[24]
For example, Numa is deliberating
whether to accept the crown offered him by the
Romans. First he considers the general question,
“Ought I to be a king?” Then, “Ought I to be
king in a foreign state? Ought I to be king at
Rome? Are the Romans likely to put up with such
a king as myself?” So too in controversial themes.
Suppose a brave man to choose another man's wife
as his reward. The ultimate species is found in the
question whether lie is allowed to choose another
man's wife. The general question is whether he
should be given whatever he chooses. Next come
questions such as whether he can choose his reward
from the property of private individuals, whether he
[p. 21]
can choose a bride as his reward, and if so, whether
he can choose one who is already married.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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