true as follows: <quote>This slave whom
you claim was either born in your house or bought or
given you or left you by will or captured from the
enemy or belongs to another.</quote> By the elimination
of the previous suppositions he is shown to belong to
another. This form of argument is risky and must
be employed with care; for if, in setting forth the
alternatives, we chance to omit one, our whole case
will fail, and our audience will be moved to laughter.
It is safer to do what Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Caec.</hi> xiii. 37.</note><milestone unit="section" n="68" /> does in the <hi rend="italics">pro
Caecina,</hi> when he asks, <quote>If this is not the point at issue,
what is?</quote> For thus all other points are eliminated at
one swoop. Or again two contrary propositions may be
advanced, either of which if established would suffice

<pb id="p.239" />

to prove the case. Take the following example
from Cicero:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> xxiii. 64.</note> <quote>There can be no one so hostile to
Cluentius as not to grant me one thing: if it be a
fact that the verdict then given was the result of
bribery, the bribes must have proceeded either
from Habitus or Oppianicus: if I show that they
did not proceed from Habitus I prove that they
proceeded from Oppianicus: if I demonstrate that
they were given by Oppianicus, I clear Habitus.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="69" /> Or
we may give our opponent the choice between two
alternatives of which one must necessarily be true,
and as a result, whichever he chooses, lie will
damage his case. Cicero does this in the <hi rend="italics">pro
Oppio:</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Oppius was accused of embezzling public money and
plotting against the life of M. Aurelius Cotta, governor of
Bithynia, where Oppius was serving as quaestor. Cicero's
defence of him is lost.</note> <quote>Was the weapon snatched from his hands
when he had attacked Cotta, or when he was trying
to commit suicide?</quote> and in the <hi rend="italics">pro Vareno:</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See iv. ii. 26.</note> <quote>You
have a choice between two alternatives: either you
must show that the choice of this route by Varenus
was due to chance or that it was the result of this
man's persuasion and inducement.</quote> He then shows
that either admission tells against his opponent.
Sometimes again,<milestone unit="section" n="70" /> two propositions are stated of such
a character that the admission of either involves
the same conclusion, as in the sentence, <quote>We must
philosophise, even though we ought not,</quote> or as in
the common dilemma, <quote>What is the use of a figure,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See vii. iv. 28, ix. i. 14, ix. ii. 65.</note>
if its meaning is clear? And what is its use, if it
is unintelligible?</quote> or, <quote>He who is capable of enduring pain will lie if tortured, and so will he who
cannot endure pain.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="71" />As there are three divisions of time, so the order
of events falls into three stages. For everything has a
beginning, growth and consummation, as for instance

<pb id="p.241" />

a quarrel, blows, murder. Thus arise arguments which
lend each other mutual support; for the conclusion
is inferred from the beginnings, as in the following
case: <quote>I cannot expect a purple-striped toga, when
I see that the beginning of the web is black</quote>; or the
beginning may be inferred from the conclusion:
for instance the fact that Sulla resigned the dictatorship is an argument that Sulla did not take up
arms with the intention of establishing a tyranny.
<milestone unit="section" n="72" />Similarly from the growth of a situation we may
infer either its beginning or its end, not only in
questions of fact but as regards points of equity,
such as whether the conclusion is referable to the
beginning, that is, <quote>Should the man that began the
quarrel be regarded as guilty of the bloodshed with
which it ended?</quote></p>
<p>Arguments are also drawn from similarities:<milestone unit="section" n="73" /> <quote>If
self-control is a virtue, abstinence is also a virtue.</quote>
<quote>If a guardian should be required to be faithful to
his trust, so should an agent.</quote> To this class belongs
the type of argument called <foreign lang="greek">e)pagwgh/</foreign> by the Greeks,
<hi rend="italics">induction</hi> by Cicero.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> i. 31.</note> Or arguments may be drawn
from unlikes: <quote>It does not follow that if joy is a
good thing, pleasure also is a good thing</quote>: <quote>It
does not follow that what applies to the case of a
woman applies also to the case of a ward.</quote> Or
from contraries: <quote>Frugality is a good thing, since
luxury is an evil thing</quote>: <quote>If war is the cause of
ill, peace will prove a remedy</quote>: <quote>If he who does
harm unwittingly deserves pardon, he who does
good unwittingly does not deserve a reward.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="74" /> Or
from contradictions: <quote>He who is wise is not a
fool.</quote> Or from consequences necessary or probable<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">It is possible that Quintilian regards <hi rend="italics">adiuncta as</hi> = <hi rend="italics">consequentia.</hi> The distinction made above is that made by
Cicero, <hi rend="italics">Top.</hi> xii.</note>: <quote>If justice is a good thing, we must give

<pb id="p.243" />

right judgment</quote>: <quote>If breach of faith is a bad
thing, we must not deceive.</quote> And such arguments
may also be reversed. Similar to these are the
following arguments, which must therefore be
classed under this same head, since it is to this
that they naturally belong: <quote>A man has not lost
what he never had</quote>: <quote>A man does not wittingly
injure him whom he loves</quote>: <quote>If one man has appointed another as his heir, he regarded, still regards
and will continue to regard him with affection.</quote>
However, such arguments, being incontrovertible,
are of the nature of absolute indications.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See ch. ix.</note><milestone unit="section" n="75" /> These,
however, I call <hi rend="italics">consequent or</hi> <foreign lang="greek">a)ko/louqa</foreign> goodness, for
instance, is consequent on wisdom: while in regard
to things which merely have taken place afterwards or
will take place I use the term <hi rend="italics">insequent</hi> or <foreign lang="greek">parepo/mena,</foreign>
though I do not regard the question of terminology
as important. Give them any name you please, as
long as the meaning is clear and it is shown that
the one depends on time, the other on the
nature of things.<milestone unit="section" n="76" /> I have therefore no hesitation in
calling the following forms of argument also <hi rend="italics">consequential,</hi> although they argue from the past to the
future: some however divide them into two classes,
those concerned with <hi rend="italics">action,</hi> as in the <hi rend="italics">pro Oppio,</hi>
<quote>How could he detain against their will those
whom he was unable to take to the province against
their will?</quote> and those concerned with <hi rend="italics">time,</hi> as in
the <hi rend="italics">Verrines,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Verr.</hi> I. xlii. 109. The praetor on entering office on
Jan. I issued an <hi rend="italics">edict</hi> announcing the principles on which his
rulings would be given. This <hi rend="italics">edict</hi> was an interpretation of
the law of Rome, and held good only during the praetor's
year of office.</note> <quote>If the first of January puts an end
to the authority of the praetor's edict, why should
the commencement of its authority not likewise
date from the first of January?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="77" /> Both these

<pb id="p.245" />

instances are of such a nature that the argument is
reversible. For it is a necessary <hi rend="italics">consequence</hi> that
those who could not be taken to the province
against their will could not be retained against their
will.<milestone unit="section" n="78" /> So too I feel clear that we should rank as
<hi rend="italics">consequential</hi> arguments those derived from facts
which lend each other mutual support and are by
some regarded as forming a separate kind of argument, which they<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Ar. <hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> II. xxiii. 3.</note> call <foreign lang="greek">e)k tw=n pro\s a)/llhla,</foreign> arguments
from things mutually related, while Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> I. xxx. 46.</note> styles
them arguments drawn from things to which the
same line of reasoning applies; take the following
example<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> 47.</note>: <quote>If it is honourable for the Rhodians to
let out their harbour dues, it is honourable likewise
for Hermocreon to take the contract,</quote> or <quote>What it
is honourable to learn, it is also honourable to teach.</quote>
Such also is the fine sentence of Domitius Afer,<milestone unit="section" n="79" />
which has the same effect, though it is not identical
in form: <quote>I accused, you condemned.</quote> Arguments which prove the same thing from opposites
are also mutually <hi rend="italics">consequential;</hi> for instance, we may
argue that he who says that the world was created
thereby implies that it is suffering decay, since this
is the property of all created things.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="80" />There is another very similar form of argument,
which consists in the inference of facts from their
efficient causes or the reverse, a process known as
argument from causes. The conclusion is sometimes
necessary, sometimes generally without being necessarily true. For instance, a body casts a shadow in
the light, and the shadow wherever it falls indicates
the presence of a body.<milestone unit="section" n="81" /> There are other conclusions
which, as I have said, are not necessary, whether as
regards both cause and effect or only one of the two.
For instance, <quote>the sun colours the skin, but not

<pb id="p.247" />

everyone that is coloured receives that colour from
the sun; a journey makes the traveller dusty, but
every journey does not produce dust, nor is everyone
that is dusty just come from a journey.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="82" /> As examples
of necessary conclusions on the other hand I may
cite the following: <quote>If wisdom makes a man good,
a good man must needs be wise</quote>; and again, <quote>It is
the part of a good man to act honourably, of a bad
man to act dishonourably,</quote> or <quote>Those who act
honourably are considered good, those who act dishonourably are considered bad men.</quote> In these
cases the conclusion is correct. On the other hand,
<quote>though exercise generally makes the body robust,
not everyone who is robust is given to exercise, nor
is everyone that is addicted to exercise robust. Nor
again, because courage prevents our fearing death, is
every man who has no fear of death to be regarded
as a brave man; nor is the sun useless to man
because it sometimes gives him a headache.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="83" /> Arguments such as the following belong in the main to
the hortative department of oratory:—<quote>Virtue
brings renown, therefore it should be pursued; but
the pursuit of pleasure brings ill-repute, therefore
it should be shunned.</quote> But the warning that we
should not necessarily search for the originating
cause is just: an example of such error is provided
by the speech of Medea<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The opening of Ennius' translation of the <hi rend="italics">Medea</hi> of
Euripides.</note> beginning</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="84" /><quote>Ah! would that never there in Pelion's grove,</quote>
as though her misery or guilt were due to the fact
that there

<quote rend="blockquote">
<l><quote>The beams of fir had fallen to the ground</quote>;</l></quote>

or I might cite the words addressed by Philoctetes
to Paris,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">From the <hi rend="italics">Philoctetes</hi> of Accius, Ribbeck fr. 178.</note>

<quote rend="blockquote">
<quote><l>Hadst thou been other than thou art, then I</l>
<l>Had ne'er been plunged in woe.</l></quote></quote>

<pb id="p.249" />

By tracing back causes on lines such as these we
may arrive anywhere.<milestone unit="section" n="85" /> But for the fact that Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Top.</hi> iii. 12.</note>
has done so, I should regard it as absurd to add to
these what is styled the <hi rend="italics">conjugate</hi> argument, such as
<quote>Those who perform a just act, act justly,</quote> a self-evident fact requiring no proof; or again, <quote>Every
man has a common right to send his cattle to graze
in a common pasture.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="86" /> Some call these arguments
derived from causes or efficients by the Greek name
<foreign lang="greek">e)kba/seis</foreign> that is, results; for in such cases the only
point considered is how one thing results from
another.</p>
<p>Those arguments which prove the lesser from the
greater or the greater from the less or equals from
equals are styled <hi rend="italics">apposite or comparative.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="87" /> A conjecture as to a fact is confirmed by argument from
something greater in the following sentence: <quote>If
a man commit sacrilege, he will also commit theft</quote>;
from something less, in a sentence such as <quote>He who
lies easily and openly will commit perjury</quote>; from
something equal in a sentence such as <quote>He who
has taken a bribe to give a false verdict will take a
bribe to give false witness.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="88" /> Points of law may be
proved in a similar manner; from something greater,
as in the sentence <quote>If it is lawful to kill an
adulterer, it is lawful to scourge him</quote>; from something less, <quote>If it is lawful to kill a man attempting
theft by night, how much more lawful is it to kill
one who attempts robbery with violence</quote>; from
something equal, <quote>The penalty which is just in the
case of parricide is also just in the case of matricide.</quote> In all these cases we follow the syllogistic
method.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. vi. 15, 43, 88.</note><milestone unit="section" n="89" /> The following type of argument on the
other hand is more serviceable in questions turning

<pb id="p.251" />

on definition or quality.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See iii. 6. <hi rend="italics">passim.</hi></note> <quote>If strength is good for
the body, health is no less good.</quote> <quote>If theft is a
crime, sacrilege is a greater crime.</quote> <quote>If abstinence
is a virtue, so is self-control.</quote> <quote>If the world is
governed by providence, the state also requires a
government.</quote> <quote>If a house cannot be built without
a plan, what of a whole city?</quote> <quote>If naval stores
require careful supervision, so also do arms.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="90" /> I am
content to treat this type of argument as a <hi rend="italics">genus</hi>
without going further; others however divide it into
<hi rend="italics">species.</hi> For we may argue from several things to
one or from one thing to several; hence arguments
such as <quote>What has happened once may happen
often.</quote> We may also argue from a part to a whole,
from <hi rend="italics">genus</hi> to <hi rend="italics">species,</hi> from that which contains to
that which is contained, from the difficult to the
easy, from the remote to the near, and similarly
from the opposites of all these to their opposites.
<milestone unit="section" n="91" />Now all these arguments deal with the greater or
the less or else with things that are equal, and if we
follow up such fine distinctions, there will be no
limit to our division into species. For the comparison of things is infinite; things may be more
pleasant, more serious, more necessary, more honourable, more useful. I say no more for fear of falling
into that very garrulity which I deprecate.<milestone unit="section" n="92" /> The
number of examples of these arguments which I
might quote is likewise infinite, but I will only deal
with a very few. As an example of argument from
something greater take the following example from
the <hi rend="italics">pro Caecina</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">XV. 43.</note> <quote>Shall we suppose that that
which alarms whole armies caused no alarm to a
peaceful company of lawyers?</quote> As an instance of
argument from something easier, take this passage

<pb id="p.253" />

from the speech against Clodius and Curio:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">A lost speech of Cicero to which reference is made in III. vii. 2.</note> <quote>Consider whether it would have been easy for you to
secure the praetorship, when he in whose favour you
withdrew failed to secure election?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="93" /> The following<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xvi. 45. Caecina had attempted to take possession of
lands left him by will, but was driven off by armed force.
Cicero has just pointed out that there were precedents for
regarding the mere sight of armed men in occupation of the
property claimed as sufficient proof of violence.</note> provides an example of argument from
something more difficult: <quote>I beg you, Tubero, to
remark that I, who do not hesitate to speak of my
own deed, venture to speak of that performed by
Ligarius</quote>; and again, <quote>Has not Ligarius reason
for hope, when I am permitted to intercede with
you for another?</quote> For an argument drawn from
something less take this passage from the <hi rend="italics">pro
Caecinaa</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Lig.</hi> iii. 8 and x. 31. Cicero's point is that he has
been a much more bitter opponent of Caesar than Ligarius,
and yet he has been pardoned while Ligarius has not.</note>: <quote>Really! Is the knowledge that the
men were armed sufficient to prove that violence
was offered, and the fact that he fell into their
hands insufficient?<milestone unit="section" n="94" /></quote> Well, then, to give a brief
summary of the whole question, arguments are
drawn from persons, causes, place and time (which
latter we have divided into preceding, contemporary
and subsequent), from resources (under which we
include instruments), from manner (that is, how a
thing has been done), from definition, genus, species,
difference, property, elimination, division, beginnings, increase, consummation, likes, unlikes, contradictions, consequents, efficients, effects, results,
and comparison, which is subdivided into several
species.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="95" />I think I should also add that arguments are
drawn not merely from admitted facts, but from
fictitious suppositions, which the Greeks style <foreign lang="greek">kaq' u(po/qesin</foreign> and that this latter type of argument falls
into all the same divisions as those which I have

<pb id="p.255" />

mentioned above, since there may be as many
species of fictitious arguments as there are of true
arguments.<milestone unit="section" n="96" /> When I speak of fictitious arguments
I mean the proposition of something which, if true,
would either solve a problem or contribute to its
solution, and secondly the demonstration of the
similarity of our hypothesis to the case under consideration. To make this the more readily intelligible to youths who have not yet left school, I will
first of all illustrate it by examples of a kind familiar
to the young.<milestone unit="section" n="97" /> There is a law to the effect that <quote>the
man who refuses to support his parents is liable to
imprisonment.</quote> A certain man fails to support his
parents and none the less objects to going to prison.
He advances the hypothesis that he would be exempt
from such a penalty if he were a soldier, an infant.
or if he were absent from home on the service of
the state. Again in the case where a hero is allowed
to choose his reward<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> VII. v. 4.</note> we might introduce the
hypotheses of his desiring to make himself a tyrant
or to overthrow the temples of the gods.<milestone unit="section" n="98" /> Such
arguments are specially useful when we are arguing
against the letter of the law, and are thus employed
by Cicero in the <hi rend="italics">pro Caecina</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xix. 55. Quintilian merely quotes fragments of Cicero's
arguments. The sense of the passages omitted is supplied in
brackets. The interdict of the praetor had ordered Caecina's
restoration. His adversary is represented by Cicero as
attempting to evade compliance by verbal quibbles.</note>: <quote>[The interdict contains the words,] ' whence you or your household or
your agent had driven him.' If your steward alone
had driven me out, [it would not, I suppose, be your
household but a member of your household that had
driven me out]. . . . If indeed you owned no slave
except the one who drove me out, [you would cry,
'If I possess a household at all, I admit that my
household drove you out'].</quote> Many other examples
might be quoted from the same work.<milestone unit="section" n="99" /> But fictitious
suppositions are also exceedingly useful when we
are concerned with the quality of an act<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mur</hi>—. xxxix. 83. Cicero argues that Murena's
election as consul is necessary to save the state from Catiline.
If the jury now condemn him, they will be doing exactly
what Catiline and his accomplices, now in arms in Etruria,
would do if they could try him.</note>: <quote><hi rend="italics">If</hi>

<pb id="p.257" />

Catiline could try this case assisted by a jury composed of those scoundrels whom he led out with him
he would condemn Lucius Murena.</quote> It is useful
also for amplification<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Phil.</hi> II. xxv. 63. <quote>This</quote> = vomiting. Cicero contimes <quote>who would not have thought it disgraceful.</quote></note>: <quote>If this had happened to you
during dinner in the midst of your deep potations</quote>;
or again,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Probably an allusion to <hi rend="italics">Cat.</hi> i. 7, where Cicero makes
the state reproach Catiline for his conduct.</note> <quote>If the state could speak.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="100" />Such in the main are the usual topics of proof
as specified by teachers of rhetoric, but it is not
sufficient to classify them generically in our instructions, since from each of them there arises an infinite
number of arguments, while it is in the very nature
of things impossible to deal with all their individual
species. Those who have attempted to perform
this latter task have exposed themselves in equal
degree to two disadvantages, saying too much and
yet failing to cover the whole ground.<milestone unit="section" n="101" /> Consequently
the majority of students, finding themselves lost in
an inextricable maze, have abandoned all individual
effort, including even that which their own wits
might have placed within their power, as though
they were fettered by certain rigid laws, and keeping their eyes fixed upon their master have ceased
to follow the guidance of nature.<milestone unit="section" n="102" /> But as it is not
in itself sufficient to know that all proofs are drawn
either from persons or things, because each of these
groups is subdivided into a number of different heads
so he who has learned that arguments must be
drawn from antecedent, contemporary or subsequent facts will not be sufficiently instructed in
the knowledge of the method of handling arguments
to understand what arguments are to be drawn from
the circumstances of each particular case;<milestone unit="section" n="103" /> especially
as the majority of proofs are to be found in the
special circumstances of individual cases and have

<pb id="p.259" />

no connexion with any other dispute, and therefore
while they are the strongest, are also the least
obvious, since, whereas we derive what is common
to all cases from general rules, we have to discover
for ourselves whatever is peculiar to the case which
we have in hand.<milestone unit="section" n="104" /> This type of argument may
reasonably be described as drawn from circumstances, there being no other word to express the
Greek <foreign lang="greek">peri/stasis</foreign> or from those things which are
peculiar to any given case. For instance, in the
case of the priest who having committed adultery
desired to save <hi rend="italics">his own</hi> life by means of the law<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">This law and those which follow are imaginary laws
invented for the purposes of the schools of rhetoric.</note>
which gave him the power of saving <hi rend="italics">one</hi> life, the
appropriate argument to employ against him would
run as follows: <quote>You would save more than one
guilty person, since, if you were discharged, it would
not be lawful to put the adulteress to death.</quote> For
such an argument follows from the law forbidding
the execution of the adulteress apart from the
adulterer.<milestone unit="section" n="105" /> Again, take the case falling under the
law which lays down that bankers may pay only
half of what they owe, while permitted to recover
the whole of what they are owed. One banker
requires payment of the whole sum owed him by
another banker. The appropriate argument supplied
by the subject to the creditor is that there was
special reason for the insertion of the clause<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The argument is far from clear. The case assumes that
by a species of moratorium a banker may be released from
payment of his debts in full to ordinary creditors. This
moratorium does not however apparently apply to debts
contracted between banker and banker.</note>
sanctioning the recovery of the whole of a debt
by a banker, since there was no need of such a law
as against others, inasmuch as all have the right to
recover the whole of a debt from any save a banker.
<milestone unit="section" n="106" />But while some fresh considerations are bound to
present themselves in every kind of subject, this is
more especially the case in questions turning on

<pb id="p.261" />

the letter of the law, since not merely individual
words, but still more whole phrases are frequently
ambiguous.<milestone unit="section" n="107" /> And these considerations must vary
according to the complexity of laws and other
documents, whether they are in agreement or contradictory, since fact throws light on fact and law on
law as in the following argument: <quote>I owed you no
money: you never summoned me for debt, you took
no interest from me, nay, you actually borrowed
money from me.</quote> It is laid down by law that he
who refuses to defend his father when accused of
treason thereby loses his right to inherit. A son
denies that he is liable to this penalty unless his
father is acquitted. How does he support this contention? There is another law to the effect that a
man found guilty of treason shall be banished and
his advocate with him.<milestone unit="section" n="108" /> Cicero in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xxxvi. 98. The <hi rend="italics">lex Iulia de ambitu</hi> contained a provision
that the penlty (loss of civil rights) incurred by conviction for <hi rend="italics">ambitus</hi> should be annulled if the condemned man
could secure the conviction of another person for the same
offence.</note>
says that Publius Popilius and Tiberius Gutta were
not condemned for receiving bribes to give a false
verdict, but for attempting to bribe the jury. What
is his argument in support of this view? That
their accusers, who were themselves found guilty of
bribing the jury, were restored in accordance with
law after winning their case.<milestone unit="section" n="109" /> But the consideration
as to what argument should be put forward requires
no less care than the consideration of the manner in
which we are to prove that which we have put
forward. Indeed in this connexion invention, if
not the most important, is certainly the first consideration. For, just as weapons are superfluous
for one who does not know what his target is, so
too arguments are useless, unless you see in advance
to what they are to be applied. This is a task for
which no formal rules can be laid down.<milestone unit="section" n="110" />

<pb id="p.263" />

Consequently, though a number of orators, who have
studied the same rules, will use similar kinds of
arguments, one will discover a greater number of
arguments to suit his case than another. Let us
take as an example a controversial theme involving
problems that have little in common with other
cases.<milestone unit="section" n="111" /> <quote>When Alexander destroyed Thebes, he
found documents showing that the Thebans had
lent a hundred talents to the Thessalians. These
documents he presented to the Thessalians as a
reward for the assistance they had given him in the
campaign. Subsequently the Thebans, after the
restoration of their city by Cassander, demanded
that the Thessalians should repay the money.</quote> The
case is tried before the Amphictyonic council. It is
admitted that the Thebans lent the money and
were not repaid.<milestone unit="section" n="112" /> The whole dispute turns on the
allegation that Alexander had excused the Thessalians from payment of the debt. It is also admitted
that the Thessalians had received no money from
Alexander. The question is therefore whether his
gift is equivalent to his having given them money.
<milestone unit="section" n="113" />What use will formal topics of argument be in such
a case, unless I first convince myself that the gift of
Alexander made no difference, that he had not the
power to make it, and that he did not make it?
The opening of the Thebans' plea presents no
difficulty and is likely to win the approval of the
judges, since they are seeking to recover by right
what was taken from them by force. But out of this
point arises a violent controversy as to the right of
war, since the Thessalians urge that kingdoms and
peoples and the frontiers of nations and cities
depend upon these rights.<milestone unit="section" n="114" /> To meet this argument

<pb id="p.265" />

it is necessary to discover in what respect this case
differs from others which are concerned with property that has fallen into the hands of the victor:
the difficulty moreover lies not so much in the
proof as in the way it should be put forward. We
may begin by stating that the rights of war do not
hold good in any matter which can be brought
before a court of justice, and that what is taken
by force of arms can only be retained by force of
arms, and consequently, wherever the rights of war
hold good, there is no room for the functions of
a judge, while on the contrary where the functions
of the judge come into play, the rights of war cease
to have any force.<milestone unit="section" n="115" /> The reason why it is necessary
to discover this principle is to enable us to bring
the following argument into play: that prisoners of
war are free on returning to their native land just
because the gains of war cannot be retained except
by the exercise of the same violence by which they
were acquired. Another peculiar feature of the case
is that it is tried before the Amphictyonic council,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> § 118. The Amphictyonic Council of Delphi in the
fourth century B.C. had come to be an international council,
in which the great majority of the states of Greece were
represented.</note>
and you will remember that we have to employ
different methods in pleading a case before the
centumviral court and before an arbitrator, though
the problems of the cases may be identical.<milestone unit="section" n="116" /> Secondly
we may urge that the right to refuse payment could
not have been conferred by the victor because he
possesses only what he holds, but a right, being
incorporeal, cannot be grasped by the hand.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> a right can only be transferred by the possessor, not
by force or seizure.</note> It is
more difficult to discover this principle than, once
discovered, to defend it with arguments such as
that the position of an heir and a conqueror are
fundamentally different, since right passes to the
one and property to the other.<milestone unit="section" n="117" /> It is further an

<pb id="p.267" />

argument peculiar to the subject matter of the case
that the right over a public debt could not have
passed to the victor, because the repayment of a
sum of money lent by a whole people is due to them
all, and as long as any single one of them survives,
he is creditor for the whole amount: but the
Thebans were never all of them to a man in Alexander's power.<milestone unit="section" n="118" /> The force of this argument resides
in the fact that it is not based on any external
support, but holds good in itself. Proceeding to
the third line of argument we may note that the
first portion of it is of a more ordinary type, namely
that the right to repayment is not based on the
actual document, a plea which can be supported
by many arguments. Doubt may also be thrown on
Alexander's purpose: did he intend to honour them
or to trick them? Another argument peculiar to
the subject (indeed it practically introduces a new
discussion) is that the Thebans may be regarded as
having in virtue of their restoration recovered the
right even though it be admitted that they had lost
it. Again Cassander's purpose may be discussed,
but, as the case is being pleaded before the Amphictyonic council, we shall find that the most powerful
plea that can be urged is that of equity.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="119" />I make these remarks, not because I think that a
knowledge of the <quote>places</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See V. x. 20.</note> from which arguments
may be derived is useless (had I thought so, I
should have passed them by)but to prevent those
who have learnt these rules from neglecting
other considerations and regarding themselves as
having a perfect and absolute knowledge of the
whole subject, and to make them realise that,
unless they acquire a thorough knowledge of the

<pb id="p.269" />

remaining points which I am about to discuss, they
will be the possessors of what I can only call a dumb
science.<milestone unit="section" n="120" /> For the discovery of arguments was not
the result of the publication of text-books, but every
kind of argument was put forward before any rules
were laid down, and it was only later that writers
of rhetoric noted them and collected them for publication. A proof of this is the fact that the examples which they use are old and quoted from the
orators, while they themselves discover nothing new
or that has not been said before.<milestone unit="section" n="121" /> The creators of
the art were therefore the orators, though we owe
a debt of gratitude also to those who have given us
a short cut to knowledge. For thanks to them the
arguments discovered by the genius of earlier orators
have not got to be hunted out and noted down in
detail. But this does not suffice to make an orator
any more than it suffices to learn the art of gymnastic
in school: the body must be assisted by continual
practice, self control, diet and above all by nature;
on the other hand none of these are sufficient in
themselves without the aid of art.<milestone unit="section" n="122" /> I would also
have students of oratory consider that all the forms
of argument which I have just set forth cannot be
found in every case, and that when the subject on
which we have to speak has been propounded, it is
no use considering each separate type of argument
and knocking at the door of each with a view to
discovering whether they may chance to serve to
prove our point, except while we are in the position
of mere learners without any knowledge of actual
practice.<milestone unit="section" n="123" /> Such a proceeding merely retards the
process of speaking to an incalculable extent, if
it is always necessary for us to try each single

<pb id="p.271" />

argument and thus learn by experiment what is apt
and suitable to our case. In fact I am not sure that
it will not be an actual obstacle to progress unless
a certain innate penetration and a power of rapid
divination seconded by study lead us straight to the
arguments which suit our case.<milestone unit="section" n="124" /> For just as the
melody of the voice is most pleasing when accompanied by the lyre, yet if the musician's hand be
slow and, unless he first look at the strings and
take their measure, hesitate as to which strings
match the several notes of the voice, it would
be better that he should content himself with the
natural music of the voice unaccompanied by any
instrument; even so our theory of speaking must be
adapted and, like the lyre, attuned to such rules as
these.<milestone unit="section" n="125" /> But it is only by constant practice that we
can secure that, just as the hands of the musician,
even though his eyes be turned elsewhere, produce
bass, treble or intermediate notes by force of habit,
so the thought of the orator should suffer no delay
owing to the variety and number of possible arguments, but that the latter should present themselves
uncalled and, just as letters and syllables require no
thought on the part of a writer, so arguments should
spontaneously follow the thought of the orator.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="11" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />The third kind of proof, which is drawn into
the service of the case from without, is styled a
<foreign lang="greek">para/deigma</foreign> by the Greeks, who apply the term to all
comparisons of like with like, but more especially
to historical parallels. Roman writers have for the
most part preferred to give the name of comparison
to that which the Greeks style <foreign lang="greek">parabolh/,</foreign> while they
translate <foreign lang="greek">para/deigma</foreign> by example, although this
latter involves comparison, while the former is of

<pb id="p.273" />

the nature of an example.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> For my own part, I
prefer with a view to making my purpose easier of
apprehension to regard both as <foreign lang="greek">paradei/gmata</foreign> and to
call them examples. Nor am I afraid of being
thought to disagree with Cicero, although he does
separate comparison from example.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> I. xxx. 49.</note> For he divides
all arguments into two classes, induction and
ratiocination, just as most Greeks<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">cp. Ar. <hi rend="italics">ah.</hi> I. ii. 18.</note> divide it into
<foreign lang="greek">paradei/gmata</foreign> and <foreign lang="greek">e)pixeirh/mata,</foreign> explaining <foreign lang="greek">para/deigma</foreign>
as a rhetorical induction.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> The method of argument
chiefly used by Socrates was of this nature: when
he had asked a number of questions to which his
adversary could only agree, he finally inferred the
conclusion of the problem under discussion from its
resemblance to the points already conceded. This
method is known as induction, and though it
cannot be used in a set speech, it is usual in a
speech to assume that which takes the form of a
question in dialogue.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> For instance take the following question: <quote>What is the finest form of fruit? Is
it not that which is best?</quote> This will be admitted.
<quote>What of the horse? What is the finest? Is it not
that which is the best?</quote> Several more questions
of the same kind follow. Last comes the question
for the sake of which all the others were put:
<quote>What of man? Is not he the finest type who is
best?</quote> The answer can only be in the affirmative.
<milestone unit="section" n="5" />Such a procedure is most valuable in the examination of witnesses, but is differently employed in a set
speech. For there the orator either answers his
own questions or makes an assumption of that which
in dialogue takes the form of a question. <quote>What is

<pb id="p.275" />

the finest fruit? The best, I should imagine. What
is the finest horse? The swiftest. So too the
finest type of man is not he that is noblest of birth,
but he that is most excellent in virtue.</quote></p>
<p>All arguments of this kind, therefore, must be
from things like or unlike or contrary. Similes are,
it is true, sometimes employed for the embellishment of the speech as well, but I will deal with
them in their proper place;<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">VIII iii. 72 <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> at present I am concerned with the use of similitude in proof.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> The most
important of proofs of this class is that which is most
properly styled example, that is to say the adducing
of some past action real or assumed which may
serve to persuade the audience of the truth of the
point which we are trying to make. We must
therefore consider whether the parallel is complete
or only partial, that we may know whether to use it
in its entirety or merely to select those portions
which are serviceable. We argue from the like
when we say, <quote>Saturninus was justly killed, as were
the Gracchi</quote>; from the unlike when we say,
<milestone unit="section" n="7" /><quote>Brutus killed his sons for plotting against the
state, while Manlius condemned his son to death for
his valoulr</quote>;<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Manlius had forbidden all encounters with the enemy. His son engaged in single combat and slew his man. See Liv. VIII. viii. 1.</note> from the contrary when we say,
<quote>Marcellus restored the works of art which had
been taken from the Syracusans who were our
enemies, while Verres<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp. Verr.</hi> IV. lv. 123.</note> took the same works of art
from our allies.</quote> The same divisions apply also to
such forms of proof in panegyric or denunciation.
<milestone unit="section" n="8" />It will also be found useful when we are speaking of
what is likely to happen to refer to historical parallels:
for instance if the orator asserts that Dionysius is
asking for a bodyguard that with their armed assistance he may establish himself as tyrant, he may

<pb id="p.277" />

adduce the parallel case of Pisistratus who secured
the supreme power by similar means.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="9" />But while examples may at times, as in the last
instance, apply in their entirety, at times we shall
argue from the greater to the less or from the less
to the greater. <quote>Cities have been overthrown by
the violation of the marriage bond. What punishment then will meet the case of adultery?</quote> <quote>Fluteplayers have been recalled by the state to the city
which they had left. How much more then is it
just that leading citizens who have rendered good
service to their country should be recalled from
that exile to which they have been driven by envy.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">cp. Liv. ix. 30. The flute-players employed in public
worship migrated to Tibur because deprived of an oldestablished privilege, but were brought back by stratagem,
after their hosts had made them drunk.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="10" />Arguments from unlikes are most useful in exhortation. Courage is more remarkable in a woman
than in a man. Therefore, if we wish to kindle
someone's ambition to the performance of heroic
deeds, we shall find that parallels drawn from
the cases of Horatius and Torquatus will carry
less weight than that of the woman by whose
hand Pyrrhus was slain, and if we wish to urge
a man to meet death, the cases of Cato and
Scipio will carry less weight than that of
Lucretia. These are however arguments from the
greater to the less.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> Let me then give you separate
examples of these classes of argument from the
pages of Cicero; for where should I find better?
The following passage from the <hi rend="italics">pro Murena</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">viii. 17. Sulpicius, one of Murena's accusers and an
unsuccessful candidate for the consulship, had sought to
depreciate Murena's birth. Cicero urges that even if Sulpicius' statements were true they would be irrelevant and
cites his own case to support his argument.</note> is an
instance of argument from the like: <quote>For it
happened that I myself when a candidate had two
patricians as competitors, the one a man of the most
unscrupulous and reckless character, the other a
most excellent and respectable citizen. Yet I defeated Catiline by force of merit and Galba by my

<pb id="p.279" />

popularity.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="12" /> The <hi rend="italics">pro Milone</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">iii. 7.</note> will give us an
example of argument from the greater to the less:
<quote>They say that he who confesses to having killed a
man is not fit to look upon the light of day. Where
is the city in which men are such fools as to argue
thus? It is Rome itself, the city whose first trial
on a capital charge was that of Marcus Horatius,
the bravest of men, who, though the city had not
yet attained its freedom, was none the less acquitted
by the assembly of the Roman people, in spite of
the fact that he confessed that he had slain his
sister with his own hand.</quote> The following<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> xxvii. 72.</note> is an
example of argument from the less to the greater:
<quote>I killed, not Spurius Maelius, who by lowering the
price of corn and sacrificing his private fortune fell
under the suspicion of desiring to make himself
king, because it seemed that he was courting popularity with the common people overmuch,</quote> and so
on till we come to, <quote>No, the man I killed (for my
client would not shrink from the avowal, since his
deed had saved his country) was he who committed
abominable adultery even in the shrines of the gods</quote>;
then follows the whole invective against Clodius.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="13" />Arguments from unlikes present great variety, for
they may turn on kind, manner, time, place, etcetera,
almost every one of which Cicero employs to overthrow the previous decisions that seemed to apply
to the case of Cluentius,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> xxxii. <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> while he makes use of
argument from contraries when lie minimises<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> xlviii. 134. The accused was a knight: the retention
of his horse implied that he retained his status.</note> the
importance of the censorial stigma by praising Scipio
Africanus, who in his capacity of censor allowed one
whom he openly asserted to have committed deliberate perjury to retain his horse, because no one
had appeared as evidence against him, though he

<pb id="p.281" />

promised to come forward himself to bear witness to
his guilt, if any should be found to accuse him. I
have paraphrased this passage because it is too long
to quote.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> A brief example of a similar argument is
to be found in Virgil,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Aen.</hi> ii. 540.</note></p>

<quote rend="blockquote">
<quote><l>But he, whom falsely thou dost call thy father,</l>
<l>Even Achilles, in far other wise</l>
<l>Dealt with old Priam, and Priam was his foe.</l></quote></quote>

<p><milestone unit="section" n="15" />Historical parallels may however sometimes be related in full, as in the <hi rend="italics">pro Milone</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> iv. 9.</note>: <quote>When a
military tribune serving in the army of Gaius Marius,
to whom he was related, made an assault upon the
honour of a common soldier, the latter killed him;
for the virtuous youth preferred to risk his life by
slaying him to suffering such dishonour. And yet
the great Marius acquitted him of all crime and let
him go scot free.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="16" /> On the other hand in certain
cases it will be sufficient merely to allude to the
parallel, as Cicero does in the same speech<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> iii. 8.</note>: <quote>For
neither the famous Servilius Ahala nor Publius Nasica
nor Lucius Opimius nor the Senate during my consulship could be cleared of serious guilt, if it were a
crime to put wicked men to death.</quote> Such parallels
will be adduced at greater or less length according
as they are familiar or as the interests or adornment
of our case may demand.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="17" />A similar method is to be pursued in quoting from
the fictions of the poets, though we must remember
that they will be of less force as proofs. The same
supreme authority, the great master of eloquence,
shows us how we should employ such quotations.<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> For
an example of this type will be found in the same
speech<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> iii. 8. The allusion is to Orestes, acquitted when
tried before the Areopagus at Athens by the casting vote of
Pallas Athene.</note>: <quote>And it is therefore, gentlemen of' the
jury, that men of the greatest learning have

<pb id="p.283" />

recorded in their fictitious narratives that one who had
killed his mother to avenge his father was acquitted,
when the opinion of men was divided as to his guilt,
not merely by the decision of a deity, but by the
vote of the wisest of goddesses.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="19" /> Again those fables
which, although they did not originate with Aesop
(for Hesiod seems to have been the first to write
them), are best known by Aesop's name, are specially
attractive to rude and uneducated minds, which are
less suspicious than others in their reception of
fictions and, when pleased, readily agree with the
arguments from which their pleasure is derived.
Thus Menenius Agrippa<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See Liv. ii. 32.</note> is said to have reconciled
the plebs to the patricians by his fable of the limbs'
quarrel with the belly. Horace<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Epis</hi> I. i. 73.</note><milestone unit="section" n="20" /> also did not regard
the employment of fables as beneath the dignity
even of poetry; witness his lines that narrate
<quote>What the shrewd fox to the sick lion told.</quote>
The Greeks call such fables <foreign lang="greek">ai)=noi</foreign> (tales) and, as I
have already<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">In the preceding section. <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Arist. <hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> II. xx. 3 for
<quote>Libyan stories.</quote></note> remarked, Aesopean or Libyan stories,
while some Roman writers term them <quote>apologues,</quote>
though the name has not found general acceptance.
<milestone unit="section" n="21" />Similar to these is that class of proverb which may
be regarded as an abridged fable and is understood
allegorically: <quote>The burden is not mine to carry,</quote>
he said, <quote>the ox is carrying panniers.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="22" /><hi rend="italics">Simile</hi> has a force not unlike that of <hi rend="italics">example,</hi> more
especially when drawn from things nearly equal
without any admixture of metaphor, as in the following case: <quote>Just as those who have been accustomed
to receive bribes in the Campus Martius are specially
hostile to those whom they suspect of having withheld
the money, so in the present case the judges came
into court with a strong prejudice against the

<pb id="p.285" />

accused.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> xxvii. 75.</note><milestone unit="section" n="23" /> For <foreign lang="greek">parabolh/,</foreign> which Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> i. 30.</note> translates
by <quote>comparison,</quote> is often apt to compare things whose
resemblance is far less obvious. Nor does it merely
compare the actions of men as Cicero does in the
<hi rend="italics">pro Murena</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">ii. 4.</note> : <quote>But if those who have just come
into harbour from the high seas are in the habit of
showing the greatest solicitude in warning those who
are on the point of leaving port of the state of the
weather, the likelihood of falling in with pirates, and
the nature of the coasts which they are like to visit
(for it is a natural instinct that we should take a
kindly interest in those who are about to face the
dangers from which we have just escaped), what
think you should be my attitude who am now in
sight of land after a mighty tossing on the sea,
towards this man who, as I clearly see, has to face
the wildest weather?</quote> On the contrary, similes of
this kind are sometimes drawn from dumb animals
and inanimate objects.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> Further, since similar objects
often take on a different appearance when viewed
from a different angle, I feel that I ought to point
out that the kind of comparison which the Greeks
call <foreign lang="greek">ei)kw/n,</foreign> and which expresses the appearance of
things and persons (as for instance in the line of
Cassius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Probably the epigrammatist Cassius of Parma. <hi rend="italics">lanipedis</hi>
=bandaged for the gout. Regius emended to <hi rend="italics">planipedis,</hi> a
dancer who performed barefoot.</note>—</p>

<quote rend="blockquote">
<quote><l>Who is he yonder that doth writhe his face</l>
<l>Like some old man whose feet are wrapped in<lb />
wool?)</l></quote></quote>

<p>should be more sparingly used in oratory than those
comparisons which help to prove our point. For
instance, if you wish to argue that the mind requires
cultivation, you would use a comparison drawn from
the soil, which if neglected produces thorns and
thickets, but if cultivated will bear fruit; or if you

<pb id="p.287" />

are exhorting someone to enter the service of the
state, you will point out that bees and ants, though
not merely dumb animals, but tiny insects, still toil
for the common weal.<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> Of this kind is the saying
of Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See IV. iv. 8.</note>: <quote>As our bodies can make no use of
their members without a mind to direct them, so the
state can make no use of its component parts, which
may be compared to the sinews, blood and limbs,
unless it is directed by law.</quote> And just as he draws
this simile in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio</hi> from the analogy of
the human body, so in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cornelio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Clunt.</hi> liii. 146.</note> he draws
a simile from horses, and in the <hi rend="italics">pro Archia</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Arch.</hi> viii. 19.</note> from
stones.<milestone unit="section" n="26" /> As I have already said, the following type
of simile comes more readily to hand: <quote><hi rend="italics">As</hi> oarsmen
are useless without a steersman, so soldiers are useless without a general.</quote> Still it is always possible
to be misled by appearances in the use of simile,
and we must therefore use our judgment in their
employment. For though a new ship is more useful
than one which is old, this simile will not apply to
friendship: and again, though we praise one who is
liberal with her money, we do not praise one who
is liberal with her embraces. In these cases there is
similitude in the epithets <hi rend="italics">old</hi> and <hi rend="italics">liberal,</hi> but their
force is different, when applied to ships and friendship, money and embraces.<milestone unit="section" n="27" /> Consequently, it is allimportant in this connexion to consider whether the
simile is really applicable. So in answering those
Socratic questions which I mentioned above,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">§ 3.</note> the
greatest care must be taken to avoid giving an incautious answer, such as those given by the wife of
Xenophon to Aspasia in the dialogue of Aeschines
the Socratic: the passage is translated by Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> I. xxxi. 51.</note> as
follows:<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> <quote>Tell me, pray, wife of Xenophon, if your

<pb id="p.289" />

neighbour has finer gold ornaments than you, would
you prefer hers or yours?</quote> <quote>Hers,</quote> she replied.
<quote>Well, then, if her dress and the rest of her ornaments are more valuable than yours, which would you
prefer, hers or yours?</quote> <quote>Hers,</quote> she replied. <quote>Come,
then,</quote> said she, <quote>if her husband is better than yours,
would you prefer yours or hers?</quote> At this the wife of
Xenophon not unnaturally blushed; for she had
answered ill in replying that she would prefer her
neighbour's gold ornaments to her own, since it
would be wrong to do so. If on the other hand she
had replied that she would prefer her ornaments to
be of the same quality as those of her neighbour, she
might have answered without putting herself to the
blush that she would prefer her husband to be like
him who was his superior in virtue.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="30" />I am aware that some writers have shown pedantic
zeal in making a minute classification of similes, and
have pointed out that there is lesser similitude (such
as that of a monkey to a man or a statue when first
blocked out to its original), a greater similitude (for
which compare the proverb <quote>As like as egg to
egg</quote>), a similitude in things dissimilar (an elephant,
for instance, and an ant both belong to the genus
<hi rend="italics">animal</hi>),and dissimilitude in things similar (puppies
and kids, for example, are unlike the parents,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Verg. Ecl</hi> i. 23.</note> for
they differ from them in point of age).<milestone unit="section" n="31" /> So too they
distinguish between contraries: some are opposites,
as night to day, some hurtful, as cold water to a
fever, some contradictory, as truth to falsehood, and
some negative, as things which are not hard when
contrasted with things which are hard. But I
cannot see that such distinctions have any real
bearing on the subject under discussion.</p>

<pb id="p.291" />

<p><milestone unit="section" n="32" />It is more important for our purpose to note that
arguments may be drawn from similar, opposite, and
dissimilar points of law. As an example of the first,
take the following passage from the <hi rend="italics">Topica</hi> of
Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">iii. 15.</note> where he argues that a man to whom the
usufruct of a house has been left will not restore it
in the interests of the heir if it collapses; just as
lie would not replace a slave if he should die. The
following will provide an example of an argument
drawn from opposite points of law: <quote>The absence
of a formal contract is no bar to the legality of
a marriage, provided the parties cohabit by mutual
consent, since the signing of a formal document will
count for nothing in the absence of such mutual
consent.</quote> An instance of an argument drawn from
dissimilar points of law occurs in the <hi rend="italics">pro Caecina</hi> of
Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xii. 34.</note>:<milestone unit="section" n="33" /> <quote>If anyone had driven me from my house
by armed violence, I should have ground for action
against him. Have I then no ground, if he has
prevented me from entering my house?</quote> Dissimilar points may be illustrated by the following
example<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Cic. <hi rend="italics">Top.</hi> iii. 13 and 16.</note>: <quote>Because a man has bequeathed all his
silver to a given person and this bequest is regarded
as including silver coin as well as plate, it does not
follow that he intended all outstanding debts to be
paid to the legatee.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="34" />Some draw a distinction between <hi rend="italics">analogy</hi> and
<hi rend="italics">similarly,</hi> but personally I regard the former as
included under the latter. For the statement that
the relation of 1 to 10 is the same as that of 10 to
certainly involves similarity,<milestone unit="section" n="100" /> just as does the
statement that a bad citizen may be compared to an
actual enemy. But arguments of this kind are
carried still further: <quote>If connexion with a male

<pb id="p.293" />

slave is disgraceful to the mistress of the house, so
is the connexion of the master with a female slave.
If pleasure is an end sought by dumb animals, so
also must it be with men.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="35" /> But these arguments
may readily be met by arguments from dissimilars:
<quote>It is not the same thing for the master of the
house to have intercourse with a female slave as for
the mistress to have intercourse with a male slave;
nor does it follow that because dumb animals pursue
pleasure, reasoning beings should do likewise.</quote> Or
they may even be met by arguments from opposites;
as for instance, <quote>Because pleasure is an end sought
by dumb animals, it should not be sought by
reasoning beings.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="36" />Authority also may be drawn from external sources
to support a case. Those who follow the Greeks,
who call such arguments <foreign lang="greek">kri/seis,</foreign> style them <hi rend="italics">judgments</hi> or <hi rend="italics">adjudications,</hi> thereby referring not to
matters on which judicial sentence has been pronounced (for such decisions form examples or precedents), but to whatever may be regarded as
expressing the opinion of nations, peoples, philosophers, distinguished citizens, or illustrious poets.
Nay,<milestone unit="section" n="37" /> even common sayings and popular beliefs may
be found to be useful. For they form a sort of
testimony, which is rendered all the more impressive
by the fact that it was not given to suit special cases,
but was the utterance or action of minds swayed
neither by prejudice or influence, simply because it
seemed the most honourable or honest thing to say
or do.<milestone unit="section" n="38" /> For instance, if I am speaking of the misfortunes of this mortal life, surely it will help me to
adduce the opinion of those nations who hold that
we should weep over the new-born child and rejoice

<pb id="p.295" />

over the dead. Or if I am urging the judge to shew
pity, surely my argument may be assisted by the
fact that Athens, the wisest of all states, regarded
pity not merely as an emotion, but even as a god.
Again,<milestone unit="section" n="39" /> do we not regard the precepts of the Seven
Wise Men as so many rules of life? If an adulteress is on her trial for poisoning, is she not already
to be regarded as condemned by the judgment of
Marcus Cato, who asserted that every adulteress
was as good as a poisoner? As for reflexions drawn
from the poets, not only speeches, but even the
works of the philosophers, are full of them; for
although the philosophers think everything inferior to their own precepts and writings, they
have not thought it beneath their dignity to
quote numbers of lines from the poets to lend
authority to their statements.<milestone unit="section" n="40" />
Again, a remarkable example of the weight carried by authority
is provided by the fact that when the Megarians
disputed the possession of Salamis with the Athenians, the latter prevailed by citing a line from
Homer,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">II.</hi> ii. 558. <quote>Twelve ships great Ajax brought from
Salamis, And ranged them where the Athenian army stood.</quote></note> which is not however found in all editions,
to the effect that Ajax united his ships with those of
the Athenians.<milestone unit="section" n="41" /> Generally received sayings also become common property owing to the very fact that
they are anonymous, as, for instance, <quote>Friends are a
treasure,</quote> or <quote>Conscience is as good as a thousand
witnesses,</quote> or, to quote Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Cato maj.</hi> iii 7.</note> <quote>In the words of
the old proverb, birds of a feather flock together.</quote>
Sayings such as these would not have acquired immortality had they not carried conviction of their
truth to all mankind.<milestone unit="section" n="42" /> Some include under this head
the supernatural authority that is derived from
oracles, as for instance the response asserting that
Socrates was the wisest of mankind: indeed, they

<pb id="p.297" />

rank it above all other authorities. Such authority
is rare, but may prove useful. It is employed by
Cicero in his speech on the Replies of the Soothsayers<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de har. resp. passim.</hi> The soothsayers consulted as to
the significance of certain prodigies had replied that they
were due to the profanation of sacred rites. Clodius interpreted this as referring to the rebuilding of Cicero's house.
Cicero argued against this in a speech to the senate (56 B.C.).</note> and in the oration in which he denounced
Catiline to the people,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">in Cat.</hi> III. ix. 21.</note> when he points to the statue
of Jupiter crowning a column, and again in the
<hi rend="italics">pro Ligario,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">vi. 19.</note> where lie admits the cause of Caesar to
be the better because the gods have decided in his
favour. When such arguments are inherent in the
case itself they are called supernatural evidence;
when they are adduced from without they are styled
supernatural arguments.<milestone unit="section" n="43" /> Sometimes, again, it may
be possible to produce some saying or action of the
judge, of our adversary or his advocate in order to
prove our point. There have therefore been some
writers who have regarded examples and the use of
authorities of which I am speaking as belonging to
<hi rend="italics">inartificial</hi> proofs, on the ground that the orator
does not discover them, but receives them readymade. But the point is of great importance.<milestone unit="section" n="44" /> For
witnesses and investigation and the like all make
some pronouncement on the actual matter under
trial, whereas arguments drawn from without are in
themselves useless, unless the pleader has the wit to
apply them in such a manner as to support the
points which he is trying to make.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="12" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />Such in the main are the views about proof
which I have either heard from others or learned by
experience. I would not venture to assert that this
is all there is to be said; indeed I would exhort
students to make further researches on the subject,
for I admit the possibilities of making further
discoveries. Still anything that may be discovered
will not differ greatly from what I have said here.

<pb id="p.299" />

I will now proceed to make a few remarks as to how
proofs should be employed.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="2" />It has generally been laid down that an argument
to be effective must be based on certainty; for it is
obviously impossible to prove what is doubtful by
what is no less doubtful. Still some things which are
adduced as proof require proof themselves. <quote>You
killed your husband, for you were an adulteress.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> v. xi. 39.</note>
Adultery must first be proved: once that is certain it
can be used as an argument to prove what is uncertain. <quote>Your javelin was found in the body of the
murdered man.</quote> He denies that it was his. If this
point is to serve as a proof, it must itself be proved.
It is,<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> however, necessary in this connection to point
out that there are no stronger proofs than those in
which uncertainty has been converted into certainty.
<quote>You committed the murder, for your clothes were
stained with blood.</quote> 'This argument is not so
strong if the accused admits that his clothes were
bloodstained as if the fact is proved against his
denial. For if he admits it, there are still a number
of ways in which the blood could have got on to his
clothes: if on the other hand he denies it, lie makes
his whole case turn on this point, and if his contention is disproved, he will he unable to make a
stand on any subsequent ground. For it will be
thought that he would never have told a lie in
denying the allegation, unless he had felt it a hopeless task to justify himself if he admitted it.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="4" />In insisting on our strongest arguments we must
take them singly, whereas our weaker arguments
should be massed together: for it is undesirable
that those arguments which are strong in themselves should have their force obscured by the

<pb id="p.301" />

surrounding matter, since it is important to show
their true nature: on the other hand arguments
which are naturally weak will receive mutual support
if grouped together.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> Consequently arguments
which have no individual force on the ground
of strength will acquire force in virtue of their
number, since all tend to prove the same thing.
For instance, if one man is accused of having murdered another for the sake of his property, it may
be argued as follows: <quote>You had expectations of
succeeding to the inheritance, which was moreover
very large: you were a poor man, and at the time
in question were specially hard pressed by your
creditors: you had also offended him whose heir
you were, and knew that he intended to alter his
will.</quote> These arguments are trivial and commonplace in detail, but their cumulative force is
damaging. They may not have the overwhelming
force of a thunderbolt, but they will have all the
destructive force of hail.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="6" />There are certain arguments, which must not
merely be stated, but supported as well. If we say,
<quote>The motive for the crime was greed,</quote> we must
show the force of greed as a motive: if we say that
anger was the motive, we must show the sway that
this passion has over the minds of men. Thus our
arguments will not only be strengthened, but will
be more ornamental as well, since we shall have
produced something more than a mere fleshless
skeleton. It also makes an enormous difference,
<milestone unit="section" n="7" />supposing that we allege hatred as the motive for a
crime, whether such hatred was due to envy, injury
or unlawful influence, whether it was recent or of
long standing, whether it was directed against an

<pb id="p.303" />

inferior, an equal or a superior, against a stranger
or a relative. There are special methods for the
treatment of all these arguments, and tile treatment
to be selected will depend on the interests of the
case which we are defending.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> On tile other hand
we must not always burden the judge with all the
arguments we have discovered, since by so doing we
shall at once bore him and render him less inclined
to believe us. For he will hardly suppose those
proofs to be valid which we ourselves who produce
them regard as insufficient. On the other hand,
where the facts are fairly obvious, it would be
as foolish to argue about them as to bring some
artificial light into broad sunlight.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="9" />To these proof's some authorities would add those
which they call <hi rend="italics">pathetic</hi> or <hi rend="italics">emotional.</hi> Aristotle<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> I. ii. 4.</note>
indeed holds that the strongest argument in support
of a speaker is that he is a good man. This no
doubt is the best support, but to seem good is also
of value, though the semblance is but a bad second
to the reality.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> Of this nature is the noble defence
of Scaurus. <quote>Quintus Varius of Sucro asserts that
Aemilius Scaurus has betrayed the interests of the
Roman people: Aemilius Scaurus denies it.</quote> A
similar defence is said to have been employed by
Iphicrates<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">At. <hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> II. xxiii. 7.</note> : he asked Aristophon who was accusing
him on a similar charge of treason whether lie
would consent to betray his country for a bribe:
when Aristophon replied in the negative, he continued, <quote>Have I then done what you would have
refused to do?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="11" /> We must however take the
character of the judge into consideration and seek
out such arguments as will appeal to him. I have
already spoken of this in the rules which I laid

<pb id="p.305" />

down for the exordium and for deliberative oratory.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IV. i. 17 <hi rend="italics">sq.,</hi> III. viii. 36 <hi rend="italics">sq.</hi></note>
<milestone unit="section" n="12" />Another form of proof is provided by asseveration
as in <quote>I did this,</quote> <quote>You told me this,</quote> or <quote>O
outrageous crime!</quote> and the like. Every pleading
should contain some such asseverations; if it does
not, the loss will be considerable. Still asseverations must not be regarded as supports of the first
importance, since they can be produced by either
party in the same case with the same emphasis.
<milestone unit="section" n="13" />A more forcible kind of proof is that drawn
from character and supported by some plausible
reason, as for instance, <quote>It is not likely that a
wounded man or one who has lost his son would
accuse anyone who is not guilty, since if he accused
an innocent man, he would free the real offender
from all risk of punishment.</quote> It is from such
arguments that fathers seek support when pleading
against their sons or one relative against another.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="14" />The further question has been raised as to whether
the strongest arguments should be placed first, to
take possession of the judge's mind, or last, to leave
an impression on it; or whether they should be
divided between the commencement and close of the
proof, adopting the Homeric disposition of placing
the weakest in the centre of the column,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">I.</hi> iv. 299.</note> so that
they may derive strength from their neighbours.
But in the disposition of our arguments we must be
guided by the interests of the individual case: there
is only one exception to this general rule in my
opinion, namely, that we should avoid descending
from the strongest proofs to the weakest.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="15" />I have been content to give a brief outline of my
views concerning these points, and have put them
forward in such a way as to show as clearly as was in

<pb id="p.307" />

my power the various topics and kinds of arguments.
Others have dealt with the subject at greater length,
preferring to deal with the whole subject of commonplaces and to show how each topic may be treated.<milestone unit="section" n="16" />
This seems to me unnecessary, since it is as a rule
obvious what should be said against the injurious
conduct or avarice of our opponents, or against a
hostile witness or powerful friends; to say everything on all these subjects is an endless task, as
endless in fact as if I were to attempt to lay down
rules for dealing with every dispute that can ever
occur and all the questions, arguments and opinions
thereby involved.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> I do not venture to suppose that
I have pointed out all the circumstances that may
give rise to arguments, but I think that I have
done so in the majority of cases.</p>
<p>This was a task which required all the more careful
handling because the declamations, which we used
to employ as foils wherewith to practise for the duels
of the forum, have long since departed from the
true form of pleading and, owing to the fact that
they are composed solely with the design of giving
pleasure, have become flaccid and nerveless: indeed,
declaimers are guilty of exactly the same offence as
slave-dealers who castrate boys in order to increase
tile attractions of their beauty.<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> For just as the
slave-dealer regards strength and muscle, and above
all, the beard and other natural characteristics of
manhood as blemishes, and softens down all that
would be sturdy if allowed to grow, on the ground
that it is harsh and hard, even so we conceal the
manly form of eloquence and power of speaking
closely and forcibly by giving it a delicate complexion
of style and, so long as what we say is smooth and

<pb id="p.309" />

polished, are absolutely indifferent as to whether our
words have any power or no.<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> But I take Nature for
my guide and regard any man whatsoever as fairer
to view than a eunuch, nor can I believe that
Providence is ever so indifferent to what itself has
created as to allow weakness to be an excellence, nor
again can I think that the knife can render beautiful
that which, if produced in the natural course of
birth, would be regarded as a monster. A false
resemblance to the female sex may in itself delight
lust, if it will, but depravity of morals will never
acquire such ascendancy as to succeed in giving real
value to that to which it has succeeded in giving a
high price.<milestone unit="section" n="20" /> Consequently, although this debauched
eloquence (for I intend to speak with the utmost
frankness) may please modern audiences by its
effeminate and voluptuous charms, I absolutely refuse
to regard it as eloquence at all: for it retains not
the slightest trace of purity and virility in itself, not
to say of these qualities in the speaker.<milestone unit="section" n="21" /> When the
masters of sculpture and painting desired to carve
or paint forms of ideal beauty, they never fell into
the error of taking some Bagoas or Megabyzus<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Eunuchs.</note> as
models, but rightly selected the well-known Doryphorus,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The famous statue of Polycletus, regarded as the standard
of manly beauty and proportion. Many copies have survived.
Doryphorus= the Spearbearer.</note> equally adapted either for the fields of war
or for the wrestling school, and other warlike and
athletic youths as types of physical beauty. Shall
we then, who are endeavouring to mould the ideal
orator, equip eloquence not with weapons but with
timbrels?<milestone unit="section" n="22" /> Consequently, let the youth whom we
are training devote himself, as far as in him lies, to
the imitation of truth and, in view of the fact that
the battles of the forum that await him are not few,
let him strive for victory in the schools and learn

<pb id="p.311" />

how to strike the vitals of his foe and protect his
own; and let his instructor insist on his doing this
above all else and reserve his special approval for the
mastery of this art. For though young men may be
lured to evil practices by praise, they still prefer to
be praised for what is right.<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> At the present time
the misfortune is that teachers more often than not
pass over what is necessary in silence, and utility is
not accounted one of the good qualities of eloquence.
But I have dealt with these points in another work,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Perhaps the lost <hi rend="italics">de causis corruptae eloquentiae.</hi></note>
and shall often have to recur to them in this. I will
now return to my prescribed course.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="13" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />Refitation may be understood in two senses.
For the duty of the defence consists wholly in
refutation, while whatever is said by our opponents
must be rebutted, whether we are speaking for the
defence or the prosecution. It is in this sense that
refutation is assigned the fourth place<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">(i) exoidium, (ii) statement of facts, (iii) confirmation,
(iv) refutation, (v) peroration.</note> in pleadings,
but the methods required in either case are identical.
For the principles of argument in refutation can
only be drawn from the same sources as those used
in proof, while topics and thoughts, words and figures
will all be on the same lines.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> As a rule no strong
appeal to the emotions is made in refutation.</p>
<p>It is not, however, without reason that, as Cicero
so often testifies,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">It is not clear what passages Quintilian has in his
mind.</note> the task of defence has always been
considered harder than that of prosecution. In the
first place accusation is a simpler task: for the charge
is put forward in one definite form, but its refutation
may take a number of different forms, since as a rule
it is sufficient for the accuser that his charge should
be true, whereas counsel for the defence may deny

<pb id="p.313" />

or justify the facts, raise the question of competence,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. vi. 23. No exact rendering of <hi rend="italics">translatio</hi> is
possible. Literally it means <quote>transference of the charge</quote>:
it would seem to cover cases where the charge was brought
in the wrong court or by the wrong person. It is used generally to indicate a plea made by defendant in bar of
plaintiff's action.</note>
make excuses, plead for mercy, soften, extenuate,
or divert the charge, express contempt or derision.
The task of the accuser is consequently straightforward and, if I may use the phrase, vociferous; but
the defence requires a thousand arts and stratagems.
<milestone unit="section" n="3" />Moreover the prosecutor generally produces a speech
which he has prepared at home, while the counsel
for the defence has frequently to deal with quite
unexpected points. The prosecutor brings forward
his witnesses, while counsel for the defence has to
refute the charge by arguments drawn from the case
itself. The prosecutor draws his material from the
odium excited by the charges, even though it have
no justification, denouncing parricide, sacrilege, or
treason, whereas counsel for the defence can only
deny them. Consequently quite moderate speakers
have proved adequate in prosecution, while no one
can be a good counsel for the defence unless he
possesses real eloquence. In a word, it is just so
much easier to accuse than to defend as it is easier
to inflict than to heal a wound.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="4" />The nature of the arguments put forward by our
opponent and the manner in which he produces them
will, however, make an enormous difference to our
task. We must therefore first consider what it is to
which we have to reply, whether it is part and parcel
of the actual case or has been introduced from circumstances lying outside the case. For in the former
case we must deny or justify the facts or raise the
question of competence: for these are practically
the sole methods of defence available in the courts.
Pleas for mercy,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See vii. iv. 17.</note><milestone unit="section" n="5" /> which are not in any sense a
method of actual defence, can rarely be used, and

<pb id="p.315" />

only before judges who are not limited to some
precise form of verdict.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">e. g.</hi> in the emperor's court as opposed to the <hi rend="italics">quaestiones
perpetuae</hi> or civil actions.</note> Even those speeches delivered before Gaius Caesar<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">As in the <hi rend="italics">pro Ligario</hi> and <hi rend="italics">pro Deiotaro</hi> pleaded in
Caesar's house. It is not known what cases were tried
before the (2nd) triumvirate.</note> and the triumvirs on
behalf of members of the opposite party, although
they do employ such pleas for mercy, also make use
of the ordinary methods of defence. For I think
you will agree with me that the following passage
contains arguments of a strongly defensive character<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cic. <hi rend="italics">pro Lig.</hi> iv. 10</note>: <quote>What was our object, Tubero, save that
we might have the power that Caesar has now</quote>
But if,<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> when pleading before the emperor or any
other person who has power either to acquit or condemn, it is incumbent on us to urge that, while our
client has committed an offence that deserves the
death penalty, it is still the duty of a merciful judge
to spare him despite his sins, it must be noted in
the first place that we have to deal, not with our
adversary, but with the judge, and secondly that we
shall have to employ the deliberative rather than the
forensic style. For we shall urge the judge to fix
his desire rather on the glory that is won by
clemency than on the pleasure that is given by
vengeance.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> On the other hand, when we are
pleading before judges who have to give their
verdict in accordance with the prescriptions of law,
it would be absurd to give them advice as to how
they should deal with a criminal who admits his
guilt. Consequently, when it is impossible either to
deny the facts or to raise the question of competence, we must attempt to justify the facts as
best we can, or else throw up the case. I have
pointed out that there are two ways in which a fact
can be denied: it can be denied absolutely, or it
may be denied that a fact is of the nature alleged.

<pb id="p.317" />

When it is impossible to plead justification or to
raise the question of competence,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> if we cannot say <quote>The act was right</quote> or <quote>This
court is not competent to try it</quote> or <quote>The prosecutor has no
<hi rend="italics">locus standi.</hi></quote> See n. on § 2.</note> we must deny the
facts, and that not merely when a definition of the
facts will serve our case, but even when nothing
except an absolute denial is left for us.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> If witnesses are produced, there is much that may be said
to discredit them; if a document is put forward,
we may hold forth on the similarity of the handwritings. In any case there can be no worse course
than confession of guilt. When denial and justification are both impossible, we must as a last resort
base our defence on the legal point of competence.<milestone unit="section" n="9" />
Still, there are some cases in which none of these
three courses is possible. <quote>She is accused of adultery on the ground that after a widowhood of twelve
months she was delivered of a child.</quote> In this case
there is no ground for dispute. Consequently I regard as the height of folly the advice that is given
in such cases, that what cannot be defended should
be ignored and passed over in silence, at any rate if
the point in question is that on which the judge has
to give his decision.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> On the other hand, if the
allegation is irrelevant to the actual case and no
more than accessory, I should prefer simply to state
that it has nothing to do with the question at issue,
that it is not worth our attention, and that it has not
the importance given to it by our opponent, though
in such a case I should be prepared to pardon a
policy of ignoring the charge such as I have just
mentioned. For a good advocate ought not to be
afraid of incurring a trivial censure for negligence,
if such apparent negligence is likely to save his
client.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="11" />We must further consider whether we should

<pb id="p.319" />

attack our opponent's arguments <hi rend="italics">en masse</hi> or dispose
of them singly. We shall adopt the former course
if the arguments are so weak that they can be overthrown simultaneously, or so embarrassing that it
would be inexpedient to grapple with them individually. For in such a case we must fight with all
the force at our disposal and make a frontal attack.
Sometimes,<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> if it is difficult to refute the statements
made by our opponents, we may compare our arguments with theirs, at least if by such a procedure it
is possible to prove the superiority of our own. On
the other hand, those arguments which rely on their
cumulative force must be analysed individually, as
for example in the case which I cited above: <quote>You
were the heir, you were poor and were summoned
by your creditors for a large sum: you had offended
him and knew that he intended to change his will.</quote>
<milestone unit="section" n="13" />The cumulative force of these arguments is damaging. But if you refute them singly, the flame
which derived its strength from the mass of fuel will
die down as soon as the material which fed it is
separated, just as if we divert a great stream into a
number of channels we may cross it where we will.
We shall therefore adapt our method of refutation
to the exigencies of our case, now dealing with individual arguments and now treating them in bulk.
<milestone unit="section" n="14" />For at times we may include in a single proposition
the refutation of an argument which our opponent
has constructed of a number of different points.
For instance, if the accuser allege that the accused
had a number of motives for committing a crime,
we may make a general denial of the fact without
dealing singly with each alleged motive, because the
fact that a man has had a motive for committing a

<pb id="p.321" />

crime does not prove that he has actually committed
it.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> It will however as a rule be expedient for the
prosecution to employ massed arguments, and for
the accused to refute them in detail.</p>
<p>We must, however, also consider the manner in
which we should refute the arguments of our
opponent. If his statements be obviously false, it
will be sufficient to deny them. This is done by
Cicero in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">lx. 168.</note> where he denies that
the man alleged by the accuser to have fallen dead
on the spot after drinking the contents of the cup,
died on the same day.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> Again, it requires no skill
to rebut arguments which are obviously contradictory, superfluous or foolish, and consequently I
need give no examples nor instructions as to the
method to be employed. There is also the type
of charge which is known as obscure, where it is
alleged that an act was committed in secret without
witnesses or any evidence to prove it: this suffers
from an inherent weakness, since the fact that our
opponent can produce no proof is sufficient for our
purpose: the same applies to arguments which are
irrelevant to the case.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> It is, however, sometimes an
orator's duty to make it appear that some argument
of his opponent is contradictory or irrelevant or
incredible or superfluous or really favourable to his
own client. Oppius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> § 21 and v. x 69.</note> is charged with having embezzled the supplies intended to feed the troops.
It is a serious charge, but Cicero shows that it
contradicts other charges, since the same accusers
also charged Oppius with desiring to corrupt the
army by bribes.<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> The accuser of Cornelius offers to
produce witnesses to show that he read out the law
when tribune<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> IV. ii. 13.</note>: Cicero makes this argument

<pb id="p.323" />

superHuous by admitting it. Quintus Caecilius demands
to be entrusted with the task of accusing Verres on
the ground that he had been the latter's quaestor:
Cicero actually makes this argument tell in his own
favour.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cicero argues that since the relation between praetor
and quaestor is almost that which should exist between
father and son, a quaestor should not be allowed to prosecute
his praetor.</note><milestone unit="section" n="19" /> As regards other charges, they may all be
dealt with by very similar methods. For they may
be demolished either by conjecture, when we shall
consider whether they are true, by definition, when
we shall examine whether they are relevant to the
case, by quality, when we shall consider whether
they are dishonourable, unfair, scandalous, inhuman,
cruel, or deserve any other epithet coming under
the head of quality.<milestone unit="section" n="20" /> Such questions have to be
considered, not merely in connection with the statement of the charges or the reasons alleged, but with
reference to the nature of the case in its entirety.
For instance, the question of cruelty is considered
with regard to the charge of high treason brought
against Rabirius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Rabirius was accused of causing the death of Saturninus
forty years after the event.</note> by Labienus; of inhumanity in the
case of Tubero who accused Ligarius when he was
an exile and attempted to prevent Caesar from
pardoning him; of arrogance as in the case of the
charge brought against Oppius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">P. Oppius, quaestor to M. Aurelius Cotta in Bithynia,
was charged by Cotta in a letter to the senate with misappropriation of supplies for the troops and with an attempt
on his life. Cicero defended him in 69 B.C. The speech
is lost.</note> on the strength of
a letter of Cotta.<milestone unit="section" n="21" /> Similarly, it may be shown that
charges are hasty, insidious or vindictive. The
strongest argument, however, which can be brought
against a charge is that it involves peril to the
community or to the judges themselves; we find an
example of the former in the <hi rend="italics">pro Tullio,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> IV. ii. 131. The speech is lost.</note> where
Cicero says <quote>Who ever laid down such a principle as
this, or who could be allowed, without grave peril
to the community, to kill a man, just because he
asserts that he feared that he himself might be

<pb id="p.325" />

killed by him?</quote> An instance of the latter occurs
in the <hi rend="italics">pro Oppio,</hi> where Cicero warns the judges at
some length not to permit such an action to be
brought against the equestrian order.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">A third of the jury were composed of <hi rend="italics">equites.
cp.</hi> III. vii 20, v. ix. 13.</note><milestone unit="section" n="22" /> On the other
hand there are certain arguments which at times
may best be treated with contempt, as being trivial
or irrelevant. This course is frequently pursued by
Cicero, indeed this affectation of indifference is sometimes carried so far that we trample disdainfully
under foot arguments which we should never succeed in refuting by counter-argument.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="23" />Since, however, the majority of such arguments
are based on similarity, we must make diligent
search to discover if any discrepancy is to be found
in what is put forward. It is easy to do this where
points of law are concerned. For the law was drafted
to cover cases quite other than the present, and
consequently it is all the easier to show the difference
between case and case. As to parallels drawn from
dumb animals or inanimate objects, they are easy to
make light of.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> Examples drawn from facts, if damaging to our case, must be treated in various ways: if
they are ancient history, we may call them legendary,
while if they are undoubted, we may lay stress on
their extreme dissimilarity. For it is impossible for
two cases to be alike in every detail. For instance,
if the case of Ahala,2 by whom Maelius was killed,
is quoted to justify Nasica for the slaying of Tiberius
Gracchus, we may argue that Maelius was endeavouring to make himself king, while all that Gracchus
had done was to bring forward laws in the interest
of the people, and that while Ahala was Master of
the Horse, Nasica was a private citizen. In the last
resort, if all else prove unavailing, we must see if

<pb id="p.327" />

we can show that the action adduced as a parallel
was itself unjustifiable. These remarks as to examples apply also to previous decisions in the courts.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="26" />With regard to my statement that the manner in
which the accuser stated his charges was of importance, I would point out in this connexion that if
he has spoken but feebly, we may repeat his actual
words; while, if he has used bitter and violent
language, we may restate the facts in milder terms,
as Cicero does in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cornelio,</hi> where he says,
<quote>He put his hand to the tablet containing the
law</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> IV. iv. 8.</note>:<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> and we may do this in such a way as to
defend our client; for instance, if our client is
addicted to luxury, we may say, <quote>He has been
charged with living in a somewhat too liberal style.</quote>
So, too, we may call a mean man thrifty and a
slanderous tongue free.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> iv. ii. 77</note><milestone unit="section" n="27" /> But we must never under
any circumstances repeat our opponent's charges
together with their proofs, nor emphasise any of his
points by amplifying them, unless we do so with a
view to making light of them, as for instance in the
following passage<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro. Mur.</hi> ix. 21.</note>: <quote>You have been with the army,
he says, and have not set foot in the forum for so
many years, and do you now on returning after so
long an interval seek to compete for a post of high
dignity with those who have made the forum their
home?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="28" /> Again, when we are replying to the
accuser we may sometimes set forth the whole
charge, as Cicero does in the <hi rend="italics">pro Scauro</hi> with reference to the death of Bostar,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> IV. i. 69. Scaurus was accused of extortion in
Sardinia, and of having murdered a certain Bostar at a
banquet.</note> where he virtually
parodies the speech of his opponent, or we may take
a number of points raised in the course of the
accusation and put them together as in the <hi rend="italics">pro
Vareno</hi>:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> v. x. 69.</note> <quote>They have asserted that, when he was

<pb id="p.329" />

journeying with Pompulenus through a lonely stretch
of country, he fell in with the slaves of Ancharius, that
Pompulenus was then killed and Varenus imprisoned
on the spot until such time as this man should indicate what he wished to be done with him.</quote> Such a
procedure is useful, if the sequence of facts alleged
by the prosecution is incredible, and likely to lose
its force by restatement. Sometimes, on the other
hand, we may destroy the cumulative force of a
number of statements by refuting them singly; in
fact this is generally the safest course. Sometimes,
again, the different portions of our reply will be
independent of one another, a case which requires
no illustration.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="29" />Common arguments<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> are easy to make use of.</note> are readily appropriated, not
merely because they can be used by either party,
but because they are of greater service to the
speaker who is replying; for I shall not scruple to
repeat the warning which I have often given already;
the speaker who is first to employ such an argument makes it tell against himself.<milestone unit="section" n="30" /> For an argument
must needs tell against a speaker if it be one which
his opponent can use with effect. <quote>But, you say, it
is not probable that a crime of this magnitude was
designed by Marcus Cotta. Is it probable then that
a crime of this magnitude was attempted by
Oppius?</quote> On the other hand it is a task for a real
artist to discover inconsistencies, real or apparent,
in the speech of his opponent, though such inconsistencies are sometimes evident from the bare facts,
as for instance in the case of Caelius,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cael.</hi> xiii.</note> where Clodia
asserts on the one hand that she lent Caelius money,
which is an indication of great intimacy, and on the
other hand that he got poison to murder her, which

<pb id="p.331" />

is a sign of violent hatred. Tubero similarly<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Liq.</hi> iii.</note><milestone unit="section" n="31" />
accuses Ligarius of having been in Africa, and complains that Ligarius refused to allow him to land
in Africa. At times, however, some ill-advised
statement by our opponent will give us an opportunity of demolishing his arguments. This is
specially likely to occur with speakers who have a
passion for producing impressive thoughts: for the
temptation to air their eloquence is such that they
take no heed of what they have said already, being
absorbed by the topic immediately before them to
the detriment of the interests of the case as a
whole.<milestone unit="section" n="32" /> What is there likely to tell so heavily
against Cluentius as the stigma inflicted by the
censors? What can be more damaging than the fact
that Egnatius disinherited his son on the ground
that lie had been bribed to give a false verdict in
the trial in which Cluentius secured the condemnation of Oppianicus? But Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> xlviii. 135.</note><milestone unit="section" n="33" /> shows that the
two facts tell against one another. <quote>But, Attius, I
would urge you to give the closest consideration to
the following problem. Which do you desire to carry
the greater weight—the judgment of the censors, or
of Egnatius? If the latter, you regard the judgment of the censors in other cases as counting for
little, since they expelled this same Gnaeus Egnatius, on whose authority you lay such stress, from
his place in the senate. On the other hand, if you
attach most weight to the judgment of the censors,
I must point out that the censors retained the
younger Egnatius, whom his father disinherited by
an act resembling a censorial decision, in his position
as senator, although they had expelled his father.</quote>
As regards errors such as the following,<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> the folly

<pb id="p.333" />

shown in their commission is out of all proportion to
the skill required to deal with them: I refer to
mistakes such as advancing a disputable argument
as indisputable, a controversial point as admitted, a
point common to a number of cases as peculiar to
the case in hand, or the employment of trite,
superfluous, or incredible arguments. For careless
speakers are liable to commit a host of errors: they
will exaggerate a charge which has still got to be
proved, will argue about an act when the question is
who committed it, will attempt impossibilities, drop
an argument as if it were complete, whereas it is
scarcely begun, speak of the individual in preference
to the case,<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> and attribute personal faults to circumstances, as for instance if a speaker should attack the
decemvirate instead of Appius. They will also contradict what is obvious, speak ambiguously, lose
sight of the main issue of the case, or give replies
which have no relation to the charges made. This
latter procedure may, it is true, be occasionally employed when we have a bad case which requires to
be supported by arguments drawn from matters
foreign to the case. The trial of Verres provides an
example; when accused of peculation it was alleged
that he had shown courage and energy in his defence
of Sicily against the pirates.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="36" />The same rules apply to objections which we may
have to meet. But there is one point which requires
special attention, since in such cases many speakers
fall into two very different faults. For some even
in the courts will pass by such objections when
raised by their opponents as troublesome and vexatious details, and, contenting themselves with the
arguments which they have brought ready-made

<pb id="p.335" />

from their study, will speak as if their opponent did
not exist. This error is of course far more common
in the schools, for there objections are not merely
disregarded, but the subjects for declamation are
generally framed in such a way that there is nothing
to be said on the opposite side.<milestone unit="section" n="37" /> On the other hand
there are some who surfer from excess of zeal,
and think it their duty to reply to every word
and even every trifling reflexion, a task which is
at once endless and superfluous. For it is not the
case. but the pleader, whom they are refuting. Personally I should always prefer that a speaker should
reveal his eloquence in such a way that, if what he
says advances his case, the credit will be given to his
talent and not to the nature of his case, while if
what he says damages his case the blame will attach
to the case and not to his powers.<milestone unit="section" n="38" /> Consequently
when we come across denunciations such as that
directed against Rullus for the obscurity of his
language,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Leq. Agr.</hi> II. v. 13.</note> or against Piso for his utter incapacity as
a speaker,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">in Pis.</hi> i. 30, etc.</note> or against Antony<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Phil.</hi> ii. 4, iii, 4, xiii. 19, etc.</note> for his lack of taste
and his complete ignorance both of words and
things, we shall give then our sanction as reasonable
concessions to passion and just resentment, and as
useful in stirring up hatred against those whom it is
desired to render unpopular.<milestone unit="section" n="39" /> The method of reply
to our opponent's counsel should be on different
lines. Sometimes however we are justified in attacking, not merely their manner of speaking, but
also their character, their appearance, their gait or
bearing. Indeed, in his attack on Quintius, Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluents</hi> xl. III.</note>
does not confine himself to these topics, but even
attacks his purple-bordered toga that goes trailing
to his heels: for Quintius had caused Cluentius grave

<pb id="p.337" />

embarrassment by his turbulent harangues.<milestone unit="section" n="40" /> Sometimes, in order to dispel the unpopularity excited by
bitter criticism, the latter may be disposed of by a
jest, as for example Cicero disposes of Triarius.
For to the allegation that the pillars destined for the
house of Scaurus were carried on waggons through
the city streets he replied,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Scauro</hi> xxii. 46.</note> <quote>I got my pillars
from the quarries of Alba, and had them brought in
panniers!</quote> Such tactics are more readily allowed
against an accuser, for the duties of counsel for the
defence sometimes force him to make such personal
attacks.<milestone unit="section" n="41" /> On the other hand there is no objection to
complaining of the conduct of the advocates on
either side, so long as our complaint follows accepted
practice and does not overstep the limits imposed by
good manners; I refer to complaints such as that
our opponents have abridged, obscured or postponed
the discussion of some point, or with deliberate
cunning have avoided discussing it at all.<milestone unit="section" n="42" /> A change
in the tactics of defence is also often selected for
censure. For example, Attius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> Iii.</note> in his speech against
Cluentius complains that Cicero insists on the letter
of the law, and Aeschines<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Aesch. <hi rend="italics">in Ctes. §</hi> 206. <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> also III. vi. 3.</note> in his speech against
Ctesiphon complains that Demosthenes refuses to
consider the legal aspect of the case.</p>
<p>It is however necessary to issue a special warning
to declaimers that they should not put forward
objections that can easily be met or assume that
their opponent is a fool. As it is, owing to our
tendency to think that the subject-matter of our
speech may be drawn from our own fancy, florid
commonplaces and epigrams designed to bring down
the house occur to our minds with the utmost

<pb id="p.339" />

readiness, with the result that we should do well to
bear in mind the lines:</p>

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>A shrewd retort! Could it be otherwise?</l>
<l>A foolish question makes for smart replies.</l></quote><bibl default="NO">Origin unknown.</bibl></cit></quote>

<p><milestone unit="section" n="43" />But such a practice will be fatal in the courts,
where we have to answer our opponent and not
ourselves. It is said that Accius, when asked why
he did not turn advocate in view of the extraordinary
skill in making apt replies which his tragedies
revealed, replied that in his plays the characters said
what he himself wanted them to say, whereas in the
courts his adversaries would probably say just what
he least wanted them to say.<milestone unit="section" n="44" /> It is therefore
ridiculous in exercises which prepare the student
for the actual courts to consider what answer can be
made before ever giving a thought to what the
opposing counsel is likely to say. And a good teacher
should commend a pupil no less for his skill in
thinking out arguments that may be put forward
for the opposite side than in discovering arguments
to prove his own case.<milestone unit="section" n="45" /> Again, there is another
practice which is always permissible in the schools,
but rarely in the courts. For when we speak first
as claimants in a real case, how can we raise objections, seeing that our opponent has so far said
nothing?<milestone unit="section" n="46" /> Still, many fall into this error either
because they have acquired the habit in declamation
or simply owing to a passion for hearing their own
voice, thereby affording fine sport to those who
reply: for sometimes the latter will remark sarcastically that they never said anything of the kind and
have no intention of saying anything so idiotic, and
sometimes that they are grateful for the admirable

<pb id="p.341" />

warnings so kindly given by their opponent: but
most often they will say, and this is the strongest
line that they can take, that their opponent would
never have replied to objections which had never
been raised had he not realised that these objections
were justified and been driven to admit it by his
consciousness of the fact.<milestone unit="section" n="47" /> We may find an example
of this in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">lii. 143.</note> of Cicero: <quote>You have
frequently asserted that you are informed that I
intend to base my defence on the letter of the law.
Really! I suppose that my friends have secretly betrayed me, and that there is one among those whom
I believe to be my friends who reports my designs to
my opponent. Who gave you this information?
Who was the traitor? And to whom did I ever
reveal my design? No one, I think, is to blame.
It must have been the law itself that told you.</quote>
But there are some who,<milestone unit="section" n="48" /> not content with raising
imaginary objections, develop whole passages on such
themes, saying that they know their opponents will
say this and will proceed to argue thus and thus. I
remember that Vibius Crispus in our own day disposed of this practice very neatly, for he was a
humorous fellow with a very pretty wit: <quote>I do not
make those objections which you attribute to me,</quote> he
said, <quote>for what use would it be to make them twice?</quote>
<milestone unit="section" n="49" />Sometimes however it may be possible to put forward something not unlike such objections, if some
point included by our opponent in the depositions
which he produces has been discussed among his advocates<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The exact purport is not clear. The reference would
seem to be to information as to the line of defence likely to
be adopted, which has leaked out during a discussion of the
written evidence by the <hi rend="italics">advocati</hi> or legal advisers of the
<hi rend="italics">patronus.</hi> But see note prefixed to Index.</note>: for then we shall be replying to something
which they have said and not to an objection which
has been invented by ourselves; or again, this will
be possible if the case is of such a nature that we

<pb id="p.343" />

are in a position to state certain definite objections
which are absolutely essential to our opponent's case:
for instance, if stolen goods have been discovered
in a house, the accused must of necessity allege
either that they were brought there without his
knowledge or deposited with him or given to him
and we may therefore answer all these points even
although they have not been put forward.<milestone unit="section" n="50" /> On the
other hand, in the schools we are quite justified in
answering both statements and imaginary objections; for by these means we shall train ourselves
at one and the same time for speaking either first or
second. Unless we do this, we shall have no chance
of employing objections, since there is no adversary
to whom we can reply.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="51" />There is another serious fault into which pleaders
fall: the anxious over-elaboration of points. Such
a procedure makes his case suspect to the judges,
while frequently arguments which, if stated without
more ado, would have removed all doubt, lose their
force owing to the delay caused by the elaborate
preparations made for their introduction, due to the
tact that the advocate thinks that they require
additional support. Our orator must therefore adopt
a confident manner, and should always speak as if he
thought his case admirable. This quality, like all
other good qualities, is particularly evident in Cicero.
<milestone unit="section" n="52" />For the extraordinary care which he takes gives the
impression of confidence and carries such weight
when lie speaks that it does not permit us to feel
the least doubt and has all the force of genuine
proof. Further, the advocate who knows what are
the strongest points in his own and his opponent's
case will easily be able to decide what points it

<pb id="p.345" />

will be most necessary for him to emphasise or to
counter.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="53" />As regards order, there is no part of a case which
involves less trouble. For, if we are prosecuting,
our first duty will be to prove our own case, our
second to refute the arguments brought against it.
If, on the other hand, we are defending, we must
begin by refutation.<milestone unit="section" n="54" /> But from our answers to
objections fresh objections will arise, a process
which may be carried to some length. The <hi rend="italics">strokes</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Not enough is known of gladiatorial fighting to render
this passage fully intelligible.</note>
of gladiators provide a parallel. If the first stroke
was intended to provoke the adversary to strike, the
second will lead to the third, while if the challenge
be repeated it will lead to the fourth stroke, so that
there will be two parries and two attacks. And tile
process may be prolonged still further.<milestone unit="section" n="55" /> But refutation also includes that simple form of proof, which
I described above,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">v. xii. 12.</note> based on an appeal to the
emotions and mere assertion; for an example see
the words of Scaurus which I have already quoted.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">v. xii. 10.</note>
Nay, I am not sure that this form of proof is not
actually of more frequent occurrence when something is denied. It is, however, specially important
for both parties that they should see where the
main issue lies. For it often happens that the points
raised in pleading are many, although those on
which a decision is given are few.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="56" />Such are the elements of the methods of proof
and refutation, but they require to be embellished
and supported by the powers of the speaker. For
although our arguments may be admirably adapted
to express what we desire, they will none the less
be slight and weak unless the orator makes a special
effort to give them life.<milestone unit="section" n="57" /> Consequently the

<pb id="p.347" />

commonplaces on the subject of witnesses, documentary
evidence, arguments and the like make a great
impression on the minds of the judges, as also do
those topics which are peculiar to the case, those I
mean in which we praise or blame any action or
show that it is just or unjust, or make it seem more
or less important or more or less harsh than it
really is. Of these topics some are adapted to the
comparison of individual arguments, others to the
comparison of a number, while others may serve to
influence the success or failure of the whole case.<milestone unit="section" n="58" />
Some again prepare the mind of the judge, while
others confirm it in opinions already formed. But
such preparation or confirmation will sometimes
apply to the whole case, sometimes only to particular portions, and must therefore be employed with due regard to circumstances.<milestone unit="section" n="59" /> I am
consequently surprised that there should be a
violent dispute between the leaders of two opposite
schools as to whether such commonplaces should be
applied to individual questions (which is the view of
Theodorus), or whether the judge should be instructed in the facts before any appeal is made to
his feelings (the latter being the view of Apollodorus), as though no middle course were possible and
no regard were to be had to the exigencies of the
case itself. Those who lay down such rules have no
experience of speaking in the actual courts, the
result being that text-books composed in the calm
leisure of the study are sadly upset by the necessities of forensic strife.<milestone unit="section" n="60" /> For practically all those
who have set forth the law of speaking as though it
were a profound mystery,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> v. xiv. 27.</note> have tied us down not
merely to fixed topics for argument, but to definite

<pb id="p.349" />

rules as to how we should draw our conclusions.
<milestone unit="section" n="61" />propose after making a few preliminary remarks on
the subject to give a frank expression of my own
views, or in other words to set forth what I perceive
to have been the practice of the most distinguished
orators.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="14" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />Tile term <hi rend="italics">enthymeme</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">For this chapter see note prefixed to Index.</note> is applied not merely to
the actual argument, that is to say, the matter adduced to prove something else, but also to its expression, the nature of which, as I have already pointed
out, is twofold.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> v. x. 2.</note> It may be drawn from denial of
<hi rend="italics">consequents,</hi> when it will consist of a proposition
immediately followed by a proof, as in the following
passage from the <hi rend="italics">pro Ligario;</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">vi. 19. The cause helped by heaven is that of Caesar.
<hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Lucan's <hi rend="italics">victrix causa deis placuit, sed victa Catoni.</hi></note> <quote><hi rend="italics">At</hi> that point the
justice of the cause was doubtful, since there was
something to be said on both sides. But now we can
only regard that cause as superior, which even the
gods supported.</quote> Here we have a proposition and a
reason, but no formal conclusion: it is therefore tile
incomplete syllogism known as an <hi rend="italics">enthymeme.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="2" /> It may
on the other hand be drawn from <hi rend="italics">incompatibles,</hi> in
which case the proof will be much stronger; indeed
some restrict the title of <hi rend="italics">enthymeme</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> v. x. 2.</note> to this form of
argument. The following passage from the <hi rend="italics">pro
Milone</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xxix. 79. The death is that of Clodius.</note> of Cicero will provide a parallel: <quote>You
are then sitting there to avenge the death of a man
whom you would refuse to restore to life, even if
you thought it within your power to do so.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="3" /> This form
of argument may even at times consist of a number
of clauses, as in the following passage from the same
speech<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xvi. 41.</note>: <quote>Was he resolved then to kill to the
dissatisfaction of some a man whom he refused to
kill to the satisfaction of all? Are we to believe
that he did not hesitate, in defiance of the law and

<pb id="p.351" />

despite the unfavourable circumstances both of time
and place and the risk involved to his own life, to
kill one whom he did not venture to kill when he
might have done so legally, at his own time and
place and without the least danger to himself?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="4" /> The
most effective kind of <hi rend="italics">enthymeme</hi> seems however to
be that in which a reason is subjoined to a dissimilar
or contrary proposition as in the following passage
from Demosthenes<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">in Androt. § 7; in Aristocr.</hi> § 99.</note>: <quote>For if at any time an act
has been committed contrary to law and you have
imitated it, it does not therefore follow that you
should go scot free; on the contrary it is an
additional reason why you should be condemned.
For if any of those who transgressed the law had
been condemned, you would not have proposed this,
and further, if you are condemned, no one else will
propose anything of the kind.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="5" />As regards the <hi rend="italics">epicheieme,</hi> some authorities hold
that it consists of four, five, and even six parts.
Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> I. xxxvii. 67.</note> urges that there are not more than five at
most, i.e. the major premise and its reason, the minor
premise and its proof, and fifthly the conclusion.
But since at times the major premise does not
require a reason nor the minor a proof, while
occasionally even the conclusion is not necessary,
he holds that the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> may consist of only
four, three, or even two parts.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> Personally however
follow the majority of authorities in holding that
there are not more than three parts. For it follows
from the very nature of reasoning that there must
be something to form the subject of enquiry and
something else to provide the proof, while the third
element which has to be added may be regarded
as resulting from the agreement of the two previous

<pb id="p.353" />

elements. Thus the first part will be the major, the
second the minor premise and the third the conclusion. For the confirmation and development of
both premises may reasonably be included in the
parts to which they belong.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> Let us then take
an example from Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Inv.</hi> 3. xxxiv. 58.</note> of the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> consisting
of five parts. <quote>Those things which are controlled
by reason are better governed than those which are
not.</quote> This they call the first part and consider that
it requires to be established by various reasons and
a copious display of eloquence. Personally I hold
that the whole of this together with its reason forms
but one part. Otherwise, if the <hi rend="italics">reason</hi> is to be treated
as a separate part and if there are a variety of
<hi rend="italics">reasons,</hi> this will involve an addition to the number
of parts. Next he produces the <hi rend="italics">minor premise:</hi>
<milestone unit="section" n="8" /><quote>But there is nothing better administered than the
universe.</quote> The proof of this minor premise is
treated as the fourth part of the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme.</hi> My
criticism of this statement is identical with my
criticism of the preceding.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> The fifth place they
assign to the conclusion which either merely makes
the necessary inference from the preceding parts
(<hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> <quote>Therefore the universe is governed by reason</quote>）
or after briefly bringing major and minor premise
together adds what is deduced from them with the
following result: <quote>But if on the one hand things
that are controlled by reason are better governed
than things which are not and on the other nothing
is better administered than the universe, then it
follows that the universe is governed by reason.</quote>
As regards this part of the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> I agree.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="10" />I have said that the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> consists of three
parts: its form is not however invariable. There is

<pb id="p.355" />

firstly the form in which the <hi rend="italics">conclusion</hi> is identical
with what has already been stated in the <hi rend="italics">major
premise.</hi> <quote>The soul is immortal, since whatever
derives its motion from itself is immortal. But the
soul derives its motion from itself. Therefore the
soul is immortal.</quote> This process occurs not merely
in individual arguments, but in whole <hi rend="italics">cases,</hi> provided
they are of a simple character, and also in <hi rend="italics">questions.</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. vi. 9, 10.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="11" />For cases and questions always have first a <hi rend="italics">major
premise,</hi> such as <quote>You have committed sacrilege,</quote>
or <quote>Not everyone who has killed a man is guilty
of murder.</quote> Second comes a <hi rend="italics">reason,</hi> which is
stated at greater length in cases and questions than
in separate arguments, while finally comes the <hi rend="italics">conclusion</hi> in which as a rule they set forth the point
they have proved either by enumeration of particulars or in the form of a hasty conclusion. In this
type of <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> the <hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> is doubtful, since
it is still under investigation.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> There is another
form of <hi rend="italics">conclusion</hi> which is not actually identical
with the <hi rend="italics">major premise,</hi> but has the same force
<quote>Death is nothing to us, for that which is dissolved
into its elements is devoid of' feeling, and that
which is devoid of feeling is nothing to us.</quote> There
is a third form in which the <hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> and the
<hi rend="italics">conclusion</hi> are different. <quote>All animate things are
better than inanimate, but there is nothing better
than the universe, wherefore the universe is animate.</quote> It may be thought that in this case there is
no real <hi rend="italics">major premise,</hi> since it would be possible
to state the reasoning in the following form: <quote>The
universe is animate, for all things animate are better
than inanimate,</quote> etcetera.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> This <hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> is either
an admitted fact as in the last example or requires

<pb id="p.357" />

to be proved as in the following: <quote>He who wishes
to live a happy life, must be a philosopher</quote>: for
this is not an acknowledged truth, and the premises
must be established before we can arrive at the
conclusion. Sometimes again the <hi rend="italics">minor premise</hi> is
an admitted fact, as for instance, <quote>But all men wish
to live a happy life,</quote> while sometimes it requires to
be proved, as for example the statement quoted
above, <quote>That which is dissolved into its elements is
devoid of feeling,</quote> since it is doubtful whether the
soul is immortal after its release from the body or
only continues to exist for a time. Some call this a
<hi rend="italics">minor premise,</hi> some a <hi rend="italics">reason.</hi></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="14" />There is no difference between the <hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> and
the <hi rend="italics">syllogism,</hi> except that the latter has a number
of forms and infers truth from truth, whereas the
<hi rend="italics">epicheireme</hi> is frequently concerned with statements
that are no more than credible. For if it were
always possible to prove controversial points from
admitted premises, the orator would have little to
do in this connexion.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> For what skill does it require
to say, <quote>The property is mine, for I am the only son
of the deceased,</quote> or <quote>I am the sole heir, since possession of the testator's estate is given by the law of
property in accordance with the terms of his will:
the property therefore belongs to me</quote>?<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> But when
the reason given is itself disputable, we must
establish the certainty of the premises by which we
are proposing to prove what is uncertain. For
example, if our opponent says <quote>You are not his
son</quote> or <quote>You are illegitimate</quote> or <quote>You are not his
only son</quote>; or, again, <quote>You are not his heir</quote> or <quote>The
will is invalid</quote> or <quote>You are not entitled to inherit</quote>
or <quote>You have co-heirs,</quote> we must prove the validity

<pb id="p.359" />

of the reason on which we base our claim that the
property should be adjudicated to us.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> But when
<hi rend="italics">a reason</hi> of unusual length intervenes, it is necessary to state the final conclusion, otherwise the
<hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> and the <hi rend="italics">reason</hi> would suffice. <quote>Laws
are silent in the midst of arms, and do not require
us to await their sanction when the circumstances
are such that he who would await their sanction is
certain to be the victim of an unjust penalty before
ever the just penalty can be claimed.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> iv. 10.</note> Hence it
has been asserted that the form of <hi rend="italics">enthymeme</hi> which is
based on denial of consequents resembles a <hi rend="italics">reason.</hi> But
sometimes, again, it is sufficient to state a single
proposition as in the example just quoted, <quote>The laws
are silent in the midst of arms.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="18" /> We may also begin
with the <hi rend="italics">reason</hi> and then proceed to the conclusion
as in another passage from the same speech<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> iii. 9.</note>: <quote>But
if the Twelve Tables permitted the killing of a thief
by night under any circumstances, and by day if he
used a weapon to defend himself, who is there who
will contend that the slayer must be punished under
whatever circumstances a man has been killed?</quote>
'The process is still further varied by Cicero, and the
<hi rend="italics">reason</hi> placed third, as in the phrase, <quote>When he sees
that the sword is sometimes placed in our hands by
the laws themselves.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="19" /> On the other hand, he
places the various parts in the regular order in the
following instance: <quote>How can it be unjust to kill a
robber who lies in wait for his victim?</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> iv. 10.</note> Next comes
the <hi rend="italics">reason:</hi> <quote>What is the object of our escorts and
our swords?</quote> Last comes the conclusion resulting
from the <hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> and the <hi rend="italics">reason:</hi> <quote>Which we
certainly should not be permitted to have, if we
were absolutely forbidden to use them.</quote></p>

<pb id="p.361" />

<p><milestone unit="section" n="20" />This form of proof may be countered in three
ways, that is to say it may be attacked in all its
parts. For either the <hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> or the <hi rend="italics">minor</hi> or
the <hi rend="italics">conclusion</hi> or occasionally all three are refuted.
The <hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> is refuted in the following case:
<quote>I was justified in killing him, as he lay in wait
for me.</quote> For the very first question in the defence
of Milo is <quote>whether it is right that he who confesses
that he has killed a man should look upon the light
of day.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="21" /> The <hi rend="italics">minor premise</hi> is refuted by all the
methods which we mentioned in dealing with refutation.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">In the preceding chapter.</note> As to the <hi rend="italics">reason</hi> it must be pointed out that it
is sometimes true when the <hi rend="italics">proposition</hi> to which it
is attached is not true, but may on the other hand
sometimes be false although the proposition is true.
For example, <quote>Virtue is a good thing</quote> is true, but
if the reason, <quote>Because it brings us wealth,</quote> be
added, we shall have an instance of a true <hi rend="italics">major
premise</hi> and a false <hi rend="italics">reason.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="22" /> With regard to the
<hi rend="italics">conclusion,</hi> we may either deny its truth when it
infers something which does not logically result
from the premises, or we may treat it as irrelevant.
The truth is denied in the following case: <quote>We
are justified in killing one who lies in wait for us;
for since, like an enemy, he threatens us with
violence, we ought to repulse his attack as though
he were an enemy: therefore Milo was justified in
killing Clodius as an enemy.</quote> The conclusion is not
valid, since we have not yet proved that Clodius lay
in wait for him But the conclusion that we are
therefore justified in killing one who lies in wait
for us is perfectly true, though irrelevant to the
case, for it is not yet clear that Clodius lay in wait
for Milo.<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> But while the <hi rend="italics">major premise</hi> and the <hi rend="italics">reason</hi>

<pb id="p.363" />

may both be true and the conclusion false, yet if
both are false, the conclusion can never be true.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="24" />Some call the <hi rend="italics">enthymeme</hi> a <hi rend="italics">rhetorical syllogism,</hi> while
others regard it as a part of the <hi rend="italics">syllogism,</hi> because
whereas the latter always has its premises and
conclusion and effects its proof by the employment
of all its parts, the <hi rend="italics">ethymeme</hi> is content to let its
proof be understood without explicit statement.<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> The
following is an example of a syllogism: <quote>Virtue is
the only thing that is good, for that alone is good
which no one can put to a bad use: but no one can
make a bad use of virtue; virtue therefore is good.</quote>
The <hi rend="italics">enthymeme</hi> draws its conclusion from denial of
consequents. <quote>Virtue is a good thing because no
one can put it to a bad use.</quote> On the other hand
take the following syllogism. <quote>Money is not a
good thing; for that is not good which can be put
to a bad use: money may be put to a bad use;
therefore money is not a good thing.</quote> The <hi rend="italics">enthymeme</hi> draws its conclusion from incompatibles. <quote>Can
money be a good thing when it is possible to put it
to a bad use?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="26" /> The following argument is couched
in syllogistic form: <quote>If money in the form of silver
coin is silver, the man who bequeathed all his silver to
a legatee, includes all money in the form of coined
silver: but he bequeathed all his silver: therefore
he included in the bequest all money in the form of
coined silver.</quote> But for the orator it will be sufficient
to say, <quote>Since he bequeathed all his silver, he included in his bequest all his silver money.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="27" />I think I have now dealt with all the precepts of
those who treat oratory as a mystery. But these rules
still leave scope for free exercise of the judgment.
For although I consider that there are occasions

<pb id="p.365" />

when the orator may lawfully employ the syllogism, I
am far from desiring him to make his whole speech
consist of or even be crowded with a mass of
<hi rend="italics">epicheiremes</hi> and <hi rend="italics">enthymemes.</hi> For a speech of that
character would resemble dialogues and dialectical
controversies rather than pleadings of the kind with
which we are concerned, and there is an enormous
difference between the two.<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> For in the former we
are confronted with learned men seeking for truth
among men of learning; consequently they subject
everything to a minute and scrupulous inquiry with
a view to arriving at clear and convincing truths,
and they claim for themselves the tasks of invention
and judgment, calling the former <foreign lang="greek">topikh/</foreign> or the
art of selecting the appropriate material for treatment, and the latter <foreign lang="greek">kritikh/</foreign> or the art of criticism.
<milestone unit="section" n="29" />We on the other hand have to compose our
speeches for others to judge, and have frequently
to speak before an audience of men who, if not
thoroughly ill-educated, are certainly ignorant of
such arts as dialectic: and unless we attract them
by the charm of our discourse or drag them by its
force, and occasionally throw them off their balance
by an appeal to their emotions, we shall be unable
to vindicate the claims of truth and justice.<milestone unit="section" n="30" /> Eloquence aims at being rich, beautiful and commanding,
and will attain to none of these qualities if it be broken
up into conclusive inferences which are generally
expressed in the same monotonous form: on the
contrary its meanness will excite contempt, its severity dislike, its elaboration satiety, and its sameness
boredom.<milestone unit="section" n="31" /> Eloquence therefore must not restrict
itself to narrow tracks, but range at large over the
open fields. Its streams must not be conveyed

<pb id="p.367" />

through narrow pipes like the water of fountains,
but flow as mighty rivers flow, filling whole valleys;
and if it cannot find a channel it must make one
for itself. For what can be more distressing than
to be fettered by petty rules, like children who
trace the letters of the alphabet which others have
first written for them, or, as the Greeks say, insist
on keeping the coat their mother gave them.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The proverb which is also found in Plutarch (<hi rend="italics">de Alex.
Fort.</hi> i. 330 B) seems to refer to a child's passionate fondness
for some particular garment.</note>
Are we to have nothing but premises and conclusions from consequents and incompatibles? Must
not the orator breathe life into the argument and
develop it?<milestone unit="section" n="32" /> Must lie not vary and diversify it by a
thousand figures, and do all this in such a way that
it seems to come into being as the very child of
nature, not to reveal an artificial manufacture and a
suspect art nor at every moment to show traces of
an instructor's hand? What orator ever spoke thus?
Even in Demosthenes we find but few traces of such
a mechanism. And yet the Greeks of to-day are even
more prone than we are (though this is the only
point in which their practice is worse than ours) to
bind their thoughts in fetters and to connect them
by an inexorable chain of argument, making inferences where there was never any doubt, proving admitted facts and asserting that in so doing they are
following the orators of old, although they always
refuse to answer the question who it is that they are
imitating. However of figures I shall speak elsewhere.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IX. i. ii. iii.</note></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="33" />For the present I must add that I do not even
agree with those who hold that arguments should always be expressed in language which is not only pure,
lucid and distinct, but also as free as possible from
all elevation and ornateness. I readily admit that

<pb id="p.369" />

arguments should be distinct and clear, and further
that in arguments of a minor character the language
and words should be as appropriate and as familiar
as possible.<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> But if the subject be one of real importance every kind of ornament should be employed,
so long as it does nothing to obscure our meaning.
For metaphor will frequently throw a flood of light
upon a subject: even lawyers, who spend so much
trouble over the appropriateness of words, venture
to assert that the word <hi rend="italics">litus</hi> is derived from <hi rend="italics">eludere,</hi>
because the shore is a place where the waves break
in play.<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> Further, the more unattractive the natural
appearance of anything, the more does it require
to be seasoned by charm of style: moreover, an argument is often less suspect when thus disguised, and
the charm with which it is expressed makes it all the
more convincing to our audience. Unless indeed we
think that Cicero was in error when he introduced
phrases such as the following into an argumentative
passage: <quote>The laws are silent in the midst of arms,</quote>
and <quote>A sword is sometimes placed in our hands by
the laws themselves.</quote> However, we must be careful
to observe a happy mean in the employment of such
embellishments, so that they may prove a real ornament and not a hindrance.</p></div1>



<pb id="p.373" />

<div1 type="book" n="6" org="uniform" sample="complete"><head>Book VI</head>



<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="pr" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />I undertook my present task, Marcellus Victorius,
mainly to gratify your request,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Proem, Bk. I.</note> but also with a view
to assist the more earnest of our young men as far
as lay in my power, while latterly the energy with
which I have devoted myself to my labours has
been inspired by the almost imperative necessity
imposed by the office conferred on me,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Proem, Bk. IV.</note> though
all the while I have had an eye to my own
personal pleasure. For I thought that this work
would be the most precious part of the inheritance
that would fall to my son, whose ability was so
remarkable that it called for the most anxious
cultivation on the part of his father. Thus if, as
would have been but just and devoutly to be
wished, the fates had torn me from his side, he
would still have been able to enjoy the benefit of
his father's instruction.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> Night and day I pursued
this design, and strove to hasten its completion in
the fear that death might cut me off with my task
unfinished, when misfortune overwhelmed me with
such suddenness, that the success of my labours now
interests no one less than myself. A second bereavement has fallen upon me, and I have lost him of
whom I had formed the highest expectations, and
in whom I reposed all the hopes that should solace
my old age. What is there left for me to do?<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> Or

<pb id="p.375" />

what further use can I hope to be on earth, when
heaven thus frowns upon me? For it so chances
that just at the moment when I began my book on
the causes of the decline of eloquence, I was stricken
by a like affliction. Better had I thrown that illomened work and all my ill-starred learning upon
the flames of that untimely pyre that was to consume
the darling of my heart, and had not sought to
burden my unnatural persistence in this wicked
world with the fatigue of fresh labours!<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> For what
father with a spark of proper feeling would pardon
me for having the heart to pursue my researches
further, and would not hate me for my insensibility,
had I other use for my voice than to rail against
high heaven for having suffered me to outlive all
my nearest and dearest, and to testify that providence deigns not at all to watch over this earth of
ours? If this is not proved by my own misfortune
(and yet my only fault is that I still live), it is most
surely manifest in theirs, who were cut off thus
untimely; their mother was taken from me earlier
still, she had borne me two sons ere the completion of
her nineteenth year; but for her, though she too died
most untimely, death was a blessing.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> Yet for me her
death alone was such a blow that thereafter no good
fortune could bring me true happiness. For she had
every virtue that is given to woman to possess, and
left her husband a prey to irremediable grief; nay,
so young was she when death took her, that if her
age be compared with mine, her decease was like
the loss not merely of a wife, but of a daughter.
Still her children survived her, and I, too,<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> lived on
by some unnatural ordinance of fate, which for all
its perversity was what she herself desired; and

<pb id="p.377" />

thus by her swift departure from this life she escaped
tile worst of tortures. My youngest boy was barely
five, when he was the first to leave me, robbing me
as it were of one of my two eyes.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> I have no desire
to flaunt my woes in the public gaze, nor to exaggerate the cause I have for tears; would that I had
some means to make it less! But how can I forget
the charm of his face, the sweetness of his speech,
his first flashes of promise, and his actual possession
of a calm and, incredible though it may seem, a
powerful mind. Such a child would have captivated
my affections, even had he been another's.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> Nor was
this all; to enhance my agony the malignity of
designing fortune had willed that he should devote
all his love to me, preferring me to his nurses, to
his grandmother who brought him up, and all those
who, as a rule, win the special affection of infancy.
<milestone unit="section" n="9" />I am, therefore, grateful to the grief that came to
me some few months before his loss in the death
of his mother, the best of women, whose virtues
were beyond all praise. For I have less reason to
weep my own fate than to rejoice at hers.</p>
<p>After these calamities all my hopes, all my delight
were centred on my little Quintilian, and he might
have sufficed to console me.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> For his gifts were not
merely in the bud like those of his brother: as
early as his ninth birthday he had put forth sure
and well-formed fruit. By my own sorrows, by the
testimony of my own sad heart, by his departed
spirit, the deity at whose shrine my grief does
worship, I swear that I discerned in him such talent,
not merely in receiving instruction, although in all
my wide experience I have never seen his like, nor
in his power of spontaneous application, to which his

<pb id="p.379" />

teachers can bear witness, but such upright, pious,
humane and generous feelings, as alone might have
sufficed to fill me with the dread of the fearful
thunder-stroke that has smitten me down: for it
is a matter of common observation that those who
ripen early die young, and that there is some malign
influence that delights in cutting short the greatest
promise and refusing to permit our joys to pass
beyond the bound allotted to mortal man.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> He
possessed every incidental advantage as well, a
pleasing and resonant voice, a sweetness of speech,
and a perfect correctness in pronouncing every letter
both in Greek and Latin, as though either were his
native tongue. But all these were but the promise
of greater things. He had finer qualities, courage
and dignity, and the strength to resist both fear
and pain. What fortitude he showed during an illness of eight months, till all his physicians marvelled
at him! How he consoled me during his last
moments. How even in the wanderings of delirium
did his thoughts recur to his lessons and his literary
studies, even when his strength was sinking and he
was no longer ours to claim!<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> Child of my vain
hopes, did I see your eyes fading in death and your
breath take its last flight? Had I the heart to
receive your fleeting spirit,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">It was customary for the next-of-kin to receive in the
mouth the last breath of the dying to continue the existence
of the spirit.</note> as I embraced your cold
pale body, and to live on breathing the common air.
Justly do I endure the agony that now is mine, and
the thoughts that torment me.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> Have I lost you at
the moment when adoption by a consular had given
hope that you would rise to all the high offices of
state, when you were destined to be the son-in-law
of your uncle the praetor, and gave promise of
rivalling the eloquence of your grandsire? and do I

<pb id="p.381" />

your father survive only to weep? May my endurance (not my will to live, for that is gone from me)
prove me worthy of you through all my remaining
years. For it is in vain that we impute all our ills
to fortune. No man grieves long save through his
own fault.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> But I still live, and must find something
to make life tolerable, and must needs put faith in
the verdict of the wise, who held that literature
alone can provide true solace in adversity. Yet, if
ever the violence of my present grief subside and
admit the intrusion of some other thought on so
many sorrowful reflexions, I may with good cause
ask pardon for the delay in bringing my work to
completion. Who can wonder that my studies have
been interrupted, when the real marvel is that they
have not been broken off altogether?<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> Should
certain portions therefore betray a lack of finish
compared with what was begun in the days when
my affliction was less profound, I would ask that the
imperfections should be regarded with indulgence,
as being due to the cruel tyranny of fortune, which,
if it has not utterly extinguished, has at any rate
weakened such poor powers of intellect as I once
possessed. But for this very reason I must rouse
myself to face my task with greater spirit, since it
is easy to despise fortune, though it may be hard
to bear her blows. For there is nothing left that
she can do to me, since out of my calamities she
has wrought for me a security which, full of sorrow
though it be, is such that nothing can shake it.
<milestone unit="section" n="16" />And the very fact that I have no personal interest
in persevering with my present work, but am moved
solely by the desire to serve others, if indeed anything that I write can be of such service, is a reason

<pb id="p.383" />

for regarding my labours with an indulgent eye.
Alas! I shall bequeath it, like my patrimony, for
others than those to whom it was my design to
leave it.</p>

<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="1" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />The next subject which I was going to discuss
was the peroration which some call the completion
and others the conclusion. There are two kinds of
peroration, for it may deal either with facts or with
the emotional aspect of the case. The repetition
and grouping of the facts, which the Greeks call
<foreign lang="greek">a)nakefalai/wsis</foreign> and some of our own writers call the
enumeration, serves both to refresh the memory of
the judge and to place the whole of the case before
his eyes, and, even although the facts may have
made little impression on him in detail, their cumulative effect is considerable.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> This final recapitulation must be as brief as possible and, as the
Greek term indicates, we must summarise the facts
under the appropriate heads. For if we devote
too much time thereto, the peroration will cease
to be an enumeration and will constitute something very like a second speech. On the other
hand the points selected for enumeration must
be treated with weight and dignity, enlivened
by apt reflexions and diversified by suitable figures;
for there is nothing more tiresome than a dry repetition of facts, which merely suggests a lack of
confidence in the judges' memory.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> There are however innumerable ways in which this may be done.
The finest example is provided by Cicero's prosecution of Verres.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">V. lii. 136</note> <quote>If your own father were among
your judges, what would he say when these facts
were proved against you?</quote> Then follows the

<pb id="p.385" />

enumeration. Another admirable example<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> lxxii.</note> may be found
in the same speech where the enumeration of the
temples which the praetor had despoiled takes the
form of invoking the various deities concerned. We
may also at times pretend to be in doubt whether
we have not omitted something and to wonder what
the accused will say in reply to certain points or
what hope tile accuser can have after the manner in
which we have refuted all the charges brought against
us.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> But the most attractive form of peroration is
that which we may use when we have an opportunity of drawing some argument from our opponent's
speech, as for instance when we say <quote>He omitted to
deal with this portion of tile case,</quote> or <quote>He preferred
to crush us by exciting odium against us,</quote> or <quote>He
had good reason for resorting to entreaty, since lie
knew certain facts.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="5" /> But I must refrain from dealing with the various methods individually, for fear
that the instances that I produce should be regarded
as exhaustive, whereas our opportunities spring from
the nature of the particular case, from the statements
of our opponents and also from fortuitous circumstances. Nor must we restrict ourselves to recapitulating the points of our own speech, but must call
upon our opponent to reply to certain questions.
<milestone unit="section" n="6" />This however is only possible if there is time for him
to do so and if the arguments which we have put
forward are such as not to admit of refutation. For
to challenge points which tell in our opponent's
favour is not to argue against him, but to play the
part of prompter to him.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> The majority of Athenians
and almost all philosophers who have left anything
in writing on the art of oratory have held that the
recapitulation is the sole form of peroration. I

<pb id="p.387" />

imagine that the reason why the Athenians did so
was that appeals to the emotions were forbidden to
Athenian orators, a proclamation to this effect being
actually made by the court-usher.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Athenaens (xiii. 6, 590 E) states that a law against
appeals to the emotions was passed at Athens after Hyperides' defence of 'hryne (<hi rend="italics">see</hi> <milestone unit="chapter" n="2" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />xv. 9.). But there is no real
evidence for the existence of such a law save in cases tried
before the Areopagps (see Arist. <hi rend="italics">Rhet.</hi> I. i. 5). Appeals for
pity were as freely employed in the ordinary courts of
Athens during the fourth century as at Rome. When Xenophon (<hi rend="italics">Mem.</hi> iv. iv. 4) says that Socrates refused to beg
mercy of his judges contrary to the law, he seems to refer
to the spirit, not the letter.</note> I am less surprised at the philosophers taking this view, for they
regard susceptibility to emotion as a vice, and think
it immoral that the judge should be distracted from
the truth by an appeal to his emotions and that
it is unbecoming for a good man to make use of
vicious procedure to serve his ends. None the less
they must admit that appeals to emotion are necessary if there are no other means for securing the
victory of truth, justice and the public interest.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> It
is however admitted by all that recapitulation may
be profitably employed in other portions of the
speech as well, if the case is complicated and a
number of different arguments have been employed
in the defence; though no one will doubt but that
there are many cases, in which no recapitulation at
all is necessary at any point, assuming, that is, that
the cases are both brief and simple. This part of
the peroration is common both to the prosecution
and the defence.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="9" />Both parties as a general rule may likewise employ the appeal to the emotions, but they will
appeal to different emotions and the defender will
employ such appeals with greater frequency and
fulness. For the accuser has to rouse the judge,
while the defender has to soften him. Still even
the accuser will sometimes make his audience weep
by the pity excited for the man whose wrongs he
seeks to avenge, while the defendant will at times
develop no small vehemence when he complains of
the injustice of the calumny or conspiracy of which

<pb id="p.389" />

he is the victim. It will therefore be best to treat
these duties separately: as I have already said,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IV. i. 27, 28.</note> they
are much the same in the peroration as in the
exordium, but are freer and wider in scope in the
former.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> For our attempts to sway the judges are
made more sparingly at the commencement of the
speech, when it is enough that such an attempt
should gain admittance and we have the whole
speech before us. On the other hand in the peroration we have to consider what the feelings of the
judge will be when he retires to consider his verdict,
for we shall have no further opportunity to say anything and cannot any longer reserve arguments to be
produced later.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> It is therefore the duty of both parties
to seek to win the judge's goodwill and to divert it
from their opponent, as also to excite or assuage his
emotions. And the following brief rule may be laid
down for the observation of both parties, that the
orator should display the full strength of his case
before the eyes of the judge, and, when he has made
up his mind what points in his case actually deserve
or may seem to deserve to excite envy, goodwill,
dislike or pity, should dwell on those points by which
he himself would be most moved were he trying the
case.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> But it will be safer to discuss these considerations in detail.</p>
<p>The points likely to commend the accuser to the
judge have already been stated in my remarks on
the exordium.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IV. i 5 <hi rend="italics">sq.</hi></note> There are however certain things
which require fuller treatment in the peroration
than in the exordium, where it is sufficient merely to
outline them. This fuller treatment is specially
required if the accused be a man of violent, unpopular or dangerous character or if the

<pb id="p.391" />

condemnation of the accused is likely to cover the judges with
glory or his acquittal with disgrace.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> Calvus for
example in his speech against Vatinius makes an
admirable remark: <quote>You know, gentlemen, that
bribery has been committed and everybody knows
that you know it.</quote> Cicero again in the <hi rend="italics">Verrines</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">I. xv. 43.</note>
says that the ill-name acquired by the courts may
be effaced by the condemnation of Verres, a statement that comes under the head of the conciliatory
methods mentioned above. The appeal to tear also,
if it is necessary to employ it to produce a like effect,
occupies a more prominent place in the peroration
than in the exordium, but I have expressed my views
on this subject in an earlier book.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IV . i. 20, 21.</note><milestone unit="section" n="14" /> The peroration
also provides freer opportunities for exciting the
passions of jealousy, hatred or anger. As regards the
circumstances likely to excite such feelings in the
judge, jealousy will be produced by the influence of
the accused, hatred by the disgraceful nature of his
conduct, and anger by his disrespectful attitude to
the court, if, for instance, he be contumacious,
arrogant or studiously indifferent: such anger may be
aroused not merely by specific acts or words, but by
his looks, bearing and manner. In this connexion
the remark made by the accuser of Cossutianus
Capito<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See Tac. Ann. xiii. 33. Cossutianus was condemned for
extortion in his province. His accuser is not known.</note> in my young days was regarded with great
approval: the words used were Greek, but may be
translated thus:—<quote>You blush to fear even Caesar.</quote>
<milestone unit="section" n="15" />The best way however for the accuser to excite the
feelings of the judge is to make the charge which he
brings against the accused seem as atrocious or, if
feasible, as deplorable as possible. Its atrocity may
be enhanced by considerations of the nature of
the act, the position of its author or the victim, the

<pb id="p.393" />

purpose, time, place and manner of the act: all of
which may be treated with infinite variety.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> Suppose
that we are complaining that our client has been
beaten. We must first speak of the act itself; we
shall then proceed to point out that the victim was
an old man, a child, a magistrate, an honest man or
a benefactor to the state; we shall also point out
that the assailant was a worthless and contemptible
fellow, or (to take the opposite case) was in a
position of excessive power or was the last man who
should have given the blow, or again that the
occasion was a solemn festival, or that the act was
committed at a time when such crimes were
punished with special severity by the courts or when
public order was at a dangerously low ebb. Again
the hatred excited by the act will be enhanced if it
was committed in the theatre, in a temple, or at
a public assembly,<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> and if the blow was given not
in mistake or in a moment of passion or, if it
was the result of passion which was quite unjustifiable, being due to the fact that the victim
had gone to the assistance of his father or had
made some reply or was a candidate for the same
office as his assailant; or finally we may hint that
he wished to inflict more serious injury than he
succeeded in inflicting. But it is the manner of the
act that contributes most to the impression of its
atrocity, if, for example, the blow was violent or insulting: thus Demosthenes<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">in Mid.</hi> 72.</note> seeks to excite hatred
against Midias by emphasising the position of the
blow, the attitude of the assailant and the expression
of his face.<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> It is in this connexion that we shall
have to consider whether a man was killed by sword
or fire or poison, by one wound or several, and

<pb id="p.395" />

whether he was slain on the spot or tortured by
being kept in suspense. The accuser will also
frequently attempt to excite pity by complaining of
the fate of the man whom he is seeking to avenge or
of the desolation which has fallen upon his children
or parents.<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> The judges may also be moved by drawing a picture of the future, of the fate which awaits
those who have complained of violence and wrong,
if they fail to secure justice. They must go into exile,
give up their property or endure to the end whatever their enemy may choose to inflict upon them.
<milestone unit="section" n="20" />But it will more frequently be the duty of the
accuser to divert the judge from all the temptations
to pity which the accused will place before him, and
to incite him to give a strong and dispassionate
verdict. It will also be his duty in this connexion
to forestall the arguments and actions to which his
opponent seems likely to have recourse. For it
makes the judge more cautious in observing the
sanctity of his oath and destroys the influence of
those who are going to reply to us when the arguments used by the defence have already been dealt
with by the prosecution, since they lose their novelty.
An instance of this will be found in the speech of
Messala against Aufidia,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> IV. ii. 106. See note prefixed to Index. 207.</note> where he warns Servius
Sulpicius not to talk about the peril which
threatens the signatories to the document and the
defendant herself. Again Aesehines<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">in Ctes.</hi></note> foretells the
line of defence which Demosthenes will pursue.
There are also occasions when the judges should be
told what answer they should make to requests on
behalf of the accused, a proceeding which is a form
of recapitulation.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="21" />If we turn to the defendant, we must note that

<pb id="p.397" />

his worth, nis manly pursuits, the scars from wounds
received in battle, his rank and the services rendered
by his ancestors, will all commend him to the goodwill of the judges. Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See iv. i. 69.</note> as I have already pointed
out, and Asinius both make use of this form of
appeal: indeed they may almost be regarded as
rivals in this respect, since Cicero employed it when
defending the elder Scaurus, Asinius when defending the son. Again,<milestone unit="section" n="22" /> the cause which has brought
the accused into peril may serve to produce the
same effect, if, for example, it appears that he has
incurred enmity on account of some honourable
action: above all his goodness, humanity or pity
may be emphasised with this end in view. For it
adds to the apparent justice of his claim, if all that
he asks of the judge is that he should grant to him
what he himself has granted to others. We may
also in this connexion lay stress on the interests of
the state, the glory which will accrue to the judges,
the importance of the precedent which their verdict
will set and the place it will hold in the memory of
after generations.<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> But the appeal which will carry
most weight is the appeal to pity, which not merely
forces the judge to change his views, but even to
betray his emotion by tears. Such appeals to pity
will be based either on the previous or present
sufferings of the accused, or on those which await
him if condemned. And the force of our appeal will
be doubled if we contrast the fortune which he now
enjoys with that to which he will be reduced, if he
fail.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> In this connexion great play may be made by
reference to the age and sex of the accused, or to
his nearest and dearest, that is, his children, parents
and kindred, all of which topics are treated in

<pb id="p.399" />

different ways. Sometimes the advocate himself may
even assume the role of close intimacy with his
client, as Cicero does in the <hi rend="italics">pro Milone,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xxxvii. 102.</note> where he
cries: <quote>Alas, unhappy that I am! Alas, my unfortunate friend! You succeeded by the agency of
those who are now your judges in recalling me to
my native land, and cannot I through the same
agency retain you in yours?</quote> Such a method is
especially serviceable when, as was the case with
Milo, entreaty is not in keeping with the character
of the accused.<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> Who would have endured to hear
Milo pleading for his life, when he admitted that
he had killed a man of noble birth because it was
his duty to do so? Consequently Cicero sought to
win the judges' goodwill for Milo by emphasising
the staunchness of his character, and himself assumed
the role of suppliant.</p>
<p>Impersonation may also be employed with profit
in such passages, and by impersonations I mean
fictitious speeches supposed to be uttered, such as
an advocate puts into the mouth of his client. The
bare facts are no doubt moving in themselves; but
when we pretend that the persons concerned themselves are speaking, the personal note adds to the
emotional effect.<milestone unit="section" n="26" /> For then the judge seems no
longer to be listening to a voice bewailing another's
ills, but to hear the voice and feelings of the unhappy
victims, men whose appearance alone would call
forth his tears even though they uttered never a
word. And as their plea would awaken yet greater
pity if they urged it with their own lips, so it is
rendered to some extent all the more effective when
it is, as it were, put into their mouth by their
advocate: we may draw a parallel from the stage,

<pb id="p.401" />

where the actor's voice and delivery produce greater
emotional effect when he is speaking in an assumed
role than when he speaks in his own character.
Consequently Cicero, to quote him once again,
<milestone unit="section" n="27" />although he will not put entreaties into Milo's
mouth, and prefers to commend him by his staunchness of character, still lends him words in the form
of such complaint as may become a brave man.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mil.</hi> xxxiv. 94.</note>
<quote>Alas!</quote> he says, <quote><hi rend="italics">my</hi> labours have been in vain!
Alas for my blighted hopes! Alas for my baffled
purpose!</quote></p>
<p>Appeals to pity should, however, always be brief,
and there is good reason for the saying that nothing
dries so quickly as tears.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">A quotation from the rhetorician Apollonius, <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Cic.
<hi rend="italics">de. Inv.</hi> i. 56.</note><milestone unit="section" n="28" /> Time assuages even
genuine grief, and it is therefore inevitable that the
semblance of grief portrayed in our speech should
vanish yet more rapidly. And if we spend too much
time over such portrayal our hearer grows weary of
his tears, takes a breathing space, and returns once
more to the rational attitude from which lie has
been distracted by the impulse of the moment.<milestone unit="section" n="29" /> We
must not, therefore, allow the effect which we have
produced to fall flat, and must consequently abandon
our appeal to the emotion just when that emotion
is at its height, nor must we expect anyone to
weep for long over another's ills. For this reason
our eloquence ought to be pitched higher in this
portion of our speech than in any other, since,
wherever it fails to add something to what has preceded, it seems even to diminish its previous effect,
while a <hi rend="italics">diminuendo</hi> is merely a step towards the
rapid disappearance of the emotion.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="30" />Actions as well as words may be employed to
move the court to tears. Hence the custom of

<pb id="p.403" />

bringing accused persons into court wearing squalid
and unkempt attire, and of introducing their children
and parents, and it is with this in view that we see
blood-stained swords, fragments of bone taken from
the wound, and garments spotted with blood, displayed by the accusers, wounds stripped of their
dressings, and scourged bodies bared to view.<milestone unit="section" n="31" /> The
impression produced by such exhibitions is generally
enormous, since they seem to bring the spectators
face to face with the cruel facts. For example, the
sight of the bloodstains on the purple-bordered toga
of Gaius Caesar, which was carried at the head of
his funeral procession, aroused the Roman people to
fury. They knew that he had been killed; they
had even seen his body stretched upon the bier:
but his garment, still wet with his blood, brought
such a vivid image of the crime before their minds,
that Caesar seemed not to have been murdered, but
to be being murdered before their very eyes.<milestone unit="section" n="32" /> Still I
would not for this reason go so far as to approve a
practice of which I have read, and which indeed I
have occasionally witnessed, of bringing into court
a picture of the crime painted on wood or canvas,
that the judge might be stirred to fury by the
horror of the sight. For the pleader who prefers
a voiceless picture to speak for him in place of his
own eloquence must be singularly incompetent.<milestone unit="section" n="33" /> On
the other hand, I know that the wearing of mourning and the presentation of an unkempt appearance,
and the introduction of relatives similarly arrayed,
has proved of value, and that entreaties have been
of great service to save the accused from condemnation. The practice therefore of appealing to the
judges by all that is near and dear to them will be

<pb id="p.405" />

of great service to the accused, especially if he, too,
has children, a wife and parents.<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> Invocation of the
gods, again, usually gives the impression that the
speaker is conscious of the justice of his cause, while
it may produce a good effect if the accused throws
himself on the ground and embraces the knees of
the judges, unless his character, his past life and
station prohibit a resort to this device: for there are
some acts which require to be defended with no less
boldness than was required for their commission. But
we must take care not to carry matters with too
high a hand, for fear of creating a bad impression
by an appearance of over-confidence.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> although such entreaties are effective, they cannot
always be employed. Thus they would have been out of
place in the case of Milo, whose character was such that it
was necessary to defend him with a boldness worthy of the
boldness required to perform the deed of which he was
accused. Still we must not carry such methods (<hi rend="italics">e.g.</hi> such
as Cicero employs on behalf of Milo) too far.</note><milestone unit="section" n="35" /> The most
effective of all such methods was in times past that
by which more than anything else Cicero is considered to have saved Lucius Murena<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Mur.</hi> xxxvii. 79.</note> from the
attacks of his accusers, who were men of the greatest
distinction. For he persuaded the court that nothing
was more necessary in view of the critical position
of affairs than that Murena should assume the consulship on the thirty-first of December. This form of
appeal is now, however, almost entirely obsolete,
since the safety of the state is to-day dependent on
the watchful care of a single ruler, and cannot conceivably be imperilled by the result of a trial.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="36" />I have spoken of accusers and accused because it
is in situations involving danger that the emotional
appeal is most serviceable. But private cases also
admit of both kinds of peroration, namely, that which
consists in the recapitulation of the proofs and that
which takes the form of an appeal for pity, the
latter being employed when the position or reputation of the litigant seems to be in danger. For to

<pb id="p.407" />

embark on such tragic methods in trivial cases would
be like putting the mask and buskins of Hercules
on a small child.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="37" />It is also worth while pointing out that, in my
opinion, the manner in which the client whose
sorrows we parade before the court conforms his
behaviour to the methods of his advocate is of the
utmost importance. For sometimes our appeal falls
flat owing to the ignorance, rusticity, indifference or
uncouthness of our client, and it is consequently
most important that the advocate should take all
necessary precautions in this connexion.<milestone unit="section" n="38" /> I have
often seen clients whose behaviour was wholly out
of keeping with the line adopted by their counsel,
since their expression showed not the slightest
emotion, while they displayed a most unseasonable
cheerfulness and even aroused laughter by their
looks or actions; such incongruity is especially frequent when the appeal is of a theatrical character.
<milestone unit="section" n="39" />On one occasion an advocate produced a girl alleged
to be the sister of the opposing party (for it was on
this point that the dispute turned) and led her
across to the benches occupied by his opponents as
though to leave her in the arms of her brother: I however had given tile brother timely warning and he had
left his seat. The advocate, although as a rule an
eloquent speaker, was struck dumb by the unexpected
turn of events and took his little girl back again in
the tamest possible manner.<milestone unit="section" n="40" /> There was another
advocate who was defending a woman who thought
to secure a great effect by producing the portrait of
her husband, but sent the court into repeated
peals of laughter. For the persons entrusted with
the duty of handing in the portrait had no idea

<pb id="p.409" />

of the nature of a peroration and displayed it whenever the advocate looked their way, and when at last
it was produced at the proper moment it destroyed
all the good effect of his previous eloquence by its
hideousness, for it was a wax cast taken from an old
man's corpse.<milestone unit="section" n="41" /> We are also familiar with the story
of what happened to Glycon, nicknamed Spiridion.
He asked a boy whom he produced in court why he
was crying; to which the boy replied, that his
<hi rend="italics">paedagogus</hi> was pinching him. But the most effective
warning as to the perils which beset the peroration
is the story told by Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent. xx.</hi> <hi rend="italics">sqq. ep.</hi> Quint. VI. iii. 40.</note> about the Caepasii.
<milestone unit="section" n="42" />But all these perils may be boldly faced by those
who have no difficulty in changing their line of
pleading. Those however who cannot get away
from what they have written, are reduced to silence
by such emergencies or else led into making false
statements, as for instance if an advocate should say,
<quote>He stretches out suppliant hands to embrace your
knees,</quote> or <quote>The unhappy man is locked in the
embrace of his children,</quote> or <quote>See he recalls me to
the point,</quote> although the person in question is doing
none of these things.<milestone unit="section" n="43" /> Such faults are due to the
practice of the schools, where we are free to feign
what we will with impunity, because we are at
liberty to invent facts. But this is impossible when
we are confronted with realities, and it was an
excellent remark that Cassius made to a young
orator who said, <quote>Why do you look so fiercely at
me, Severus?</quote> To which he replied, <quote>I was doing
nothing of the kind, but if it is in your manuscript,
here you are!</quote> And he fixed his eyes on him with
the most ferocious scowl that he could muster.
<milestone unit="section" n="44" />There is one point which it is specially important to

<pb id="p.411" />

remember, that we should never attempt to move our
audience to tears without drawing on all the resources
of our eloquence. For while this form of emotional
appeal is the most effective of all, when successful,
its failure results in anti-climax, and if the pleader is
a feeble speaker he would have been wiser to leave
the pathos of the situation to the imagination of the
judges.<milestone unit="section" n="45" /> For look and voice and even the expression
on the face of the accused to which the attention of
the court is drawn will generally awaken laughter
where they fail to awaken compassion. Therefore
the pleader must measure and make a careful
estimate of his powers, and must have a just comprehension of the difficulty of the task which he
contemplates. For there is no halfway house in such
matters between tears and laughter.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="46" />The task of the peroration is not however confined
to exciting pity in the judges: it may also be required to dispel the pity which they feel, either by
a set speech designed to recall them from their tears
to a consideration of the justice of the case, or by a
few witticisms such as, <quote>Give the boy some bread to
stop him crying,</quote> or the remark made by counsel
to a corpulent client, whose opponent, a mere child,
had been carried round the court by his advocate,
<quote>What am I to do? I can't carry you!</quote><milestone unit="section" n="47" /> Such
jests should not however descend to buffoonery.
Consequently I cannot give my approval to the
orator, although he was one of the most distinguished speakers of his day, who, when his opponent
brought in some children to enhance the effect of
his peroration, threw some dice among them, with
the result that they began to scramble for them.
For their childish ignorance of the perils with which

<pb id="p.413" />

they were threatened might in itself have awakened
compassion.<milestone unit="section" n="48" /> For the same reason I cannot commend
the advocate who, when his opponent the accuser
produced a bloodstained sword in court, fled suddenly
from the benches as though in an agony of terror,
and then, when his turn came to plead, peeped out
of the crowd with his head half covered by his robe
and asked whether the man with the sword had
gone away. For though he caused a laugh, he made
himself ridiculous.<milestone unit="section" n="49" /> Still, theatrical effects of the
kind we are discussing can be dispelled by the
power of eloquence. Cicero provides most admirable
examples of the way in which this may be done both
in the <hi rend="italics">pro Rabirio</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp. Pro Rab.</hi> ix 24.</note> where he attacks the production
in court of the portrait of Saturninus in the most
dignified language, and in the <hi rend="italics">pro Vareno</hi> where he
launches a number of witticisms against a youth
whose wound had been unbound at intervals in the
course of the trial.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="50" />There are also milder kinds of peroration in which,
if our opponent is of such a character that he deserves to be treated with respect, we strive to
ingratiate ourselves with him or give him some
friendly warning or urge him to regard us as his
friends. This method was admirably employed by
Passienus when he pleaded in a suit brought by his
wife Domitia against her brother Ahenobarbus for
the recovery of a sum of money: he began by
making a number of remarks about the relationship
of the two parties and then, referring to their
wealth, which was in both cases enormous, added,
<quote>There is nothing either of you need less than the
subject of this dispute.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="51" />All these appeals to emotion, although some hold

<pb id="p.415" />

that they should be confined to the exordium and
the peroration, which are, I admit, the places where
they are most often used, may be employed in other
portions of the speech as well, but more briefly, since
most of them must be reserved for the opening or
the close. But it is in tile peroration, if anywhere,
that we must let loose the whole torrent of our
eloquence.<milestone unit="section" n="52" /> For, if we have spoken well in the rest
of our speech, we shall now have the judges on our
side, and shall be in a position, now that we have
emerged from the reefs and shoals, to spread all our
canvas, while since the chief task of the peroration
consists of amplification, we may legitimately make
free use of words and reflexions that are magnificent
and ornate. It is at the close of our drama that we
must really stir the theatre, when we have reached
the place for the phrase with which the old tragedies
and comedies used to end, <quote>Friends, give us your
applause.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="53" />In other portions of the speech we must appeal
to the emotions as occasion may arise. For it would
clearly be wrong to set forth facts calling for horror
and pity without any such appeal, while, if the
question arises as to the quality of any fact, such
an appeal may justifiably be subjoined to the proofs
of the fact in question.<milestone unit="section" n="54" /> When we are pleading a
complicated case which is really made up of several
cases, it will be necessary to introduce a number of
passages resembling perorations, as Cicero does in
the <hi rend="italics">Vetrines,</hi> where he laments over Philodamus, the
ships' captains, the crucifixion of the Roman citizen,
and a number of other tragic incidents.<milestone unit="section" n="55" /> Some call
these <foreign lang="greek">merikoi\ e)pi/logoi,</foreign> by which they mean a peroration distributed among different portions of a speech.

<pb id="p.417" />

I should regard them rather as <hi rend="italics">species</hi> than as <hi rend="italics">parts</hi>
of the peroration, since the terms epilogue and
peroration both clearly indicate that they form the
conclusion of a speech.</p>
<p>II. The peroration is the most important part of
forensic pleading, and in the main consists of appeals
to the emotions, concerning which I have consequently been forced to say something. But I
have not yet been able to give the topic specific
consideration as a whole, nor should I have been
justified in doing so. We have still, therefore,
to discuss a task which forms tile most powerful
means of obtaining what we desire, and is also
more difficult than any of those which we have
previously considered, namely that of stirring the
emotions of the judges, and of moulding and
transforming them to the attitude which we
desire.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> The few remarks which I have already
made on this subject were only such as were
essential to my theme, while my purpose was rather
to show what ought to be done than to set forth the
manner in which we can secure our aim. I must
now review the whole subject in a more exhaustive
fashion.</p>
<p>There is scope for an appeal to the emotions, as
I have already said,1 in every portion of a speech.
Moreover these emotions present great variety, and
demand more than cursory treatment, since it is in
their handling that the power of oratory shews itself
at its highest. Even a slight and limited talent may,
<milestone unit="section" n="3" />with the assistance of practice or learning, perhaps
succeed in giving life to other departments of oratory,
and in developing them to a serviceable extent. At
any rate there are, and have always been, a

<pb id="p.419" />

considerable number of pleaders capable of discovering
arguments adequate to prove their points. I am far
from despising such, but I consider that their utility
is restricted to providing the judge with such facts
as it is necessary for him to know, and, to be quite
frank, I regard them merely as suitable persons to
instruct pleaders of real eloquence in the facts of
a case. But few indeed are those orators who can
sweep the judge with them, lead him to adopt
that attitude of mind which they desire, and compel
him to weep with them or share their anger.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> And
yet it is this emotional power that dominates
the court, it is this form of eloquence that is the
queen of all. For as a rule arguments arise out of
the case itself, and the better cause has always the
larger number to support it, so that the party who
wills by means of them will have no further satisfaction than that of knowing that his advocate did not
fail him.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> But the peculiar task of the orator arises
when the minds of the judges require force to move
them, and their thoughts have actually to be led away
from the contemplation of the truth. No instruction
from the litigant can secure this, nor can such power
be acquired merely by the study of a brief. Proofs, it
is true, may induce the judges to regard our case
as superior to that of our opponent, but the appeal
to the emotions will do more, for it will make them
wish our case to be the better. And what they
wish, they will also believe.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> For as soon as they
begin to be angry, to feel favourably disposed, to
hate or pity, they begin to take a personal interest
in the case, and just as lovers are incapable of
forming a reasoned judgment on the beauty of the
object of their affections, because passion forestalls

<pb id="p.421" />

the sense of sight, so the judge, when overcome by
his emotions, abandons all attempt to enquire into
the truth of the arguments, is swept along by the
tide of passion, and yields himself unquestioning to
the torrent.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> Thus the verdict of the court shows
how much weight has been carried by the arguments
and the evidence; but when the judge has been
really moved by the orator he reveals his feelings
while he is still sitting and listening to the case.
When those tears, which are the aim of most perorations, well forth from his eyes, is he not giving his
verdict for all to see? It is to this, therefore, that
the orator must devote all his powers,

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit>
<quote><l>There lie the task and toil!</l></quote><bibl default="NO"><hi rend="italics">Aen.</hi> vi. 128.</bibl></cit></quote>

Without this all else is bare and meagre, weak and
devoid of charm. For it is in its power over the
emotions that the life and soul of oratory is to be
found.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="8" />Emotions however, as we learn from ancient
authorities, fall into two classes; the one is called
<hi rend="italics">pathos</hi> by the Greeks and is rightly and correctly expressed in Latin by <hi rend="italics">adfectus</hi> (emotion): the other is
called <hi rend="italics">ethos,</hi> a word for which in my opinion Latin has
no equivalent: it is however rendered <hi rend="italics">by mores</hi> (morals)
and consequently the branch of philosophy known as
<hi rend="italics">ethics</hi> is styled <hi rend="italics">moral</hi> philosophy by us.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> But close
consideration of the nature of the subject leads me
to think that in this connexion it is not so much
<hi rend="italics">morals</hi> in general that is meant as certain peculiar
aspects; for the term <hi rend="italics">morals</hi> includes every attitude
of the mind. The more cautious writers have preferred to give the sense of the term rather than to
translate it into Latin. They therefore explain <hi rend="italics">pathos</hi>

<pb id="p.423" />

as describing the more violent emotions and <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> as
designating those which are calm and gentle: in the
one case the passions are violent, in the other subdued, the former command and disturb, the latter
persuade and induce a feeling of goodwill.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> Some
add that <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> is continuous, while <hi rend="italics">pathos</hi> is momentary. While admitting that this is usually the ease,
I still hold that there are some subjects which
demand that the more violent emotion should be
continuous. But, although the gentler emotions
require less force and impetus, they call for no less
art and experience than the more vehement, and are
demanded in a greater number of cases, indeed in a
certain sense they are required in all.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> For as everything treated by the orator may be regarded from
the ethical standpoint, we may apply the word <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi>
whenever he speaks of what is honourable and expedient or of what ought or ought not to be done.
Some regard commendation and excuse as the peculiar spheres of <hi rend="italics">ethos,</hi> but while I admit that they do
fall within its sphere, I do not regard them as being
alone in so doing.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> Indeed I would add that <hi rend="italics">pathos</hi>
and <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> are sometimes of the same nature, differing
only in degree; love for instance comes under the
head of <hi rend="italics">pathos,</hi> affection of <hi rend="italics">ethos;</hi> sometimes however
they differ, a distinction which is important for the
peroration, since <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> is generally employed to calm
the storm aroused by <hi rend="italics">pathos.</hi> I ought however to
explain what is meant by <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> in greater detail,
since the term is not in itself sufficiently expressive
of its meaning.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> The <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> which I have in my mind
and which I desiderate in an orator is commended
to our approval by goodness more than aught else
and is not merely calm and mild, but in most cases

<pb id="p.425" />

ingratiating and courteous and such as to excite
pleasure and affection in our hearers, while the chief
merit in its expression lies in making it seem that
all that we say derives directly from the nature of
the facts and persons concerned and in the revelation of the character of the orator in such a way that
all may recognise it.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> This kind of <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> should be
especially displayed in cases where the persons concerned are intimately connected, whenever we
tolerate or pardon any act or offer satisfaction or
admonition, in all of which cases there should be no
trace of anger or hatred. On the other hand the
moderation shown by a father to his son, a guardian
to his ward or a husband to his wife will differ from
that which is shown by an old man to a youthful
stranger who has insulted him or by a man of high
rank to his inferior, since in the former cases they
emphasise their affection for the wrongdoer and
there is no desire to do anything that will excite
dislike against them save by the manifestation of
the fact that they still love them; while in the one
case the offended party should be no more than provoked, in the other he should he really deeply moved.
Of the same character, though less violent,<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> is the
emotion to be shown when we ask pardon for the
errors of the young, or apologise for some youthful
amour. Sometimes again gentle raillery of another's
passion may derive its tone from <hi rend="italics">ethos,</hi> though only
to a partial extent. More closely dependent on <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi>
are the skilful exercise of feigned emotion or the
employment of irony in making apologies or asking
questions, irony being the term which is applied to
words which mean something other than they seem
to express.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> From the same source springs also that

<pb id="p.427" />

more powerful method of exciting hatred, when by
a feigned submission to our opponents we pass silent
censure on their violence. For the very fact of our
yielding serves to demonstrate their insupportable
arrogance, while orators who have a passion for abuse
or are given to affect freedom of speech fail to realise
that it is a far more effective course to make your
antagonist unpopular than to abuse him. For the
former course makes our antagonists disliked, the
latter ourselves.<milestone unit="section" n="17" /> The emotion of love and longing
for our friends and connexions is perhaps of an intermediate character, being stronger than <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> and
weaker than <hi rend="italics">pathos.</hi> There is also good reason for
giving the name of <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> to those scholastic exercises<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> I. ix. 3.</note>
in which we portray rustics, misers, cowards and
superstitious persons according as our theme may
require. For if <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> denotes moral character, our
speech must necessarily be based on <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> when it is
engaged in portraying such character.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="18" />Finally <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> in all its forms requires the speaker to
be a man of good character and courtesy. For it is
most important that he should himself possess or be
thought to possess those virtues for the possession of
which it is his duty, if possible, to commend his client
as well, while the excellence of his own character
will make his pleading all the more convincing and
will be of the utmost service to the cases which he
undertakes. For the orator who gives the impression of being a bad man while he is speaking, is
actually speaking badly, since his words seem to be
insincere owing to the absence of <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> which would
otherwise have revealed itself.<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> Consequently the
style of oratory employed in such cases should be
calm and mild with no trace of pride, elevation or

<pb id="p.429" />

sublimity, all of which would be out of place. It is
enough to speak appropriately, pleasantly and persuasively, and therefore the intermediate<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">i.e. the style intermediate between the restrained (Attic)
and the grand (Asiatic) style.</note> style of
oratory is most suitable.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="20" />The <hi rend="italics">pathos</hi> of the Greeks, which we correctly
translate by <hi rend="italics">emotion,</hi> is of a different character, and
I cannot better indicate the nature of the difference
than by saying that <hi rend="italics">ethos</hi> rather resembles comedy
and <hi rend="italics">pathos</hi> tragedy. For <hi rend="italics">pathos</hi> is almost entirely
concerned with anger, dislike, fear, hatred and pity.
It will be obvious to all what topics are appropriate
to such appeals and I have already spoken on the
subject in discussing the exordium and the peroration.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IV. i and VI. i.</note><milestone unit="section" n="21" /> I wish however to point out that fear is of
two kinds, that which we feel and that which we
cause in others. Similarly there are two kinds of
<hi rend="italics">invidia</hi> (hatred, envy), to which the two adjectives
<hi rend="italics">invidus</hi> (envious) and <hi rend="italics">invidious</hi> (invidious, hateful)
correspond. The first supplies an epithet for persons,
the second for things, and it is in this latter connexion that the orator's task is even more onerous.
For though some things are hateful in themselves
such as parricide, murder, poisoning, other things
have to be made to seem hateful.<milestone unit="section" n="22" /> This latter contingency arises when we attempt to shew that what
we have suffered is of a more horrible nature than
what are usually regarded as great evils. Vergil will
provide an example in the lines<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Aen.</hi> iii. 321.</note>:—</p>

<quote rend="blockquote">
<quote><l>blest beyond all maidens Priam's child,</l>
<l>Beneath Troy's lofty bulwarks doomed to die</l>
<l>Upon the tomb of him that was thy foe.</l></quote></quote>

<p>For how wretched was the lot of Andromache, if
Polyxena be accounted happy in comparison with

<pb id="p.431" />

her!<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> Again the same problem arises when we endeavour to magnify our wrongs by saying that other
far lesser ills are intolerable; <hi rend="italics">e.g.</hi> <quote>If you had merely
struck him, your conduct would have been indefensible. But you did more, you wounded him.</quote>
However I will deal with this subject more fully
when I come to speak of <hi rend="italics">amplification.</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">viii. iv. 9.</note> Meanwhile
I will content myself with the observation that the
aim of appeals to the emotion is not merely to slew
the bitter and grievous nature of ills that actually
are so, but also to make ills which are usually regarded as tolerable seem unendurable, as for instance
when we represent insulting words as inflicting more
grievous injury than an actual blow or represent
disgrace as being worse than death.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> For the force
of eloquence is such that it not merely compels the
judge to the conclusion toward which the nature of
the facts lead him, but awakens emotions which
either do not naturally arise from the case or are
stronger than the case would suggest. This is known
as <hi rend="italics">deriosis,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Lit. <quote>making terrible.</quote></note> that is to say, language giving additional
force to things unjust, cruel or hateful, an accomplishment in which Demosthenes created immense
and special effect.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="25" />If I thought it sufficient to follow traditional rules,
I should regard it as adequate treatment for this
topic to omit nothing that I have read or been
taught, provided that it be reasonably sound. But
my design is to bring to light the secret principles
of this art, and to open up the inmost recesses of
the subject, giving the result not of teaching received from others, but of my own experience and
the guidance of nature herself.<milestone unit="section" n="26" /> The prime essential
for stirring the emotions of others is, in my opinion,

<pb id="p.433" />

first to feel those emotions oneself. It is sometimes
positively ridiculous to counterfeit grief, anger and
indignation, if we content ourselves with accommodating our words and looks and make no attempt
to adapt our own feelings to the emotions to be
expressed. What other reason is there for the
eloquence with which mourners express their grief;
or for the fluency which anger lends even to the
uneducated, save the fact that their minds are
stirred to power by the depth and sincerity of their
feelings? Consequently,<milestone unit="section" n="27" /> if we wish to give our
words the appearance of sincerity, we must assimilate
ourselves to the emotions of those who are genuinely
so affected, and our eloquence must spring from the
same feeling that we desire to produce in the mind
of the judge. Will he grieve who can find no trace
of grief in the words with which I seek to move
him to grief? Will he be angry, if the orator who
seeks to kindle his anger shows no sign of labouring
under the emotion which he demands from his
audience? Will he shed tears if the pleader's eyes
are dry? It is utterly impossible.<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> Fire alone can
kindle, and moisture alone can wet, nor can one
thing impart any colour to another save that which
it possesses itself. Accordingly, the first essential
is that those feelings should prevail with us that
we wish to prevail with the judge, and that we
should be moved ourselves before we attempt to
move others.<milestone unit="section" n="29" /> But how are we to generate these
emotions in ourselves, since emotion is not in our
own power? I will try to explain as best I may. There
are certain experiences which the Greeks call <foreign lang="greek">fantasi/ai,</foreign> and the Romans <hi rend="italics">visions,</hi> whereby things absent
are presented to our imagination with such extreme

<pb id="p.435" />

vividness that they seem actually to be before
our very eyes.<milestone unit="section" n="30" /> It is the man who is really sensitive to such impressions who will have the greatest
power over the emotions. Some writers describe
the possessor of this power of vivid imagination,
whereby things, words and actions are presented
in the most realistic manner, by the Greek word
<foreign lang="greek">eu)fantasi/wtos</foreign> and it is a power which all may
readily acquire if they will. When the mind is unoccupied or is absorbed by fantastic hopes or daydreams, we are haunted by these visions of which
I am speaking to such an extent that we imagine
that we are travelling abroad, crossing the sea, fighting, addressing the people, or enjoying the use of
wealth that we do not actually possess, and seem
to ourselves not to be dreaming but acting. Surely,
then, it may be possible to turn this form of hallucination to some profit.<milestone unit="section" n="31" /> I am complaining that a man
has been murdered. Shall I not bring before my
eyes all the circumstances which it is reasonable to
imagine must have occurred in such a connexion?
Shall I not see the assassin burst suddenly from his
hiding-place, the victim tremble, cry for help, beg
for mercy, or turn to run? Shall I not see the fatal
blow delivered and the stricken body fall? Will
not the blood, the deathly pallor, the groan of
agony, the death-rattle, be indelibly impressed upon
my mind?</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="32" />From such impressions arises that <foreign lang="greek">e)na/rgeia</foreign> which
Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Perhaps an allusion to <hi rend="italics">Part. Or.</hi> vi. 20. <foreign lang="greek">e)na/rgeia</foreign>=clearness.</note> calls <hi rend="italics">illumination</hi> and <hi rend="italics">actuality,</hi> which makes
us seem not so much to narrate as to exhibit the
actual scene, while our emotions will be no less
actively stirred than if we were present at the actual

<pb id="p.437" />

occurrence. Is it not from visions such as these that
Vergil was inspired to write—</p>

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>Sudden her fingers let the shuttle fall</l>
<l>And all the thread was spilled,</l></quote><bibl default="NO"><hi rend="italics">Aen.</hi> ix. 474.</bibl></cit></quote>

<p>Or,</p>

<milestone unit="section" n="33" /><quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>In his smooth breast the gaping wound</l></quote><bibl default="NO"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> xi. 40.</bibl></cit></quote>

<p>or the description of the horse at the funeral of
Pallas, <quote>his trappings laid aside</quote>?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">ib. xi. 89.</note> And how vivid
was the image of death conceived by the poet when
he wrote-</p>
<p><quote>And dying sees his own dear Argive home</quote>?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> x. 783.</note>
Again, when we desire to awaken pity,<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> we must
actually believe that the ills of which we complain
have befallen our own selves, and must persuade
our minds that this is really the case. We must
identify ourselves with the persons of whom we
complain that they have suffered grievous, unmerited
and bitter misfortune, and must plead their case and
for a brief space feel their suffering as though it
were our own, while our words must be such as we
should use if we stood in their shoes.<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> I have often
seen actors, both in tragedy and comedy, leave the
theatre still drowned in tears after concluding the
performance of some moving role. But if the mere
delivery of words written by another has the power
to set our souls on fire with fictitious emotions, what
will the orator do whose duty it is to picture to
himself the facts and who has it in his power to feel
the same emotion as his client whose interests are
at stake?<milestone unit="section" n="36" />Even in the schools it is desirable that
the student should be moved by his theme, and
should imagine it to be true; indeed, it is all the
more desirable then, since, as a rule in scholastic

<pb id="p.439" />

declamations, the speaker more often appears as the
actual litigant than as his advocate. Suppose we are
impersonating an orphan, a shipwrecked man, or one
in grave peril. What profit is there in assuming
such a rôle unless we also assume the emotions
which it involves? I have thought it necessary not
to conceal these considerations from my reader, since
they have contributed to the acquisition of such
reputation for talent as I possess or once possessed.
I have frequently been so much moved while speaking, that I have not merely been wrought upon to
tears, but have turned pale and shown all the
symptoms of genuine grief.</p>
<p><milestone unit="chapter" n="3" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />I now turn to a very different talent, namely
that which dispels the graver emotions of the judge
by exciting his laughter, frequently diverts his attention from the facts of the case, and sometimes even
refreshes him and revives him when he has begun
to be bored or wearied by the case. How hard it
is to attain success in this connexion is shown by
the cases of the two great masters of Greek and
Roman oratory.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> For many think that Demosthenes
was deficient in this faculty, and that Cicero used
it without discrimination. Indeed, it is impossible
to suppose that Demosthenes deliberately avoided
all display of humour, since his few jests are so
unworthy of his other excellences that they clearly
show that he lacked the power, not merely that he
disliked to use it.<milestone unit="section" n="3" /> Cicero, on the other hand, was
regarded as being unduly addicted to jests, not
merely outside the courts, but in his actual speeches
as well. Personally (though whether I am right in
this view, or have been led astray by an exaggerated
admiration for the prince of orators, I cannot say),

<pb id="p.441" />

I regard him as being the possessor of a remarkable
turn of wit. For his daily speech was full of humour,
<milestone unit="section" n="4" />while in his disputes in court and in his examination
of witnesses he produced more good jests than any
other, while the somewhat insipid jokes which he
launches against Verres are always attributed by him
to others and produced as evidence: wherefore, the
more vulgar they are, the more probable is it that
they are not the invention of the orator, but were
current as public property. I wish, however,<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> that
Tiro, or whoever it may have been that published
the three books of Cicero's jests, had restricted their
number and had shown more judgment in selecting
than zeal in collecting them. For he would then
have been less exposed to the censure of his calumniators, although the latter will, in any case, as in
regard to all the manifestations of his genius, find
it easier to detect superfluities than deficiencies.
<milestone unit="section" n="6" />The chief difficulty which confronts the orator in
this connexion lies in the fact that sayings designed
to raise a laugh are generally untrue (and falsehood
always involves a certain meanness), and are often
deliberately distorted, and, further, never complimentary: while the judgments formed by the audience
on such jests will necessarily vary, since the effect of
a jest depends not on the reason, but on an emotion
which it is difficult, if not impossible, to describe.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> For
I do not think that anybody can give an adequate
explanation, though many have attempted to do so, of
the cause of laughter, which is excited not merely
by words or deeds, but sometimes even by touch.
Moreover, there is great variety in the things which
raise a laugh, since we laugh not merely at those
words or actions which are smart or witty, but also

<pb id="p.443" />

at those which reveal folly, anger or fear. Consequently, the cause of laughter is uncertain, since
laughter is never far removed from derision.<milestone unit="section" n="8" /> For,
as Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">De Or.</hi> II. lviii. 236.
Where? <hi rend="italics">De Or.</hi> II. Iviii. 236.</note> says, <quote>Laughter has its basis in some
kind or other of deformity or ugliness,</quote> and whereas,
when we point to such a blemish in others, the
result is known as wit, it is called folly when the
same jest is turned against ourselves.</p>
<p>Now, though laughter may be regarded as a trivial
matter, and an emotion frequently awakened by
buffoons, actors or fools, it has a certain imperious
force of its own which it is very hard to resist.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> It
often breaks out against our will and extorts confession of its power, not merely from our face and
voice, but convulses the whole body as well. Again,
it frequently turns the scale in matters of great
importance, as I have already observed:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Where?</note> for instance,
it often dispels hatred or anger.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> A proof of this is
given by the story of the young men of Tarentum,
who had made a number of scurrilous criticisms of
Pyrrhus over the dinner table: they were called
upon to answer for their statements, and, since the
charge was one that admitted neither of denial nor
of excuse, they succeeded in escaping, thanks to a
happy jest which made the king laugh: for one of
the accused said, <quote>Yes, and if the bottle hadn't
been empty, we should have killed you!</quote> a jest
which succeeded in dissipating the animosity which
the charge had aroused.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="11" />Still, whatever the essence of humour may be, and
although I would not venture to assert that it is altogether independent of art (for it involves a certain
power of observation, and rules for its employment
have been laid down by writers both of Greece and

<pb id="p.445" />

Rome), I will insist on this much, that it depends
mainly on nature and opportunity.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> The influence
of nature consists not merely in the fact that one
man is quicker or cleverer than another in the
invention of jests (for such a power can be increased
by teaching), but also in the possession of some
peculiar charm of look or manner, the effect of which
is such that the same remarks would be less entertaining if uttered by another.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> Opportunity, on the
other hand, is dependent on circumstances, and is of
such importance that with its assistance not merely
the unlearned, but even mere country bumpkins are
capable of producing effective witticisms: while
much again may depend on some previous remark
made by another which will provide opportunity for
repartee. For wit always appears to greater advantage in reply than in attack.<milestone unit="section" n="14" /> We are also confronted by the additional difficulty that there are
no specific exercises for the development of humour
nor professors to teach it. Consequently, while
convivial gatherings and conversation give rise to
frequent displays of wit, since daily practice develops
the faculty, oratorical wit is rare, for it has no fixed
rules to guide it, but must adapt itself to the ways
of the world.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> There has, however, never been anything to prevent the composition of themes such as
will afford scope for humour, so that our controversial declamations may have an admixture of jests,
while special topics may be set which will give the
young student practice in the play of wit.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> Nay,
even those pleasantries in which we indulge on
certain occasions of festive licence (and to which we
give the name of <hi rend="italics">mots,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The meaning of this passage is not clear, and no satisfactory explanation or correction has been suggested.</note> as, indeed, they are), if only
a little more good sense were employed in their

<pb id="p.447" />

invention, and they were seasoned by a slight admixture of seriousness, might afford a most useful
training. As it is, they serve merely to divert the
young and merrymakers.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="17" />There are various names by which we describe
wit, but we have only to consider them separately
to perceive their specific meaning. First, there is
<hi rend="italics">urbanitas,</hi> which I observe denotes language with a
smack of the city in its words, accent and idiom,
and further suggests a certain tincture of learning
derived from associating with well-educated men;
in a word, it represents the opposite of rusticity.
The meaning of <hi rend="italics">venustus</hi> is obvious;<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> it means that
which is said with grace and charm. <hi rend="italics">Salsus</hi> is, as
a rule, applied only to what is laughable: but this
is not its natural application, although whatever is
laughable should have the salt of wit in it. For
Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Orat.</hi> xxvi. 90.</note> when he says that whatever has the salt of
wit is Attic, does not say this because persons of
the Attic school are specially given to laughter;
and again when Catullus says—

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>In all her body not a grain of salt!</l></quote> <bibl default="NO"><hi rend="italics">Cat.</hi> lxxxvi. 4.</bibl></cit></quote>

he does not mean that there is nothing in her body to
give cause for laughter.<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> When, therefore, we speak
of the salt of wit, we refer to wit about which there
is nothing insipid, wit, that is to say, which serves
as a simple seasoning of language, a condiment which
is silently appreciated by our judgment, as food is
appreciated by the palate, with the result that it
stimulates our taste and saves a speech from becoming tedious. But just as salt, if sprinkled freely
over food, gives a special relish of its own, so long
as it is not used to excess, so in the case of those
who have the salt of wit there is something about

<pb id="p.449" />

their language which arouses in us a thirst to hear.
Again, I do not regard the epithet <hi rend="italics">facelus</hi> as applicable solely to that which raises a laugh.<milestone unit="section" n="20" /> If that
were so Horace<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Sat.</hi> I. <hi rend="italics">x.</hi> 44. molle atque facetum/Vergilio adnuerunt
gaudentes rure Camenae.</note> would never have said that nature
had granted Vergil the gift of being <hi rend="italics">facetus</hi> in song.
I think that the term is rather applied to a certain
grace and polished elegance. This is the meaning
which it bears in Cicero's letters, where he quotes
the words of Brutus,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">This letter is lost.</note> <quote>In truth her feet are graceful
and soft as she goes delicately on her way.</quote> This
meaning suits the passage in Horace,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Sat.</hi> I. <hi rend="italics">x.</hi> 44. molle atque facetum/Vergilio adnuerunt
gaudentes rure Camenae.</note> to which I
have already made reference, <quote>To Vergil gave a soft
and graceful wit.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="21" /> <hi rend="italics">locus</hi> is usually taken to mean
the opposite of seriousness. This view is, however,
somewhat too narrow. For to feign, to terrify, or to
promise, are all at times forms of jesting. <hi rend="italics">Dicacitas</hi>
is no doubt derived from <hi rend="italics">dico,</hi> and is therefore
common to all forms of wit, but is specially applied
to the language of banter, which is a humorous form
of attack. Therefore, while the critics allow that
Demosthenes was <hi rend="italics">urbanus,</hi> they deny that he was
<hi rend="italics">dicax.</hi></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="22" />The essence, however, of the subject which we
are now discussing is the excitement of laughter,
and consequently the whole of this topic is entitled
<foreign lang="greek">peri\ geloi/ou</foreign> by the Greeks. It has the same primary
division as other departments of oratory, that is to
say, it is concerned with things and words.<milestone unit="section" n="23" /> The
application of humour to oratory may be divided
into three heads: for there are three things out of
which we may seek to raise a laugh, to wit, others,
ourselves, or things intermediate. In the first case
we either reprove or refute or make light of or
retort or deride the arguments of others. In the

<pb id="p.451" />

second we speak of things which concern ourselves in a humorous manner and, to quote the
words of Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Or.</hi> II. lxxi. 289.</note> say things which have a suggestion of absurdity. For there are certain sayings
which are regarded as folly if they slip from us
unawares, but as witty if uttered ironically.<milestone unit="section" n="24" /> The
third kind consists, as Cicero also tells us, in cheating
expectations, in taking words in a different sense
from what was intended, and in other things which
affect neither party to the suit, and which I have,
therefore, styled intermediate.<milestone unit="section" n="25" /> Further, things designed to raise a laugh may either be said or done.
In the latter case laughter is sometimes caused by
an act possessing a certain element of seriousness
as well, as in the case of Marcus Caelius the praetor,
who, when the consul Isauricus broke his curule
chair, had another put in its place, the seat of which
was made of leather thongs, by way of allusion to
the story that the consul had once been scourged
by his father: sometimes, again, it is aroused by
an act which passes the grounds of decency, as in
the case of Caelius' box,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp. Pro Cael</hi> xxix. 69. There is no jest in this passage
which lays itself open to such censure. The jest must have
consisted in some action on the part of the orator.</note> a jest which was not fit
for an orator or any respectable man to make.<milestone unit="section" n="26" /> On
the other hand the joke may lie in some remark
about a ridiculous look or gesture; such jests are
very attractive, more especially when delivered with
every appearance of seriousness; for there are no
jests so insipid as those which parade the fact that
they are intended to be witty. Still, although the
gravity with which a jest is uttered increases its
attraction, and the mere fact that the speaker does
not laugh himself makes his words laughable, there
is also such a thing as a humorous look, manner or

<pb id="p.453" />

gesture, provided always that they observe the happy
mean. Further, a jest will either be free and lively,
like the majority of those uttered by Aulus Galba,
or abusive, like those with which Junius Bassus
recently made us familiar, or bitter, like those of
Cassius Severus, or gentle, like those of Domitius
Afer.<milestone unit="section" n="28" /> Much depends on the occasion on which a
jest is uttered. For in social gatherings and the intercourse of every day a certain freedom is not unseemly
in persons of humble rank, while liveliness is becoming to all. Our jests should never be designed
to wound, and we should never make it our ideal
to lose a friend sooner than lose a jest. Where the
battles of the courts are concerned I am always
better pleased when it is possible to indulge in
gentle raillery, although it is, of course, permissible
to be abusive or bitter in the words we use against
our opponents, just as it is permissible to accuse
them openly of crime, and to demand the last penalty
of the law. But in the courts as elsewhere it is
regarded as inhuman to hit a man when he is down,
either because he is the innocent victim of misfortune or because such attacks may recoil on those
who make them. Consequently, the first points to
be taken into consideration are who the speaker
is, what is the nature of the case, who is the judge,
who is the victim, and what is the character of
the remarks that are made.<milestone unit="section" n="29" /> It is most unbecoming
for an orator to distort his features or use uncouth
gestures, tricks that arouse such merriment in farce.
No less unbecoming are ribald jests, and such as
are employed upon the stage. As for obscenity, it
should not merely be banished from his language,
but should not even be suggested. For even if our

<pb id="p.455" />

opponent has rendered himself liable to such a
charge, our denunciation should not take the form
of a jest.<milestone unit="section" n="30" /> Further, although I want my orator to
speak with wit, he must not give the impression of
striving after it. Consequently lie must not display
his wit on every possible occasion, but must sacrifice
a jest sooner than sacrifice his dignity.<milestone unit="section" n="31" /> Again, no
one will endure an accuser who employs jests to
season a really horrible case, nor an advocate for the
defence who makes merry over one that calls for pity.
Moreover, there is a type of judge whose temperament is too serious to allow him to tolerate laughter.
<milestone unit="section" n="32" />It may also happen that a jest directed against an
opponent may apply to the judge or to our own client,
although there are some orators who do not refrain
even from jests that may recoil upon themselves.
This was the case with Sulpicius Longus, who,
despite the fact that he was himself surpassingly
hideous, asserted of a man against whom he was
appearing in a case involving his status as a free
man, that even his face was the face of a slave. To
this Domitius Afer replied, <quote>Is it your profound
conviction, Longus, that an ugly man must be a
slave?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="33" /> Insolence and arrogance are likewise to
be avoided, nor must our jests seem unsuitable to
the time or place, or give the appearance of studied
premeditation, or smell of the lamp, while those
directed against the unfortunate are, as I have
already said, inhuman. Again, some advocates are
men of such established authority and such known
respectability, that any insolence shown them
would only hurt the assailant. As regards the
way in which we should deal with friends I have
already given instructions.<milestone unit="section" n="34" /> It is the duty not merely

<pb id="p.457" />

of an orator, but of any reasonable human being,
when attacking one whom it is dangerous to offend
to take care that his remarks do not end in exciting
serious enmity, or the necessity for a grovelling
apology. Sarcasm that applies to a number of
persons is injudicious: I refer to cases where it is
directed against whole nations or classes of society,
or against rank and pursuits which are common to
many.<milestone unit="section" n="35" /> A good man will see that everything he
says is consistent with his dignity and the respectability of his character; for we pay too dear for the
laugh we raise if it is at the cost of our own integrity.</p>
<p>It is, however, a difficult task to indicate the
sources from which laughter may be legitimately
derived or the topics where it may be naturally employed. To attempt to deal exhaustively with the
subject would be an interminable task and a waste
of labour.<milestone unit="section" n="36" /> For the topics suitable to jests are no
less numerous than those from which we may derive
<hi rend="italics">reflexions,</hi> as they are called, and are, moreover,
identical with the latter. The powers of invention
and expression come into play no less where jests
are concerned, while as regards expression its force
will depend in part on the choice of words, in part
on the figures employed.<milestone unit="section" n="37" /> Laughter then will be
derived either from the physical appearance of our
opponent or from his character as revealed in his
words and actions, or from external sources; for all
forms of raillery come under one or other of these
heads; if the raillery is serious, we style it as
severe; if, on the other hand, it is of a lighter
character, we regard it as humorous. These themes
for jest may be pointed out to the eye or described
in words or indicated by some <hi rend="italics">mot.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="38" /> It is only on

<pb id="p.459" />

rare occasions that it is possible to make them
visible to the eye, as Gaius Julius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cic. <hi rend="italics">de Or.</hi> II. lxvi. 266.</note> did when Helvius Mancia kept clamouring against him. <quote>I will
show you what you're like!</quote> he cried, and then, as
Mancia persisted in asking him to do so, pointed
with his finger at the picture of a Gaul painted on
a Cimbric shield, a figure to which Mancia bore a
striking resemblance. There were shops round the
forum and the shield had been hung up over one
of them by way of a sign.<milestone unit="section" n="39" /> The narration of a
humorous story may often be used with clever effect
and is a device eminently becoming to an orator.
Good examples are the story told of Caepasius and
Fabricius, which Cicero tells in the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluentio,</hi> or
the story told by Caelius of the dispute between
Decimus Laelius and his colleague when they were
both in a hurry to reach their province first. But
in all such cases the whole narrative must possess
elegance and charm, while the orator's own contribution to the story should be the most humorous
element. Take for instance the way in which Cicero
gives a special relish to the flight of Fabricius.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">pro Cluent.</hi> xxi. 58.</note><milestone unit="section" n="40" />
<quote>And so, just at the moment when he thought his
speech was showing him at his best and he had
uttered the following solemn words, words designed
to prove a master-stroke of art, 'Look at the fortunes of mankind, gentlemen, look at the aged form
of Gaius Fabricius,' just at that very moment, I
say, when he had repeated the word 'look' several
times by way of making his words all the more
impressive, he looked himself, and found that Fabricius had slunk out of court with his head hanging
down.</quote> I will not quote the rest of the passage,
for it is well known. But he develops the theme

<pb id="p.461" />

still further although the plain facts amount simply
to this, that Fabricius had left the court.<milestone unit="section" n="41" /> The
whole of the story told by Caelius is full of wit and
invention, but the gem of the passage is its conclusion. <quote>He followed him, but how he crossed the
straits, whether it was in a ship or a fisherman's
boat, no one knew; but the Sicilians, being of a
lively turn of wit, said that he rode on a dolphin and
effected his crossing like a second Arion.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> D. Laelius or his colleague: see § 39.</note> Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Orat</hi> xxvi. 87.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="42" />thinks that humour belongs to narrative and wit to
sallies against the speaker's antagonist. Domitius
Afer showed remarkable finish in this department;
for, while narratives of the kind I have described
are frequent in his speeches, several books have been
published of his witticisms as well.<milestone unit="section" n="43" /> This latter form
of wit lies not merely in sallies and brief displays of
wit, but may be developed at greater length, witness
the story told by Cicero in the second book of his
<hi rend="italics">de Oratore,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><milestone unit="chapter" n="4" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />223.</note> in which Lucius Crassus dealt with
Brutus, against whom he was appearing in court.
<milestone unit="section" n="44" />Brutus was prosecuting Cnaeus Plancus and had
produced two readers<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Probably members of his household, employed on this
occasion to read out passages from Crassus' previous speeches.</note> to show that Lucius Crassus,
who was counsel for the defence, in the speech
which he delivered on the subject of the colony of
Narbo had advocated measures contrary to those
which he recommended in speaking of the Servilian
law. Crassus, in reply, called for three readers and
gave them the dialogues of Brutus' father to read
out. One of these dialogues was represented as
taking place on his estate at Privernum, the second
on his estate at Alba, and the third on his estate at
Tibur. Crassus then asked where these estates were.
Now Brutus had sold them all, and in those days it
was considered somewhat discreditable to sell one's

<pb id="p.463" />

paternal acres. Similar attractive effects of narrative
may be produced by the narration of fables or at
times even of historical anecdotes.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="45" />On the other hand brevity in wit gives greater
point and speed. It may be employed in two ways,
according as we are the aggressors, or are replying
to our opponents; the method, however, in both
cases is to some extent the same. For there is
nothing that can be said in attack that cannot
be used in riposte.<milestone unit="section" n="46" /> But there are certain points
which are peculiar to reply. For remarks designed
for attack are usually brought ready-made into
court, after long thought at home, whereas those
made in reply are usually improvised during a dispute or the cross-examination of witnesses. But
though there are many topics on which we may
draw for our jests, I must repeat that not all these
topics are becoming to orators:<milestone unit="section" n="47" /> above all <hi rend="italics">doubles
entendres</hi> and obscenity, such as is dear to the Atellan
farce, are to be avoided, as also are those coarse
jibes so common on the lips of the rabble, where
the ambiguity of words is turned to the service of
abuse. I cannot even approve of a similar from of
jest, that sometimes slipped out even from Cicero,
though not when he was pleading in the courts:
for example, once when a candidate, alleged to be
the son of a cook, solicited someone else's vote in
his presence, he said, <hi rend="italics">Ego quoque tibi favebo.</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The pun is untranslatable, turning as it does on the
similarity of sound between <hi rend="italics">coque</hi> and <hi rend="italics">quoque,</hi> so that the
sentence might mean either <hi rend="italics">I will support you, cook, or I too
will support you.</hi></note><milestone unit="section" n="48" /> I say
this not because I object absolutely to all play on
words capable of two different meanings, but because
such jests are rarely effective, unless they are helped
out by actual facts as well as similarity of sound.

<pb id="p.465" />

For example, I regard the jest which Cicero levelled
against that same Isauricus, whom I mentioned
above, as being little less than sheer buffoonery.
<quote>I wonder,</quote> he said, <quote>why your father, the steadiest
of men, left behind him such a stripy gentleman
as yourself.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Here again the pun is virtually untranslatable. <hi rend="italics">Varium</hi>
is used in the double sense of <hi rend="italics">unstable</hi> or <hi rend="italics">mottled,</hi> with
reference to the story that he had been scourged by his
father. See above §25.</note><milestone unit="section" n="49" /> On the other hand, the following
instance of the same type of wit is quite admirable:
when Milo's accuser, by way of proving that he had
lain in wait for Clodius, alleged that he had put up
at Bovillae before the ninth hour in order to wait
until Clodius left his villa, and kept repeating the
question, <quote>When was Clodius killed?</quote>, Cicero replied, <quote>Late!</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">sero</hi> may mean <hi rend="italics">at a late hour</hi> or <hi rend="italics">too late.</hi></note> a retort which in itself justifies us
in refusing to exclude this type of wit altogether.
Sometimes,<milestone unit="section" n="50" /> too, the same word may be used not
merely in several senses, but in absolutely opposite
senses. For example, Nero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Cic. <hi rend="italics">de Or.</hi> II. lxi. 248. Probably C. Claudius Nero
victor of the Metaurus.</note> said of a dishonest
slave, <quote>No one was more trusted in my house: there
was nothing closed or sealed to him.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="51" /> Such ambiguity may even go so far as to present all the
appearance of a riddle, witness the jest that Cicero
made at the expense of Pletorius, the accuser of
Fonteius: <quote>His mother,</quote> he said, <quote>kept a school
while she lived and masters after she was dead.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">magister</hi> may mean a schoolmaster or a receiver (<hi rend="italics">magister
bonorum</hi>)placed in charge of the goods to be sold. The
phrase here has the same suggestion as <quote>having the bailiffs
in the house.</quote> This passage does not occur in the portions
of the <hi rend="italics">pro Fonteio</hi> which survive.</note>
The explanation is that in her lifetime women
of infamous character used to frequent her
house, while after her death her property was
sold. (I may note however that <hi rend="italics">ludus,</hi> is used
metaphorically in the sense of school, while
<hi rend="italics">magisiri</hi> is used ambiguously.)<milestone unit="section" n="52" /> A similar form of

<pb id="p.467" />

jest may be made by use of the figure known as
<hi rend="italics">metalepsis,</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See VII. vi. 37. <quote>Substitution</quote> is the nearest translation.</note> as when Fabius Maximus complained of
the meagreness of the gifts made by Augustus to
his friends, and said that his <hi rend="italics">congiaria</hi> were <hi rend="italics">heminaria:</hi> for <hi rend="italics">congiarium</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">congiarium</hi> is derived from <hi rend="italics">congius</hi> a measure equal to
about 6 pints. It was employed to denote the largesse of
wine or oil distributed to the people. Fabius coined the
word <hi rend="italics">henminaritm</hi> from <hi rend="italics">hemina,</hi> the twelfth part of the
<hi rend="italics">congius.</hi> Fabius was consul in 10 B.C. and a friend of Ovid.</note> implies at once liberality and
a particular measure, and Fabius put a slight on the
liberality of Augustus by a reference to the measure.
<milestone unit="section" n="53" />This form of jest is as poor as is the invention of
punning names by the addition, subtraction or change
of letters: I find, for instance, a case where a certain
Acisculus was called Pacisculus because of some
<quote>compact</quote> which he had made, while one Placidus
was nicknamed Acidus because of his <quote>sour</quote> temper,
and one Tullius was dubbed Tollius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">From <hi rend="italics">toellre</hi> to take away.</note> because he was
a thief.<milestone unit="section" n="54" /> Such puns are more successful with things
than names. It was, for example, a neat hit of
Afer's when he said that Manlius Sura, who kept
rushing to and fro while he was pleading, waving
his hands, letting his toga fall and replacing it, was
not merely pleading, but giving himself a lot of
needless trouble.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">This pan cannot be reproduced. Watson attempts to
express it by <quote>doing business in pleading</quote> and <quote>overdoing
it.</quote> But <quote>overdoing it</quote> has none of the neatness of <hi rend="italics">salagere,</hi>
which is said to have <quote>a spice of wit about it,</quote> since it means
<hi rend="italics">lit.</hi> <quote>to do enough,</quote> an ironic way of saying <quote>to overdo
it.</quote></note> For there is a spice of wit about
the word <hi rend="italics">satagere</hi> in itself, even if there were no
resemblance to any other word.<milestone unit="section" n="55" /> Similar jests may
be produced by the addition or removal of the
aspirate, or by splitting up a word or joining it to
another: the effect is generally poor, but the practice
is occasionally permissible. Jests drawn from names
are of the same type. Cicero introduces a number
of such jests against Verres, but always as quotations

<pb id="p.469" />

from others. On one occasion he says that he
would sweep<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">verres</hi> is also the second pers. sing. of the future of <hi rend="italics">verro.</hi></note> everything away, for his name was
Verres; on another, that he had given more trouble
to Hercules, whose temple he had pillaged, than
was given by the Erymanthine <quote>boar</quote>; on another,
that he was a bad <quote>priest</quote> who had left so worthless
a pig behind him.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">verres</hi> means a boar and hero suggests a pig that should
have been killed as a victim. For these jests see <hi rend="italics">Verr.</hi> II.
xxi. 62, IV. xliii. 95, I. xlvi. 121 respectively. Compare also
IV. xxiv. 53 and xxv. 57.</note> For Verres' predecessor was
named Sacerdos.<milestone unit="section" n="56" /> Sometimes, however, a lucky
chance may give us an opportunity of employing
such jests with effect, as for instance when Cicero
in the <hi rend="italics">pro Caecina</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">x. 27. The reference must be to the make-up of Phormio
on the stage: there is nothing in the play to suggest the
epithet <quote>black.</quote></note> says of the witness Sextus
Clodius Phormio, <quote>He was not less black or less
bold than the Phormio of Terence.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="57" />We may note therefore that jests which turn on
the meaning of things are at once more pointed and
more elegant. In such cases resemblances between
things produce the best effects, more especially
if we refer to something of an inferior or more trivial
nature, as in the jests of which our forefathers were
so fond, when they called Lentulus Spinther and
Scipio Serapio.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">From their resemblances to Spinther, a bad actor, and to
Serapio, a dealer in sacrificial victims.</note> But such jests may be drawn not
merely from the names of men, but from animals as
well; for example when I was a boy, Junius Bassus,
one of the wittiest of men, was nicknamed the white
ass.<milestone unit="section" n="58" /> And Sarmentus<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Sarmentus, a favourite of Augustus, <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Hor. <hi rend="italics">Sat.</hi> I. v.
56, where the story is given.</note> compared Messius Cicirrus
to a wild horse. The comparison may also be
drawn from inanimate objects: for example Publius
Blessius called a certain Julius, who was dark, lean
and bent, the iron buckle. This method of raising
a laugh is much in vogue to-day.<milestone unit="section" n="59" /> Such resemblances

<pb id="p.471" />

may be put to the service of wit either openly or
allusively. Of the latter type is the remark of
Augustus, made to a soldier who showed signs of
timidity in presenting a petition, <quote>Don't hold it out
as if you were giving a penny to an elephant.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="60" /> Some
of these jests turn on similarity of meaning. Of
this kind was the witticism uttered by Vatinius when
he was prosecuted by Calvus. Vatinius was wiping
his forehead with a white handkerchief, and his
accuser called attention to the unseemliness of the
act. Whereupon Vatinius replied, <quote>Though I am
on my trial, I go on eating white bread all the
same.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The accused habitually wore mourning. Calvus suggested
that Vatinius should not therefore have a white handkerchief.
Vatinius retorts, <hi rend="italics">You might as well say that I ought to have
dropped eating white bread.</hi></note><milestone unit="section" n="61" /> Still more ingenious is the application of
one thing to another on the ground of some resemblance, that is to say the adaptation to one thing of
a circumstance which usually applies to something
else, a type of jest which we may regard as being an
ingenious form of fiction. For example, when ivory
models of captured towns were carried in Caesar's
triumphal procession, and a few days later wooden
models of the same kind were carried at the triumph
of Fabius Maximus,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Legatus of Caesar in Spain. The wooden models were
so worthless compared with those of ivory that Chrysippus
said they must be no more than the boxes in which Caesar
kept the latter.</note> Chrysippus<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Probably Chrysippus Vettins, a freedman and architeot.
Presumably the poet Pedo Albinovanus.</note> remarked that the
latter were the cases for Caesar's ivory towns. And
Pedo<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Probably Chrysippus Vettins, a freedman and architeot.
Presumably the poet Pedo Albinovanus.</note> said of a heavy-armed gladiator who was
pursuing another armed with a net and failed to
strike him, <quote>He wants to catch him alive.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="62" /> Resemblance and ambiguity may be used in conjunction:
Galba for example said to a man who stood very
much at his ease when playing ball, <quote>You stand
as if you were one of Caesar's candidates.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">A candidate recommended by the emperor was automatically elected. I have borrowed Watson's translation of
the pun. <hi rend="italics">Petere</hi> is the regular word for <quote>standing for
office.</quote> <hi rend="italics">Petere pilam</hi> probably means <quote>to attempt to catch
the ball.</quote></note> The

<pb id="p.473" />

ambiguity lies in the word <hi rend="italics">stand,</hi> while the indifference
shewn by the player supplies the resemblance.<milestone unit="section" n="63" /> I
need say no more on this form of humour. But the
practice of combining different types of jest is very
common, and those are best which are of this composite character. A like use may be made of dissimilarity. Thus a Roman knight was once drinking
at tile games, and Augustus sent him the following
message, <quote>If I want to dine, I go home.</quote> To which
the other replied, <quote>Yes,<milestone unit="section" n="64" /> but you are not afraid of
losing your seat</quote> Contraries give rise to more than
one kind of jest. For instance the following jests
made by Augustus and Galba differ in form. Augustus
was engaged in dismissing an officer with dishonour
from his service: the officer kept interrupting him
with entreaties and said, <quote>What shall I say to my
father?</quote> Augustus replied, <quote>Tell him that I fell
under your displeasure.</quote> Galba, when a friend asked
him for the loan of a cloak, said, <quote>I cannot lend it
you, as I am going to stay at home,</quote> the point being
that the rain was pouring through the roof of his
garret at the time. I will add a third example,
although out of respect to its author I withhold his
name: <quote>You are more lustful than a eunuch,</quote> where
we are surprised by the appearance of a word which
is the very opposite of what we should have expected.
Under the same heading, although it is quite
different from any of the preceding, we must place
the remark made by Marcus Vestinus when it was
reported to him that a certain man was dead. <quote>Some
day then he will cease to stink,</quote> was his reply.
<milestone unit="section" n="65" />But I shall overload this book with illustrations and
turn it into a common jest-book, if I continue to
quote each jest that was made by our forefathers.</p>

<pb id="p.475" />

<p>All forms of argument afford equal opportunity for
jests. Augustus for example employed <hi rend="italics">definition</hi>
when he said of two ballet-dancers who were engaged
in a contest, turn and turn about, as to who could make
tile most exquisite gestures, that one was a dancer and
the other merely interrupted the dancing.<milestone unit="section" n="66" /> Galba on
the other hand made use <hi rend="italics">of partition</hi> when he replied
to a friend who asked him for a cloak, <quote>It is not
raining and you don't need it; if it does rain, I shall
wear it myself.</quote> Similar material for jests is supplied by genus, species, property, difference, conjugates,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See v. x. 85.</note> adjuncts, antecedents, consequents, contraries,
causes, effects, and comparisons of things greater,
equal, or less,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See v. x. 55 <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> as it is also by all forms of trope.<milestone unit="section" n="67" /> Are
not a large number of jests made by means of <hi rend="italics">hyperbole?</hi> Take for instance Cicero's<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp. de Orat</hi> II. lxvi. 267, where the jest is attributed to
Crassus.</note> remark about a
man who was remarkable for his height, <quote>He bumped
his head against the Fabian arch,</quote> or the remark
made by Publius Oppius about the family of the
Lentuli to the effect, that since the children were
always smaller than their parents, the race would
<quote>perish by propagation.</quote> Again, what of <hi rend="italics">irony?</hi><milestone unit="section" n="68" /> Is not
even the most severe form of irony a kind of jest?
Afer made a witty use of it when he replied to Didius
Callus, who, after making the utmost efforts to secure
a provincial government, complained on receiving
the appointment that he had been forced into accepting, <quote>Well, then, do something for your country's
sake.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> sacrifice your own interests and serve your country
or its own sake.</note> Cicero also employed <hi rend="italics">metaphor</hi> to serve
his jest, when on receiving a report of uncertain
authorship to the effect that Vatinius was dead,
he remarked, <quote>Well, for the meantime I shall

<pb id="p.477" />

make use of the interest.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The report may be false, but I will enjoy the hope it
arouses in me. The capital on which I receive a dividend
may be non-existent, but I will enjoy the interest.</note><milestone unit="section" n="69" /> He also employed
<hi rend="italics">allegory</hi> in the witticism that he was fond of making
about Marcus Caelius, who was better at bringing
charges than at defending his client against them, to
the effect that he had a good right hand, but a weak
left.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The right being the sword arm, the left carrying the
shield.</note> As an example of the use of <hi rend="italics">emphasis</hi> I may
quote the jest of Aulus Villius, that Tuccius was
killed by his sword falling upon him.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Tuccius was clearly a coward who committed suicide.
Villius suggested that he would never have had the courage
to fall upon his sword, and that therefore the sword must
have fallen on him.</note><milestone unit="section" n="70" /> Figures of
thought, which the Greeks call <foreign lang="greek">sxh/mata dianoi/as,</foreign> may
be similarly employed, and some writers have classified jests under their various headings. For we ask
questions, express doubts, make assertions, threaten,
wish and speak in pity or in anger. And everything
is laughable that is obviously a pretence.<milestone unit="section" n="71" /> It is easy
to make fun of folly, for folly is laughable in itself;
but we may improve such jests by adding something
of our own. Titius Maximus put a foolish question
to Campatius, who was leaving the theatre, when he
asked him if he had been watching the play. <quote>No,</quote>
replied Campatius, <quote>I was playing ball in the stalls,</quote>
whereby lie made the question seem even more
foolish than it actually was.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="72" />Refutation consists in denying, rebutting, defending or making light of a charge, and each of these
affords scope for humour. Manius Curius, for example,
showed humour in the way in which he denied a
charge that had been brought against him. His
accuser had produced a canvas, in every scene of
which he was depicted either as naked and in prison
or as being restored to freedom by his friends paying
off his gambling debts. His only comment was,
<quote>Did I never win, then?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="73" /> Sometimes we rebut a

<pb id="p.479" />

charge openly, as Cicero did when he refuted the
extravagant lies of Vibius Curius about his age:
<quote>Well, then,</quote> he remarked, <quote>in the days when you
and I used to practise declamation together, you
were not even born.</quote> At other times we may rebut
it by pretending to agree. Cicero, for example, when
Fabia the wife of Dolabella asserted that her age was
thirty, remarked, <quote>That is true, for I have heard it
for the last twenty years.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="74" /> Sometimes too it is
effective to add something more biting in place of
the charge which is denied, as was done by Junius
Bassus when Domitia the wife of Passienus<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See VI. i. 50.</note> complained that by way of accusing her of meanness he
had alleged that she even sold old shoes. <quote>No,</quote>
he replied, <quote>I never said anything of the sort. I
said you bought them.</quote> A witty travesty of defence
was once produced by a Roman knight who was
charged by Augustus with having squandered his
patrimony. <quote>I thought it was my own,</quote> he answered.<milestone unit="section" n="75" /> As regards making light of a charge, there
are two ways in which this may be done. We may
throw cold water on the excessive boasted of our
opponent, as was done by Gaius Caesar,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">A cousin of the father of C. Julius Caesar.</note> when Pomponius displayed a wound in his face which he had
received in the rebellion of Sulpicius and which he
boasted he had received while fighting for Caesar:
<quote>You should never look round,</quote> he retorted, <quote>when
you are running away.</quote> Or we may do the same
with some charge that is brought against us, as was
done by Cicero when he remarked to those who
reproached him for marrying Publilia, a young unwedded girl, when he was already over sixty, <quote>Well,
she will be a woman to-morrow.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="76" /> Some style this
type of jest <hi rend="italics">consequent</hi> and, on the ground that both

<pb id="p.481" />

jests seem to follow so naturally and inevitably, class
it with the jest which Cicero levelled against Curio,
who always began his speeches by asking indulgence
for his youth: <quote>You will find your exordium easier
every day,</quote> he said.<milestone unit="section" n="77" /> Another method of making
light of a statement is to suggest a reason. Cicero
employed this method against Vatinius. The latter
was lame and, wishing to make it seem that his health
was improved, said that he could now walk as much
as two miles. <quote>Yes,</quote> said Cicero, <quote>for the days are
longer.</quote> Again Augustus, when the inhabitants of
Tarraco reported that a palm had sprung up on the
altar dedicated to him, replied, <quote>That shows how
often you kindle fire upon it.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="78" /> Cassius Severus
showed his wit by transferring a charge made against
himself to a different quarter. For when lie was
reproached by the praetor on the ground that his
advocates had insulted Lucius Varus, an Epicurean
and a friend of Caesar, he replied, <quote>I do not know
who they were who insulted him, I suppose they
were Stoics.</quote></p>
<p>Of retorts there are a number of forms, the wittiest
being that which is helped out by a certain verbal
similarity, as in the retort made by Trachalus to
Suelius. The latter had said, <quote>If that is the case,
you go into exile</quote>: to which Trachalus replied,
<quote>And if it is not the case, you go back into exile.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The point is obscure; we have no key to the circumstances of the jest.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="79" />Cassius Severus baffled an opponent who reproached
him with the fact that Proculeius had forbidden him
to enter his house by replying, <quote>Do I ever go there?</quote>
But one jest may also be defeated by another: for
example, Augustus of blessed memory, when the
Gauls gave him a golden necklet weighing a hundred
pounds, and Dolabella, speaking in jest but with an

<pb id="p.483" />

eye to the success of his jest, said, <quote>General, give
me your necklet,</quote> replied, <quote>I had rather give you
the crown of oak leaves.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The civic crown of oak leaves was given as a reward for
saving the life of a fellow-citizen in war. The <hi rend="italics">torquis</hi> was
often given as a reward for valour, and Augustus pretends
to believe that Dolabella had asked for a military decoration.
The point lies in the contrast between the intrinsic value and
weight of the two decorations. Further, Augustus was very
parsimonious in bestowing military decorations and had himself received the crown of oak leaves from the senate as the
saviour of Rome, a fact which must have rendered its bestowal on others rare, if not non-existent.</note><milestone unit="section" n="80" /> So, too, one lie may be
defeated by another: Galba, for instance, when
someone told him that he once bought a lamprey
five feet long for half a denarius in Sicily, replied,
<quote>There is nothing extraordinary in that: for they
grow to such a length in those seas that the fishermen tie them round their waists in lieu of ropes!</quote>
Then there is the opposite of denial,<milestone unit="section" n="81" /> namely a feigned
confession, which likewise may show no small wit.
Thus Afer, when pleading against a freedman of
Claudius Caesar and when another freedman called
out from the opposite side of the court, <quote>You are
always speaking against Caesar's freedmen,</quote> replied,
<quote>Yes, but I make precious little headway.</quote> A
similar trick is not to deny a charge, though it is
obviously false and affords good opportunity for an
excellent reply. For example, when Philippus said
to Catulus, <quote>Why do you bark so?</quote> the latter replied,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Cic. <hi rend="italics">de Or.</hi> II. liv. 220.</note>
<quote>I see a thief.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="82" /> To make jokes against oneself is
scarcely fit for any save professed buffoons and is
strongly to be disapproved in an orator. This form
of jest has precisely the same varieties as those which
we make against others and therefore I pass it by,
although it is not infrequently employed.<milestone unit="section" n="83" /> On the
other hand scurrilous or brutal jests, although they
may raise a laugh, are quite unworthy of a gentleman. I remember a jest of this kind being made by

<pb id="p.485" />

a certain man against an inferior who had spoken
with some freedom against him: <quote>I will smack your
head, and bring an action against you for having such
a hard skull!</quote> In such cases it is difficult to say
whether the audience should laugh or be angry.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="84" />There remains the prettiest of all forms of humour,
namely the jest which depends for success on deceiving anticipations<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See IX. ii. 22.</note> or taking another's words in a
sense other than he intended. The unexpected
element may be employed by the attacking party,
as in the example cited by Cicero,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Or.</hi> II. lxx. 281.</note> <quote>What does this
man lack save wealth and—virtue?</quote> or in the
remark of Afer, <quote>For pleading causes he is most
admirably—dressed.</quote> Or it may be employed to
meet a statement made by another, as it was by
Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> § 68.</note> on hearing a false report of Vatinius' death:
he had met one of the latter's freedmen and asked
him, <quote>Is all well?</quote> The freedman answered,<quote>All is
well.</quote> To which Cicero replied,<quote>Is he dead, then?</quote>
<milestone unit="section" n="85" />But the loudest laughter of all is produced by simulation and dissimulation, proceedings which differ but
little and are almost identical; but whereas simulation
implies the pretence of having a certain opinion of
one's own, dissimulation consists in feigning that
one does not understand someone else's meaning.
Afer employed simulation, when his opponents in a
certain case kept saying that Celsina (who was an
influential lady) knew all about the facts, and he,
pretending to believe that she was a man, said, <quote>Who
is he?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="86" /> Cicero on the other hand employed dissimulation when Sextus Annalis gave evidence damaging
to the client whom lie was defending, and the accuser
kept pressing him with the question, <quote>Tell me, Marcus
Tullius, what have you to say about Sextus Annalis?</quote>

<pb id="p.487" />

To which he replied by beginning to recite the Sixth
book of the Annals of Ennius, which commences with
the line,

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>Who may the causes vast of war unfold?</l></quote><bibl default="NO">Enn. 174<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">(with <hi rend="italics">oras</hi> for <hi rend="italics">causas</hi>).The question (<hi rend="italics">numquid,</hi>
etc.) is treated by Cicero as meaning <quote>Can you quote anything from the sixth book of the Annals?</quote> <hi rend="italics">ingentis</hi> is ace.
plural.</note></bibl></cit></quote>

This kind of jest finds its most frequent opportunity
in ambiguity,<milestone unit="section" n="87" /> as for example, when Cascellius,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">A famous lawyer mentioned by Horace, <hi rend="italics">A.P.</hi> 371. Cascellius pretends to take <hi rend="italics">dividere</hi> literally (<hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> cut in two);
his client had meant <quote>to sell half his ship,</quote> <hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> take a
partner in the venture.</note> on
being consulted by a client who said, <quote>I wish to
divide my ship,</quote> replied, <quote>You will lose it then.</quote>
But there are also other ways of distorting the
meaning; we may for instance give a serious statement a comparatively trivial sense, like the man who,
when asked what he thought of a man who had been
caught in the act of adultery, replied that he had
been too slow in his movements.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">de Or.</hi> II. lxviii. 275.</note><milestone unit="section" n="88" /> Of a similar nature
are jests whose point lies in insinuation. Such was
the reply which Cicero<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ib.</hi> lxix. 278.</note> quotes as given to the man
who complained that his wife had hung herself on a
fig-tree. <quote>I wish,</quote> said someone, <quote>you would give
me a slip of that tree to plant.</quote> For there the meaning is obvious, though it is not expressed in so many
words.<milestone unit="section" n="89" /> Indeed the essence of all wit lies in the
distortion of the true and natural meaning of words:
a perfect instance of this is when we misrepresent
our own or another's opinions or assert some impossibility.<milestone unit="section" n="90" /> Juba misrepresented another man's opinion, when he replied to one who complained of
being bespattered by his horse, <quote>What, do you
think I am a Centaur?</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The point of the jest, such as it is, is that Juba disclaims forming part of his horse. The reference is to Juba,
historian and king of Mauretania, captured by Julius Caesar
and restored by Augustus.</note> Gaius Cassius misrepresented his own, when he said to a soldier whom he

<pb id="p.489" />

saw hurrying into battle without his sword, <quote>Shew
yourself a handy man with your fists, comrade.</quote> So
too did Galba, when served with some fish that had
been partially eaten the day before and had been
placed on the table with the uneaten sides turned
uppermost: <quote>We must lose no time,</quote> he said, <quote>for
there are people under the table at work on the
other side.</quote> Lastly there is the jibe that Cicero
made against Curius, which I have already cited;<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">§73.</note>
for it was clearly impossible that he should be still
unborn at a time when he was already declaiming.
<milestone unit="section" n="91" />There is also a form of misrepresentation which has
its basis in irony, of which a saying of Gaius Caesar
will provide an example. A witness asserted that
the accused attempted to wound him in the thighs,
and although it would have been easy to ask him
why he attacked that portion of his body above all
others, he merely remarked, <quote>What else could he
have done, when you had a helmet and breastplate?</quote><milestone unit="section" n="92" /> Best of all is it when pretence is met by
pretence, as was done in the following instance by
Domitius Afer. He had made his will long ago,
and one of his more recent friends, in the hopes of
securing a legacy if he could persuade him to change
it, produced a fictitious story and asked him whether
he should advise a senior centurion who, being an old
man, had already made his will to revise it; to which
Afer replied, <quote>Don't do it: you will offend him.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="93" />But the most agreeable of all jests are those which
are good humoured and easily digested. Take
another example from Afer. Noting that an ungrateful client avoided him in the forum, he sent his
servant<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Lit. the slave employed to name persons to his master.</note> to him to say, <quote>I hope you are obliged to
me for not having seen you.</quote> Again when his

<pb id="p.491" />

steward, being unable to account for certain sums
of money, kept saying, <quote>I have not eaten it: I
live on bread and water,</quote> he replied, <quote>Master
sparrow, pay what you owe.</quote> Such jests the Greeks
style <foreign lang="greek">u(po\ to\ h)=qos</foreign><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The meaning is dubious and the phrase cannot be paralleled
and is probably corrupt.</note> or adapted to character.<milestone unit="section" n="94" /> It is a
pleasant form of jest to reproach a person with less
than would be possible, as Afer did when, in answer
to a candidate who said, <quote>I have always shown my
respect for your family,</quote> he replied, although he might
easily have denied the statement, <quote>You are right, it
is quite true.</quote> Sometimes it may be a good joke to
speak of oneself, while one may often raise a laugh
by reproaching a person to his face with things that
it would have been merely bad-mannered to bring
up against him behind his back.<milestone unit="section" n="95" /> Of this kind was the
remark made by Augustus, when a soldier was making some unreasonable request and Marcianus, whom
he suspected of intending to make some no less
unfair request, turned up at the same moment: <quote>I
will no more grant your request, comrade, than I
will that which Marcianus is just going to make.</quote></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="96" />Apt quotation of verse may add to the effect of
wit. The lines may be quoted in their entirety
without alteration, which is so easy a task that Ovid
composed an entire book against bad poets out of
lines taken from the quatrains of Macer.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Aellilius Macer, a contemporary of Virgil and Horace.
The work presumably consisted of epigrams, four lines long.</note> Such a
procedure is rendered specially attractive if it be
seasoned by a spice of ambiguity, as in the line
which Cicero quoted against Lartius, a shrewd and
cunning fellow who was suspected of unfair dealing
in a certain case,

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>Had not Ulysses Lartius intervened.</l></quote><bibl default="NO">The author, presumably a tragic poet, is unknown.
<hi rend="italics">Lartis= Luertius,</hi> son of Laertes.</bibl></cit></quote>

Or the words may be slightly altered, as in the line
quoted against the senator who,<milestone unit="section" n="97" /> although he had

<pb id="p.493" />

always in previous times been regarded as an utter
fool, was, after inheriting an estate, asked to speak
first on a motion—

<quote rend="blockquote"><cit><quote><l>What men call wisdom is a legacy,</l></quote><bibl default="NO">Probably from a lost comedy.</bibl></cit></quote>

where <hi rend="italics">legacy</hi> is substituted for the original <hi rend="italics">faculty.</hi>
Or again we may invent verses resembling well known lines, a trick styled parody by the Greeks.
A neat application of proverbs may also be effective,<milestone unit="section" n="98" />
as when one man replied to another, a worthless
fellow, who had fallen down and asked to be helped
to his feet, <quote>Let someone pick you up who does not
know you.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Hor. <hi rend="italics">Ep.</hi> I. xvii. 62, where the passers by reply <hi rend="italics">Quaere
peregrinum</hi> to an imposter who, having fallen down and
broken his leg, implores them to pick him up, crying <hi rend="italics">Credite,
non ludo: crudeles, tollite claudum.</hi></note> Or we may shew our culture by drawing on legend for a jest, as Cicero did in the trial of
Verres, when Hortensius said to him as he was
examining a witness, <quote>I do not understand these
riddles.</quote> <quote>You ought to, then,</quote> said Cicero, <quote>as
you have got the Sphinx at home.</quote> Hortensius had
received a bronze Sphinx of great value as a present
from Verres.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="99" />Effects of mild absurdity are produced by the
simulation of folly and would, indeed, themselves,
be foolish were they not fictitious. Take as an
example the remark of the man who, when people
wondered why he had bought a stumpy candlestick,
said, <quote>It will do for lunch.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Lunch requiring a less elaborate service, but being in
broad daylight.</note> There are also sayings closely resembling absurdities which derive
great point from their sheer irrelevance, like the
reply of Dolabella's slave, who, on being asked
whether his master had advertised a sale of his
property, answered, <quote>He has sold his house.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> how can he? he has nothing left to sell.</note>

<pb id="p.495" />

Sometimes you may get out of a tight comer by
giving a humorous explanation of your embarrassment,<milestone unit="section" n="100" /> as the man did who asked a witness, who
alleged that lie had been wounded by the accused,
whether he had any scar to show for it. The witness
proceeded to show a huge scar on his thigh, on which
lie remarked, <quote>I wish he had wounded you in the
side.</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">ac.</hi> because then he would have killed you.</note> A happy use may also be made of insult.
Hispo, for example, when the accuser charged him
with scandalous crimes, replied, <quote>You judge my
character by your own</quote>; while Fulvius Propinquus,
when asked by the representative of the emperor
whether the documents which he produced were
autographs, replied, <quote>Yes, Sir, and the handwriting
is genuine, too!</quote><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Presumably the <hi rend="italics">legatus</hi> had been suspected of forgery.</note></p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="101" />Such I have either learned from others or discovered from my own experience to be the commonest sources of humour. But I must repeat that
the number of ways in which one may speak wittily
are of no less infinite variety than those in which one
may speak seriously, for they depend on persons,
place, time and chances, which are numberless.<milestone unit="section" n="102" /> I
have, therefore, touched on the topics of humour
that I may not be taxed with having omitted them;
but with regard to my remarks on the actual practice and manner of jesting, I venture to assert that
they are absolutely indispensable.</p>
<p>To these Domitius Marsus, who wrote an elaborate
treatise on <hi rend="italics">Urbanity,</hi> adds several types of saying,
which are not laughable, but rather elegant sayings
with a certain charm and attraction of their own,
which are suitable even to speeches of the most
serious kind: they are characterized by a certain
urbane wit, but not of a kind to raise a laugh.<milestone unit="section" n="103" /> And

<pb id="p.497" />

as a matter of fact his work was not designed to deal
with humour, but with <hi rend="italics">urbane wit,</hi> a quality which
he regards as peculiar to this city, though it was not
till a late period that it was understood in this sense,
after the word <hi rend="italics">Urbs</hi> had come to be accepted as indicating Rome without the addition of any proper
noun. He defines it as follows:<milestone unit="section" n="104" /> <quote>Urbanity is a
certain quality of language compressed into the limits
of a brief saying and adapted to delight and move
men to every kind of emotion, but specially suitable
to resistance or attack according as the person or
circumstances concerned may demand.</quote> But this
definition, if we except the quality of brevity, includes all the virtues of oratory. For it is entirely
concerned with persons and things to deal with
which in appropriate language is nothing more nor
less than the task of perfect eloquence. Why he
insisted on brevity being essential I do not know,
<milestone unit="section" n="105" />since in the same book he asserts that many speakers
have revealed their <hi rend="italics">urbanity</hi> in narrative. And a little
later he gives the following definition, which is, as
he says, based on the views expressed by Cato:
<quote>Urbanity is the characteristic of a man who has
produced many good sayings and replies, and who,
whether in conversation, in social or convivial
gatherings, in public speeches, or under any other
circumstances, will speak with humour and appropriateness. If any orator do this, he will undoubtedly
succeed in making his audience laugh.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="106" /> But if we
accept these definitions, we shall have to allow the
title of <hi rend="italics">urbane</hi> to anything that is well said. It was
natural therefore that the author of this definition
should classify such sayings under three heads,
serious, humorous and intermediate, since all good

<pb id="p.499" />

sayings may be thus classified. But, in my opinion,
there are certain forms of humorous saying that may
be regarded as not possessing sufficient <hi rend="italics">urbanity.</hi><milestone unit="section" n="107" /> For
to my thinking <hi rend="italics">urbanity</hi> involves the total absence of
all that is incongruous, coarse, unpolished and exotic
whether in thought, language, voice or gesture, and
resides not so much in isolated sayings as in the
whole complexion of our language, just as for the
Greeks <hi rend="italics">Atticism</hi> means that elegance of taste which
was peculiar to Athens.<milestone unit="section" n="108" /> However, out of respect to
the judgment of Marsus, who was a man of the
greatest learning, I will add that he divides serious
utterances into three classes, the honorific, the
derogatory and the intermediate. As an example
of the honorific he quotes the words uttered by
Cicero in the <hi rend="italics">pro Ligario</hi><note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">xii. 35.</note> with reference to Caesar,
<quote>You who forget nothing save injuries.</quote><milestone unit="section" n="109" /> The
derogatory he illustrates by the words used by
Cicero of Pompey and Caesar in a letter to Atticus:<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Ad. Att.</hi> VIII. vii. 2.</note>
<quote>I know whom to avoid, but whom to follow I
know not.</quote> Finally, he illustrates the intermediate, which he calls apophthegmatic (as it is), by
the passage from Cicero's speech against Catiline<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">IV ii. 3.</note>
where he says, <quote>Death can never be grievous to the
brave nor premature for one who has been consul
nor a calamity to one that is truly wise.</quote> All these
are admirable sayings, but what special title they
have to be called <hi rend="italics">urbane</hi> I do not see.<milestone unit="section" n="110" /> If it is
not merely, as I think, the whole complexion of
our oratory that deserves this title, but if it is to
be claimed for individual sayings as well, I should
give the name only to those sayings that are of
the same general character as humorous sayings,
without actually being humorous. I will give an

<pb id="p.501" />

illustration of what I mean. It was said of Asinius
Pollio, who had equal gifts for being grave or gay,
that he was <quote>a man for all hours,</quote><milestone unit="section" n="111" /> and of a pleader
who was a fluent speaker extempore, that <quote>his
ability was all in ready money.</quote> Of the same kind,
too, was the remark recorded by Marsus as having
been made by Pompey to Cicero when the latter
expressed distrust of his party: <quote>Go over to Caesar
and you will be afraid of me.</quote> Had this last remark
been uttered on a less serious subject and with less
serious purpose, or had it not been uttered by Pompey
himself, we might have counted it among examples
of humour.<milestone unit="section" n="112" /> I may also add the words used by
Cicero in a letter<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">Now lost. Caerellia was a literary lady.</note> to Caerellia to explain why he
endured the supremacy of Caesar so patiently:
<quote>These ills must either be endured with the courage
of Cato or the stomach<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">i.e.</hi> he must <quote>stomach</quote> it.</note> of Cicero,</quote> for here again the
word <quote>stomach</quote> has a spice of humour in it. I felt
that I ought not to conceal my feelings on this point.
If I am wrong in my views, I shall not, at any rate,
lead my readers astray, since I have stated the opposite view as well, which they are at liberty to adopt
if they prefer it.</p>
<p>IV. With regard to the principles to be observed
in forensic debate,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The <hi rend="italics">altercatio,</hi> which followed the set speeches, took the
form of a number of brief arguments <hi rend="italics">pro</hi> and <hi rend="italics">con.</hi></note> it might seem that I should
delay such instructions until I had finished dealing
with all the details of continuous speaking, since
such debates come after the set speeches are done.
But since the art of debate turns on invention alone,
does not admit of arrangement, has little need for
the embellishments of style, and makes no large
demand on memory or delivery, I think that it will
not be out of place to deal with it here before I
proceed to the second of the five parts,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See v. Pr. 5.</note> since it is

<pb id="p.503" />

entirely dependent on the first. Other writers have
omitted to deal with it on the ground perhaps that
they thought the subject had been sufficiently covered
by their precepts on other topics.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> For debate consists in attack and defence, on which enough has
already been said, since whatever is useful in a continuous speech for the purpose of proof must necessarily be of service in this brief and discontinuous
form of oratory. For we say the same things in
debate, though we say them in a different manner,
since debate consists of questions and replies, a topic
with which we have dealt fairly exhaustively in
connexion with the examination of witnesses.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See v. vii.</note><milestone unit="section" n="3" /> But
since this work is designed on an ample scale and
since no one can be called a perfect orator unless he
be an expert debater, we must devote a little special
attention to this accomplishment as well, which as a
matter of fact is not seldom the deciding factor in a
forensic victory.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> For just as the continuous speech
is the predominant weapon in general questions of
quality (where the inquiry is as to whether an act
was right or wrong), and as a rule is adequate to
clear up questions of definition and almost all those
in which the facts are ascertained or inferred by
conjecture<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. vi.</note> from artificial proof,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See V. i.</note> so on the other
hand those cases, which are the most frequent of all
and depend on proofs which are either entirely
inartificial<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See <milestone unit="chapter" n="5" /><milestone unit="section" n="1" />i.</note> or of a composite character, give rise
to the most violent debates; in fact I should say
that there is no occasion when the advocate has to
come to closer grips with his adversary.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> For all the
strongest points of the argument have to be sharply
impressed on the memory of the judge, while we
have also to make good all the promises we may

<pb id="p.505" />

have made in the course of our speech and to refute
the lies of our opponents. There is no point of a
trial where the judge's attention is keener. And
even mediocre speakers have not without some reason
acquired the reputation of being good advocates
simply by their excellence in debate.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> Some on the
other hand think they have done their duty to their
clients by an ostentatious and fatiguing display of
elaborate declamation and straightway march out of
court attended by an applauding crowd and leave the
desperate battle of debate to uneducated performers
who often are of but humble origin.<milestone unit="section" n="7" /> As a result
in private suits you will generally find that different
counsel are employed to plead and to prove the case.
If the duties of advocacy are to be thus divided, the
latter duty must surely be accounted the more
important of the two, and it is a disgrace to oratory
that inferior advocates should be regarded as adequate
to render the greater service to the litigants. In
public cases at any rate the actual pleader is cited
by the usher as well as the other advocates.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">The allusion is obscure. But Quintilian's point seems to
he merely that the pleader is officially regarded as being
of at least equal importance with the other advocates.</note>
<milestone unit="section" n="8" />For debate the chief requisites are a quick and
nimble understanding and a shrewd and ready judgment. For there is no time to think; the advocate
must speak at once and return the blow almost
before it has been dealt by his opponent. Consequently while it is most important for every portion
of the case that the advocate should not merely have
given a careful study to the whole case, but that he
should have it at his fingers' ends, when he comes
to the debate it is absolutely necessary that he
should possess a thorough acquaintance with all the
persons, instruments and circumstances of time and
place involved: otherwise he will often be reduced

<pb id="p.507" />

to silence and forced to give a hurried assent to
those who prompt him as to what he should say,
suggestions which are often perfectly fatuous owing
to excess of zeal on the part of the prompter. As a
result it sometimes happens that we are put to the
blush by too ready acceptance of the foolish suggestions of another.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> Moreover, we have to deal with
others beside these prompters who speak for our ear
alone. Somego so far as to turn the debate into an open
brawl. For you may sometimes see several persons
shouting angrily at the judge and telling him that the
arguments thus suggested are contrary to the truth,
and calling his attention to the fact that some point
which is prejudicial to the case has been deliberately
passed over in silence.<milestone unit="section" n="10" /> Consequently the skilled
debater must be able to control his tendency to
anger; there is no passion that is a greater enemy
to reason, while it often leads an advocate right
away from the point and forces him both to use
gross and insulting language and to receive it in
return; occasionally it will even excite him to such
an extent as to attack the judges. Moderation, and
sometimes even longsuffering, is the better policy,
for the statements of our opponents have not merely
to be refuted: they are often best treated with contempt, made light of or held up to ridicule, methods
which afford unique opportunity for the display of
wit. This injunction, however, applies only so long
as the case is conducted with order and decency: if,
on the other hand, our opponents adopt turbulent
methods we must put on a bold front and resist
their impudence with courage.<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> For there are some
advocates so brazen-faced that they bluster and
bellow at us, interrupt us in the middle of a sentence

<pb id="p.509" />

and try to throw everything into confusion. While,
then, it would be wrong to pay them the compliment of imitation, we must none the less repel their
onslaughts with vigour by crushing their insolence
and making frequent appeals to the judges or presiding magistrates to insist on the observance of the
proper order of speaking. The debater's task is
not one that suits a meek temper or excessive
modesty, and we are apt to be misled because that
which is really weakness is dignified by the name of
honesty.<milestone unit="section" n="12" /> But the quality which is the most serviceable in debate is acumen, which while it is not the
result of art (for natural gifts cannot be taught),
may none the less be improved by art.<milestone unit="section" n="13" /> In this
connexion the chief essential is never for a moment
to lose sight either of the question at issue or the
end which we have in view. If we bear this in
mind, we shall never descend to mere brawling
nor waste the time allotted to the case by indulging
in abuse, while we shall rejoice if our adversary
does so.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="14" />Those who have given a careful study to the arguments that are likely to be produced by their
opponents or the replies which may be made by
themselves are almost always ready for the fray.
There is, however, a further device available which
consists in suddenly introducing into the debate arguments which were deliberately concealed in our set
speech: it is a procedure which resembles a surprise
attack or a sally from an ambush. The occasion for
its employment arises when there is some point to
which it is difficult to improvise an answer, though
it would not be difficult to meet if time were
allowed for consideration. For solid and irrefutable

<pb id="p.511" />

arguments are best produced at once in the actual
pleading in order that they may be repeated and
treated at greater length.<milestone unit="section" n="15" /> I think I need hardly
insist on the necessity for the avoidance in debate of
mere violence and noise and such forms of pleasantry
as are dear to tile uneducated. For unscrupulous
violence, although annoying to one's antagonist,
makes an unpleasant impression on the judge. It is
also bad policy to light hard for points which you
cannot prove.<milestone unit="section" n="16" /> For where defeat is inevitable, it is
wisest to yield, since, if there are a number of other
points in dispute, we shall find it easier to prove
what remains, while if there is only one point at
issue, surrender with a good grace will generally
secure some mitigation of punishment. For obstinacy
in the defence of a fault, more especially after detection, is simply the commission of a fresh fault.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="17" />While the battle still rages, the task of luring on
our adversary when he has once committed himself
to error, and of forcing him to commit himself as
deeply as possible, even to the extent at times of
being puffed up with extravagant hopes of success,
requires great prudence and skill. It is, therefore,
wise to conceal some of our weapons: for our
opponents will often press their attack and stake
everything on some imagined weakness of our own,
and will give fresh weight to our proofs by the
instancy with which they demand us to produce
them.<milestone unit="section" n="18" /> It may even be expedient to yield ground
which the enemy thinks advantageous to himself:
for in grasping at the fancied advantage he may
be forced to surrender some greater advantage: at
times, too, it may serve our purpose to give him a
choice between two alternatives, neither of which

<pb id="p.513" />

he can select without damage to his cause. Such
a course is more effective in debate than in a set
speech, for the reason that in the latter we reply
to ourselves,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">We propound the dilemma and ourselves point out that
whichever answer our opponent gives must tell against him.</note> while in the former our opponent
replies, and thereby delivers himself into our hands.
It is, above all,<milestone unit="section" n="19" /> the mark of a shrewd debater to
perceive what remarks impress the judge and what
he rejects: this may often be detected from his
looks, and sometimes from some action or utterance.
Arguments which help us must be pressed home,
while it will be wise to withdraw as gently as
possible from such as are of no service. We may
take a lesson from doctors who continue or cease
to administer remedies according as they note that
they are received or rejected by the stomach.
Sometimes,<milestone unit="section" n="20" /> if we find difficulty in developing our
point, it is desirable to raise another question and
to divert the attention of the judge to it if this be
feasible. For what can you do, if you are unable
to answer an argument, save invent another to which
your opponent can give no answer?<milestone unit="section" n="21" /> In most respects the rules to be observed in debate are, as I
have said,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">§2.</note> identical with those for the cross examination of witnesses, the only difference lying in the
fact that the debate is a battle between advocates,
whereas cross-examination is a fight between advocate
and witness.</p>
<p>To practise the art of debate is, however, far
easier. For it is most profitable to agree with
a fellow-student on some subject, real or fictitious,
and to take different sides, debating it as would
be done in the courts. The same may also be
done with the simpler class of questions.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> II. i. 9 and v. x. 53.</note><milestone unit="section" n="22" /> I
would further have an advocate realise the order in

<pb id="p.515" />

which his proofs should be presented to the judge:
the method to be followed is the same as in arguments: the strongest should be placed first and
last. For those which are presented first dispose
the judge to believe us, and those which come last
to decide in our favour.</p>
<p>V. Having dealt with these points to the best of
my ability, I should have had no hesitation in proceeding to discuss arrangement, which is logically
the next consideration, did I not fear that, since
there are some who include judgment<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See III. iii. 5 and 6.</note> under the
head of invention, they might think that I had
deliberately omitted all discussion of judgment,
although personally I regard it as so inextricably
blent with and involved in every portion of this
work, that its influence extends even to single
sentences or words, and it is no more possible to
teach it than it is to instruct the powers of taste
and smell.<milestone unit="section" n="2" /> Consequently, all I can do is now and
hereafter to show what should be done or avoided
in each particular case, with a view thereby to guide
the judgment. What use then is it for me to lay
down general rules to the effect that we should not
attempt impossibilities, that we should avoid whatever contradicts our case or is common to both, and
shun all incorrectness or obscurity of style? In all
these cases it is common sense that must decide,
and common sense cannot be taught.</p>
<p><milestone unit="section" n="3" />There is no great difference, in my opinion,
between judgment and sagacity, except that the
former deals with evident facts, while the latter is
concerned with hidden facts or such as have not
yet been discovered or still remain in doubt. Again
judgment is more often than not a matter of

<pb id="p.517" />

certainty, while sagacity is a form of reasoning from
deep-lying premises, which generally weighs and
compares a number of arguments and in itself
involves both invention and judgment.<milestone unit="section" n="4" /> But here
again you must not expect me to lay down any
general rules. For sagacity depends on circumstances
and will often find its scope in something preceding
the pleading of the cause. For instance in the prosecution of Verres Cicero seems to have shown the
highest sagacity in preferring to cut down the time
available for his speech rather than allow the trial to
be postponed to the following year when Quintus
Hortensius was to be consul.<milestone unit="section" n="5" /> And again in the
actual pleading sagacity holds the first and most
important place. For it is the duty of sagacity to
decide what we should say and what we should pass
by in silence or postpone; whether it is better to
deny an act or to defend it, when we should employ
an exordium and on what lines it should be designed,
whether we should make a statement of facts and if
so, how, whether we should base our plea on law or
equity and what is the best order to adopt, while it
must also decide on all the nuances of style, and
settle whether it is expedient to speak harshly,
gently or even with humility.<milestone unit="section" n="6" /> But I have already
given advice on all these points as far as each
occasion permitted, and I shall continue to do the
same in the subsequent portions of this work. In
the meantime, however, I will give a few instances
to make my meaning clearer, since it is not possible,
in my opinion, to do so by laying down general rules.
<milestone unit="section" n="7" />We praise Demosthenes<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Phil.</hi> i. 2.</note> for his sagacity because
when he urged a policy of war upon the Athenians
after they had met with a series of reverses, he

<pb id="p.519" />

pointed out that so far their action had been entirely
irrational. For they might still make amends for their
negligence, whereas, if they had made no mistakes,
they would have had no ground for hopes of better
success in the future. Again,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">Phil.</hi> i. 1.</note><milestone unit="section" n="8" /> since he feared to
give offence if he taxed the people with lack of
energy in defending the liberties of their country,
he preferred to praise their ancestors for their
courageous policy. Thus lie gained a ready hearing,
with the natural result that the pride which they
felt in the heroic past made them repent of their
own degenerate behaviour.<milestone unit="section" n="9" /> If we turn to Cicero, we
shall find that one speech alone, the <hi rend="italics">pro Cluenltio,</hi>
will suffice to provide a number of examples. The
difficulty is to know what special exhibition of sagacity to admire most in this speech. His opening
statement of the case, by which he discredited the
mother whose authority pressed so hardly on her
son?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">vi. 17.</note> The fact that he preferred to throw the
charge of having bribed the jury back upon his
opponents rather than deny it on account of what he
calls the notorious infamy of the verdict?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">i 4.</note> Or his
recourse, last of all, to the support of the law in spite
of the odious nature of the affair, a method by which
lie would have set the judges against him but for
the fact that he had already softened their feelings
towards him?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">lii. 143 <hi rend="italics">sqq.</hi></note> Or the skill which lie shows in stating that he has adopted this course in spite of the
protests of his client?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">lii. 114, 148, 149.</note><milestone unit="section" n="10" /> What again am I to select as
an outstanding instance of his sagacity in the <hi rend="italics">pro
Milone?</hi> The fact that he refrains from proceeding
to his statement of facts until he has cleared the
ground by disposing of the previous verdicts against
the accused?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> Quint. III. vi. 93.</note> The manner in which he turns the

<pb id="p.521" />

odium of the attempted ambush against Clodius,
although as a matter of fact the encounter was a
pure chance? The way in which he at one and the
same time praised the actual deed and showed that
it was forced upon his client? Or the skill with
which he avoided making Milo plead for consideration and undertook the role of suppliant himself?<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See above i. 25 and 27.</note>
It would be an endless task to quote all the instances
of his sagacity, how he discredited Cotta,<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes"><hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> above v. xiii. 30. The reference is to the <hi rend="italics">pro Oppio.</hi></note> how he
put forward his own case in defence of Ligarius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See above v. x. 93.</note> and
saved Cornelius<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">See above v. xiii. 18 and 26.</note> by his bold admission of the facts.
It is enough, I think,<milestone unit="section" n="11" /> to say that there is nothing
not merely in oratory, but in all the tasks of life
that is more important than sagacity and that without it all formal instruction is given in vain, while
prudence unsupported by learning will accomplish
more than learning unsupported by prudence. It is
sagacity again that teaches us to adapt our speech to
circumstances of time and place and to the persons
with whom we are concerned. But since this topic
covers a wide field and is intimately connected with
eloquence itself, I shall reserve my treatment of it
till I come to give instructions on the subject of
appropriateness in speaking.<note place="unspecified" anchored="yes">In XI. i. <hi rend="italics">cp.</hi> I. v. 1.</note></p>
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