[49]
But while there are occasions of many kinds that
call for eloquence, and while many young men in
our republic have obtained distinction by their
speeches in the courts, in the popular assemblies,
and in the senate, yet it is the speeches before our
courts that excite the highest admiration.
The classification of forensic speeches also is a1
twofold one: they are divided into arguments for
the prosecution and arguments for the defence. And
while the side of the defence is more honourable,
still that of the prosecution also has very often
established a reputation. I spoke of Crassus a moment ago; Marcus Antonius, when a youth, had the
same success. A prosecution brought the eloquence
of Publius Sulpicius into favourable notice, when he
brought an action against Gaius Norbanus, a seditious and dangerous citizen.
1 Prosecution vs. defence.
M. Tullius Cicero. De Officiis. With An English Translation. Walter Miller. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1913.
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