The exordium
is the beginning of a speech, as
the prologue in poetry
and the prelude in flute-playing; for all these are beginnings, and as it were a
paving the way for what follows. The prelude resembles the exordium of
epideictic speeches; for as flute-players begin by playing whatever they can
execute skilfully and attach it to the key-note, so also in epideictic speeches
should be the composition of the exordium; the speaker should say at once
whatever he likes, give the key-note and then attach the main subject. And all
do this, an example being the exordium of the Helen of Isocrates;
for the eristics and Helen have nothing in common.1
At the same time, even if the speaker wanders from the point, this is more
appropriate than that the speech should be monotonous.
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1 The subject of the oration was the praise of Helen, but Isocrates took the opportunity of attacking the sophists. This exemplifies his skill in the introduction of matter not strictly proper to, or in common with, the subject. The key-note is Helen; but the exordium is an attack on the Eristics, with special allusion to the Cynics and the Megarians.
Aristotle in 23 Volumes, Vol. 22, translated by J. H. Freese. Aristotle. Cambridge and London. Harvard University Press; William Heinemann Ltd. 1926.
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