[12]
Akin to these are the proof or refutation of general statements. For such statements
are a kind of decree or rule, and whatever problem
may arise from the thing, may equally arise from the
decision passed upon the thing. Then there are
commonplaces,1 which, as we know, have often been
written by orators as a form of exercise. The man
who has practised himself in giving full treatment
to such simple and uncomplicated themes, will
assuredly find his fluency increased in those subjects
which admit of varied digression, and will be
[p. 121]
prepared to deal with any case that may confront him,
since all cases ultimately turn upon general questions.
1 See II. i 9–11 and iv. 22.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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