Of Imitation.
De Imitatione.
II:1
II. Ex his ceterisque lectione dignis auctoribus et verborum sumenda
copia est et varietas figurarum et componendi ratio, tum ad exemplum
virtutum omnium mens derigenda. Neque
123
enim dubitari potest, quin artis pars magna contineatur imitatione. Nam
ut invenire primum fuit estque praecipuum, sic ea quae bene inventa sunt
utile sequi.
§ 1.
verborum ... copia: cp. 1 §5 and §8.
varietas figurarum: see note on plurima vero mutatione
figuramus 1 §12.
componendi ratio, the ‘theory of rhythmical arrangement’: see
on _compositione_ 1 §79: and cp. §§44, 52, and 66.
tum ... virtutum omnium: i.e. in reading the best authors we
are not only to acquire facility and dexterity in regard to the points
enumerated, but to imitate also all the good qualities exemplified in
their works.
ad exemplum, ‘after the model of,’ as ii. 3, 12 ad Phoenicis
Homerici exemplum
123
dicere ac facere: not like _in exemplum_ §2 below, ‘as a model.’ The same use of _ad_
occurs below ad propositum sibi praescriptum: and 7 §3 ad incursus tempestatum ... ratio mutanda
est.
mens derigenda: so vi. 5, 2 ideoque nos quid in quaque re
sequendum cavendumque sit docemus ac deinceps docebimus, ut ad ea
iudicium derigatur. For the form _derigo_ see Munro on Lucr. vi.
823: ‘this was probably the only genuine ancient form.’ So Cic. pro Mur.
§3 vitam ad certam rationis normam derigenti: Orator §9 ad illius
similitudinem artem et manum derigebat (where, however, Sandys reads
dirigebat): Tac. Dial. §5 ad utilitatem vitae omnia consilia ...
derigenda sunt: Ann. iv. 40 ad famam praecipua rerum derigere. Cp. note
on 3 §28.
dubitari: see on 1 §73, §81.
imitatione: a reference to Aristotle’s general theory of art,
made to introduce the subject of imitation (μίμησις, ζῆλος) in the sphere of oratory. This
is defined by Cornif. ad Herenn. i. 2, 3 imitatio est qua impellimur cum
diligenti ratione ut aliquorum similes in dicendo velimus esse: cp. de
Orat. ii. §90 sq.
II:2
Atque omnis vitae ratio sic constat, ut quae probamus in aliis facere
ipsi velimus. Sic litterarum ductus, ut scribendi fiat usus, pueri
sequuntur; sic musici vocem docentium, pictores opera priorum, rustici
probatam experimento culturam in exemplum intuentur; omnis denique
disciplinae initia ad propositum sibi praescriptum formari videmus.
124
§ 2.
ratio sic constat: ‘it is a universal rule of life that,’ &c.
More usual would have been ‘ita ratio comparata est vitae ut,’ &c.
(Cic. de Amicit. §101). The phrase _ratio constat_ (cp. rationem
reddere) was originally a figure taken from commerce (ratio—reor,
‘calculate,’ ‘count’), as Tac. Ann. i. 6 eam condicionem esse imperandi
ut non aliter ratio constet quam si uni reddatur: i.e. if you are an
absolute ruler the only way to ‘get your accounts square’ is to audit
them yourself. So Nettleship (Lat. Lex.) would explain here ‘there is
this balance in ordinary life’: i.e. the account of life only comes out
right on the supposition that, &c,—civilised life would come
to an end unless, &c. More probably Quintilian is employing here a
loose combination of two modes of expression, ratio constat ut, &c.,
and such a phrase as that quoted from Cic. de Amicit. §101: cp. Acad.
ii. §132 omnis ratio vitae definitione summi boni continetur. In Pliny’s
letters the same expression is constantly used (like _ratio est_ in
Cicero) for ‘it is right or reasonable’: iii. 18, 10 confido in hoc
genere materiae laetioris stili constare rationem: i. 5, 16 mihi et
temptandi aliquid et quiescendi ... ratio constabit: ii. 4, 4 in te vero
ratio constabit: cp. vii. 6, 4.—For the thought cp. Arist.
Poet. 1, 4 τό τε γὰρ μιμεῖσθαι σύμφυτον τοῖς
ἀνθρώποις ἐκ παίδων ἐστί κ.τ.λ.
ductus, ‘tracings,’—writing-copies made on wax-tablets:
cp. i. 1. 25 sq., esp. §27 cum vero iam ductus sequi coeperit, non
inutile erit eas tabellae quam optime insculpi, ut per illos velut
sulcos ducatur stilus.
usus: cp. Cic. Acad. ii. §2 Ingenii magnitudo non desideravit
indocilem usus disciplinam: de Orat. i. §15 ut ad eam doctrinam quam suo
quisque studio adsecutus esset adiungeretur usus frequens: pro Balbo §45.
experimento: cp. vi. 2, 25 experimento meo ac natura ipsa
duce. The phrase _experimento probare_ occurs in the Vulgate, Esth.
iii. 5.
in exemplum: cp. §11 in exemplum
adsumimus.
initia, abstract for concrete: cp. 3 §8 hanc moram et sollicitudinem initiis (i.e.
incipientibus) impero. So in ii. 4, 13 ‘studia’ is put for
‘studiosi.’
ad ... praescriptum: subst. as frequently in Cicero, e.g.
Orat. §36. So Quint. ii. 13, 2: iv. 2, 84: ix. 4, 117. Cp. Seneca Ep. 94
§51 pueri ad praescriptum discunt. On the other hand _propositum_
is even more frequently used as a noun by Quintilian: e.g. §11 omnis imitatio ... ad alienum propositum
accommodatur: ii. 10, 15 omne propositum operis
124
a nobis destinati: v. 11, 31 ad praesens propositum.
II:3
Et hercule necesse est aut similes aut dissimiles bonis simus. Similem
raro natura praestat, frequenter imitatio. Sed hoc ipsum quod tanto
faciliorem nobis rationem rerum omnium facit quam fuit iis qui nihil
quod sequerentur habuerunt, nisi caute et cum iudicio adprehenditur,
nocet.
§ 3.
hoc ipsum quod must go together, ‘the fact that’: cp. ix. 2, 69
aperta figura perdit hoc ipsum quod figura est. The commentators wrongly
take _quod_ as the conjunction and explain _hoc ipsum_ as
imitatio (or perhaps the advantage of having examples to follow).
tanto without a correlative: cp. tanto plena §28: Cic. pro Rosc. Amer. i. 1, 2 at tanto
officiosior quam ceteri? In all three instances the quam depends on the
comparative.
rationem rerum omnium: the general course, method, or
procedure of everything, ‘every process’: cp. 3 §31 ratio delendi. _Ratio_ is often
used with the genitive of a subst. as a periphrasis for the subst.
itself, Zumpt. §678: the various instances are well classified by
Nettleship, Lat. Lex. p. 566, 9 and 11.
adprehenditur, frequent in Quintilian of taking hold of a
fact, idea, or argument: cp. v. 14, 23 quae (leges oratorias) Graeci
adprehensa magis in catenas ligant: vi. 4, 18 quod adprehendens maius
aliquid cogatur dimittere: vii. 1, 56 in hoc de quo loquimur patre quid
adprehendi potest?
II:4
Ante omnia igitur imitatio per se ipsa non sufficit, vel quia pigri est
ingenii contentum esse iis quae sint ab aliis inventa. Quid enim futurum
erat temporibus illis quae sine exemplo fuerunt, si homines nihil, nisi
quod iam cognovissent, faciendum sibi aut cogitandum putassent? Nempe
nihil fuisset inventum.
§ 4.
Ante omnia: cp. the formula _ac primum quidem_, introducing
the first argument, viz. that imitation is not sufficient in itself:
others follow in §7: §10: and §12 adde quod
ea quae in oratore maxima sunt imitabilia non sunt, &c.
vel quia: ‘just because,’ i.e. because (if for no other
reason) it is the mark of, &c. The use of _vel_ implies that
there are other reasons which could be adduced, if the reader cared to
have them (vel—si velis). Cp. 1 §75 vel hoc est ipso
probabilis: §80,
§86: 5 §8: Roby §2222.
Quid futurum erat: §7 below.
Contrast the use of the plpf. subj. in the _definite_ apodosis
supplied in ‘nihil fuisset inventum.’ For the indic. cp. longum est
1 §118: oportebat
2 §28: fas erat
5 §7: satis erat
6 §2.
Nempe, ‘why!’ For a similar use of _nempe_, apart from
all irony, in answer to a question, cp. Livy vi. 41 penes quos igitur
sunt auspicia more maiorum? nempe penes patres. In such cases the assent
of the imaginary interlocutor is taken for granted.—Frotscher
compares Libanius, Declam. xviii. p. 487 εἰ δ᾽ ἀεί τινος ἔδει παραδείγματος οὐκ ἂν ἀρχὴν οὐδὲ ἓν
ἐλάμβανεν.
II:5
Cur igitur nefas est reperiri aliquid a nobis, quod ante non fuerit? An
illi rudes sola mentis natura ducti sunt in hoc, ut tam multa
generarent: nos ad quaerendum non eo ipso concitemur, quod certe scimus
invenisse eos qui quaesierunt?
§ 5.
illi rudes is explained by §4
temporibus illis quae sine exemplo fuerunt. _An_ is the mark of a
double question, being used to introduce the second alternative as
opposed to the first, even when the first is understood rather than
expressed. Here it almost = num, and implies the needlessness of the
preceding remark (Roby 2255), and introduces an _à fortiori_
argument; cp. Cicero, Tusc. v. §90 Cur pecuniam ... curet omnino? An
Scythes Anacharsis potuit pro nihilo pecuniam ducere, nostrates
philosophi facere non potuerunt? Cic. Cat. i. 1, 3. So 3 §29 below an vero ... hoc cogitatio
praestat: 5 §7.
certe scimus. _Certe_ is less absolute
125
than _certo_. Acc. to Klotz ad Cic. de Sen. i. 2 certe scio =
certum est me scire (‘I am sure that I know’): certo scio = certum est
quod scio (‘I have certain or sure knowledge,’ ‘my knowledge is
accurate’). Cp. Ter. Andr. 503 with 929.
II:6
Et
125
cum illi, qui nullum cuiusquam rei habuerunt magistrum, plurima in
posteros tradiderunt, nobis usus aliarum rerum ad eruendas alias non
proderit, sed nihil habebimus nisi beneficii alieni? quem ad modum
quidam pictores in id solum student, ut describere tabulas mensuris ac
lineis sciant.
§ 6.
cuiusquam rei. _Quisquam_ (generally subst.) is, when
employed adjectivally, more usually found along with names of persons or
words implying personality: cp. iv. 1, 10 ne contumeliosi in quenquam
hominem ordinemve videamur: 7 §3
below quisquam ... orator: iii. 1, 22 cuiusquam sectae.
in posteros: so i. 1, 6: ad posteros xii. 11, 28.—For
tradiderunt, see Crit.
Notes.
eruendas: ix. 2, 64 latens aliquid eruitur: xii. 8, 13 multa
... patronus eruet: iv. 2, 60 hoc quoque tamquam occultum et a se
prudenter erutum tradunt. Quintilian follows Cicero in the figurative
use of this word; e.g. de Orat. ii. 146 scrutari locos ex quibus
argumenta eruamus: ibid. 360 hac exercitatione non eruenda memoria est,
si est nulla naturalis, sed certe, si latet, evocanda est.
beneficii. This gen. occurs in the phrase ‘sui beneficii
facere,’ not uncommon in the Latin of the Silver Age, ‘to make dependent
on one’s own bounty or favour.’ Suet. Claud. 23 commeatus a senatu peti
solitos benefici sui fecit: Iust. xiii. 4, 9 ut munus imperii beneficii
sui faceret: Sen. Ben. iii. 18, 4. The phrase is equivalent to
nihil habebimus _nisi quod sit_ or _quod non sit_ ben. al. =
nisi quod debeamus aliis (‘due to the favour of others’). Becher cites
the analogous expression ‘tui muneris habeo’ in Tac. Ann. xiv. 55: cp.
ib. xv. 52, 4 ne ... sui muneris rem publicam faceret, and tui muneris
est Hor. Car. iv. 3, 21. So ‘ducere aliquid offici sui.’ The
genitive must not therefore be explained as a gen. of quality, dependent
on _nihil_ (as Meister).
in id solum student. The construction (which occurs again xii.
6, 6 in quam rem studendum sit) seems to be modelled on that of
_niti_. Here, however, _ei soli_ could not have
stood.—The process of ‘copying by measures and lines’ is not
unknown even now. The picture to be reproduced, and the surface on which
the copy was to be made, were divided into equal numbers of squares
(mensurae) by lines drawn across at right angles.
II:7
Turpe etiam illud est, contentum esse id consequi quod imiteris. Nam
rursus quid erat futurum, si nemo plus effecisset eo quem sequebatur?
Nihil in poetis supra Livium Andronicum, nihil in historiis supra
126
pontificum annales haberemus; ratibus adhuc navigaremus; non esset
pictura, nisi quae lineas modo extremas umbrae, quam corpora in sole
fecissent, circumscriberet.
§ 7.
turpe etiam. For the argument see Crit. Notes.
contentum ... consequi. The constr. c. infin. is very common
in Quintilian: over a dozen instances are given in Bonn. Lex. (q.v.). It
passed from the usage of poetry (e.g. Ovid, Metam. i. 461) into the
prose of the Silver Age. Cicero would have used _satis habere_. Cp.
solus legi dignus 1 §96.
rursus resumes quid futurum erat §4.
in poetis ... in historiis: see on 1 §28: 1 §75.
Livius Andronicus. Cicero (Brutus §71) compares his translation of the Odyssey to the
first rude attempts at sculpture, which passed under the name of
Daedalus: nam et Odyssia Latina est sic tamquam opus aliquod Daedali et
Livianae fabulae non satis dignae quae iterum legantur. Cp. Liv. xxvii.
§37 forsitan laudabile rudibus ingeniis, nunc abhorrens et
inconditum.—Livius was a native of Tarentum, who came to Rome as a
slave after the capture of his native city (272 B.C.) and set up as a schoolmaster: his Odyssey
survived for scholastic purposes down to the days of Orbilius and Horace
(Ep. ii. 1, 69). His production in B.C. 240—the year after the end of the First
Punic War—of a tragedy and comedy in Latin (in which he discarded
the old Saturnian metre), may be said to mark the beginning of Roman
literature. For thirty years he continued to produce plays at the Roman
games, adapting the indigenous Italian drama,
126
such as it was, to the laws which regulated dramatic composition among
the Greeks; and when he died at a ripe old age, a compliment was paid to
his memory by the assignment of the Temple of Minerva on the Aventine to
the ‘guild of poets’ (collegium poetarum) as a place for their
meetings.
pontificum annales: also called Annales Maximi, probably
because they were kept by the Pontifex Maximus. In them was preserved
the list of consuls and other magistrates, and they recorded in the
baldest fashion the most noteworthy events of each magistracy. Cp. Cic.
de Orat. ii. §52 erat enim historia nihil aliud nisi annalium confectio,
&c. P. Mucius Scaevola, the consul of 133 B.C., edited them in thirty books. Teuffel §66: Mommsen, i. 477 sq.
lineas extremas, i.e. the tracing of outlines: this was said
to have been the origin of painting. Pliny N. H. xxxv. 5 Graeci
(picturam affirmant) ... repertam ... umbra hominis lineis circumducta.
Cp. the distinction between free imitation and servile copying in the
following from Aulus Gellius (xvii. 20, 8): ea quae in Platonis
oratione demiramur, non aemulari quidem, sed lineas umbrasque facere
ausi sumus.
II:8
Ac si omnia percenseas, nulla _man_sit ars qualis inventa est, nec
intra initium stetit: nisi forte nostra potissimum tempora damnamus
huius infelicitatis, ut nunc demum nihil crescat: nihil autem crescit
sola imitatione.
§ 8.
nisi forte: cp. 1 §70: 3 §31: 5 §6.
infelicitatis: cp. on 1 §7 infelicis operae. So viii.
prooem. §27 abominanda ... haec infelicitas ... quae et cursum dicendi
refrenat et calorem cogitationis extinguit mora et diffidentia. xi. 2,
49 haec rara infelicitas erit. Pliny N. H. praef. 23 has ‘infelix’
ingenium for ‘sterile.’ The opposite would be beatissima ubertas 1 §109. For the constr. c.
genit. cp. ii. 5, 24 neque enim nos tarditatis natura damnavit: ix. 2,
81 tyrannidis affectatae damnatus: vii. 8, 3 incesti damnata.
demum: v. on 1 §44.
II:9
Quod si prioribus adicere fas non est, quo modo sperare possumus illum
oratorem perfectum? cum in his, quos maximos adhuc novimus, nemo sit
inventus in quo nihil aut desideretur aut reprehendatur. Sed etiam qui
summa non adpetent, contendere potius quam sequi debent.
§ 9.
oratorem perfectum: §28 below, with
which cp. the preface to Book i, §9 Oratorem autem instituimus illum
perfectum qui esse nisi vir bonus non potest. So Cicero, Orat. §7: de
Orat. i. §117.
nemo sit inventus: cp. Pr. i. §18 qualis fortasse nemo adhuc
fuerit. So too i. 10, 4 where referring to Cicero’s Orator he says:
quibus ego primum hoc respondeo, quod M. Cicero scripto ad Brutum
libro frequentius testatur: non eum a nobis institui oratorem qui sit
aut fuerit, sed imaginem quandam concepisse nos animo perfecti illius et
nulla parte cessantis. Orat. §7 non saepe atque haud scio an
nunquam.
summa: Pr. i. §§19-20 nobis ad summa tendendum est ... altius
tamen ibunt qui ad summa nitentur. xii. 11 §26 contendere = certare
ut priores sunt, ‘compete,’ ‘rival.’
II:10
Nam qui hoc agit ut prior sit, forsitan etiamsi non transierit aequabit.
Eum vero nemo potest aequare cuius vestigiis sibi utique insistendum
putat; necesse est enim semper sit posterior qui
127
sequitur. Adde quod plerumque facilius est plus facere quam idem; tantam
enim difficultatem habet similitudo ut ne ipsa quidem natura in hoc ita
evaluerit ut non res quae simillimae quaeque pares maxime videantur
utique discrimine aliquo discernantur.
§ 10.
forsitan: c. ind. as in Quint. Curt. iv. xiv. 20.
utique. See on 1 §20. Tr. ‘in whose footsteps he
thinks he must by all means follow.’
127
adde quod, used thrice within three paragraphs §§10, 11, 12: another proof of a certain want of finish in
Quintilian’s style. Cp. on 2 §23: and
discrimine ... discernantur, below.—See Introd. p. liii.
in hoc, i.e. in the endeavour to reproduce.
utique ... aliquo: iv. 5, 8 in omni partitione est utique
aliquid potentissimum: iv. 1, 77 aliquam utique sententiam: xii. 10, 67
utique aliquo momento.
II:11
Adde quod quidquid alteri simile est, necesse est minus sit eo quod
imitatur, ut umbra corpore et imago facie et actus histrionum veris
adfectibus. Quod in orationibus quoque evenit. Namque iis quae in
exemplum adsumimus subest natura et vera vis; contra omnis imitatio
facta est et ad alienum propositum accommodatur.
§ 11.
veris adfectibus. Cp. vi. 2, 35 Vidi ego saepe histriones atque
comoedos, cum ex aliquo graviore actu personam deposuissent, flentes
adhuc egredi. quod si in alienis scriptis sola pronuntiatio ita falsis
accendit adfectibus, quid nos faciemus qui illa cogitare debemus ut
moveri periclitantium vice possimus? Cp. Hor. A. P. 431-433.
alienum proposition, i.e. the purpose of the imitator, not
that of the original writer or speaker.
II:12
Quo fit ut minus sanguinis ac virium declamationes habeant quam
orationes, quod in illis vera, in his adsimilata materia est. Adde quod
ea quae in oratore maxima sunt imitabilia non sunt, ingenium, inventio,
vis, facilitas et quidquid arte non traditur.
§ 12.
sanguinis: 1 §60
(of Archilochus) plurimum sanguinis atque nervorum: §115 eum (Calvum) ...
verum sanguinem perdidisse: viii. 3, 6 (hic ornatus) sanguine et viribus niteat.
illis ... his. This is only an apparent inversion of the usual
arrangement: _declamationes_ is the nearer subject in thought, as
being the subject of the sentence, in which it comes before
_orationes_. The use of _hic_ may also serve to indicate the
prevalence of declamation in Quintilian’s day: 5 §14.—See Zumpt §700.
II:13
Ideoque plerique, cum verba quaedam ex orationibus excerpserunt aut
aliquos compositionis certos pedes, mire a se quae legerunt effingi
arbitrantur, cum et verba intercidant invalescantque temporibus, (ut
quorum certissima
128
sit regula in consuetudine,) eaque non sua natura sint bona aut
mala— nam per se soni tantum sunt— sed prout opportune
proprieque aut secus collocata sunt, et compositio cum rebus accommodata
sit, tum ipsa varietate gratissima.
§ 13.
compositionis: see §1 componendi
ratio. Tr. ‘particular cadences in the arrangement’ 1 §52. Cp. especially ix. 4, 116
quem in poemate locum habet versificatio, eum in oratione
compositio.
cum et, &c., ‘though, as for the words, they drop out or
come into use in course of time ... while the arrangement,’ &c.
_Verba_ is opp. to _compositio_ below: cp. _verba_ and
_comp. pedes_ above. See Crit. Notes.
verba intercidant ... consuetudine. Hor. A. P. 70, Multa
renascentur quae iam cecidere, cadentque Quae nunc sunt in honore
vocabula, si volet usus, Quem penes arbitrium est et ius et norma
loquendi. Ibid. 60-62 Ut silvae foliis pronos mutantur in annos, Prima
cadunt, ita verborum vetus interit aetas, Et iuvenum ritu florent modo
nata vigentque. viii. 6, 32 cum multa (ὀνόματα) cotidie ab antiquis ficta moriantur.
ut quorum = quippe. Cp. 1 §55 ut in qua ... sit: 1 §§57, 74. I have put this clause in
brackets to show that it stands by itself: _consuetudine_ explains
_temporibus_, while _non sua natura ... sed prout ...
collocata_ introduce a new idea. See following note.
128
eaque is a continuation of the clause _cum et verba_. The
use and disuse of words is a matter of fashion: _and moreover_
their value depends on their proper employment.—The commentators,
except Krüger (3rd ed.), explain this as part of the clause _ut
quorum_, &c., the demonstr. taking the place of the relative, as
not infrequently with double relative clauses in Cicero: Orat. §9 quam
intuens in eaque defixus: de Fin. i. 12, 42 quod ipsum nullam ad aliam
rem, ad id autem res referuntur omnes (where see Madvig): ad Att. x. 16,
3: Brutus §258. Cp. Lucr. i. 718-21, and Munro’s note. But the context
is against this. See Crit.
Notes.
proprie: v. on 1 §9.
collocata here not much more than _adhibita_. In
themselves words are nothing: their effect depends entirely on their
appropriate use.
et compositio: i.e. and though, as to the arrangement (_et
compositio_ corresponds to _et verba_ above), it may owe its
effect in the original to the manner in which it has been adapted to the
sense (_rebus accommodata_), while moreover (cum ... tum) its charm
lies in its very variety. The art by which the _compositio_ is
saved from monotony in the original is lost by the servile copyists of
particular extracts: they take no account of the fact that the style
ought to reflect the sense, and they forget that the motive for a
particular _compositio_ in their original was the desire to produce
an agreeable effect by diversity of form.—See Crit. Notes.
II:14
Quapropter exactissimo iudicio circa hanc partem studiorum examinanda
sunt omnia. Primum, quos imitemur: nam sunt plurimi qui similitudinem
pessimi cuiusque et corruptissimi concupierint: tum in ipsis quos
elegerimus, quid sit _ad_ quod nos efficiendum comparemus.
§ 14.
exactissimo: so 7 §30
commentarii ita exacti = perfecti. In the sense of ‘perfectly finished’
it is found Hor. Ep. ii. 1, 72: Ovid, Met. i. 405.
circa: v. on 1 §52.
corruptissimi: cp. §16 declinant
in peius, &c. The word is used of a vicious style, 1 §125.
efficiendum = effingendum, as §13 above.
II:15
Nam in magnis quoque auctoribus incidunt aliqua vitiosa et a doctis
inter ipsos etiam mutuo reprehensa;
129
atque utinam tam bona imitantes dicerent melius quam mala peius dicunt.
Nec vero saltem iis quibus ad evitanda vitia iudicii satis fuit
sufficiat imaginem virtutis effingere et solam, ut sic dixerim, cutem
vel potius illas Epicuri figuras, quas e summis corporibus dicit
effluere.
§ 15.
in ... auctoribus. _In_ is used for _apud_ in speaking
of an author’s whole works or general characteristics, not of a
particular passage or a particular composition. So Hor. Sat. i. 10, 52:
Tu nihil in magno doctus reprendis Homero? 1 §76 tanta vis in eo
(Demosthene). For _apud_ cp. 1 §39 brevitas illa ... quae est
apud Livium in epistula ad filium scripta.—The same warning is
given 1 §24 Neque id
statim legenti persuasum sit, omnia quae optimi auctores dixerint utique
esse perfecta.
a doctis, ‘by competent critics’: cp. 1 §97 qui esse docti adfectant:
viii. 3, 2 in ceteris iudicium doctorum, in hoc vero etiam popularem
laudem petit: xii. 10, 72 tum laudem quoque, nec doctorum modo sed etiam
vulgi consequatur: ib. 1 §20: 9 §4: 10 §50.
inter ipsos is to be referred to _in magnis auctoribus_,
not to _a doctis_: hence the comma.—_Inter ipsos_ would
have been _inter se_ if the word to which the pronoun refers had
been nom. or acc. Cp. 1, 14 non semper enim haec inter se idem faciunt:
Cic. de Off. i. §50 conciliat inter se homines. But societas hominum
inter ipsos, Cic. de Off. i. §20: quam sancta est societas civium inter
ipsos, Leg. ii. 7: latissime patens hominibus inter ipsos ... societas
haec est, de Off. i. §51. Cp. §23 below.
On the other hand we have multa sunt civibus inter se communia, de Off.
i. §53: communia esse amicorum inter se omnia, Ter. Ad. v.
3, 18.
mutuo, only here in Quintilian: he frequently uses
_invicem_. Liv. viii. 24, 6 cum interclusissent trifariam a mutuo
inter se auxilio.
129
mutuo reprehensa. Cp. the reference to the letters of Calvus
and Brutus to Cicero, Tac. Dial. 18 ex quibus facile est deprehendere
Calvum quidem Ciceroni visum exsanguem et attritum, Brutum autem otiosum
atque diiunctum; rursusque Ciceronem a Calvo quidem male audisse tanquam
solutum et enervem, a Bruto autem, ut ipsius verbis utar, tanquam
fractum atque elumbem.—For the position of tam, cp. on 7 §27.
mala (sc. imitantes) peius, as in the case of
Seneca’s imitators: placebat propter sola vitia et ad ea se quisque
dirigebat effingenda quae poterat: 1 §127.
nec ... saltem. _Saltem_ with a negative is used by
Quintilian in the sense of _ne ... quidem_, standing sometimes
before, sometimes after the word to which it applies: here with
_sufficiat_. Cp. i. 1, 24 Neque enim mihi illud saltem placet quod
fieri in plurimis video: 7 §20 below
ut non breve saltem tempus sumamus, &c.: v. 1, 4 neque enim de
omnibus causis dicere quisquam potest saltem praeteritis, ut taceam de
futuris: xii. 11, 11 ut ipsum iter neque impervium neque saltem durum
putent.
ut sic dixerim, for the more classical ‘ut ita dicam’: cp. 1 §§6, 77. So Tac. Ann. xiv. 53, 14: Dial.
34, 8: 40, 19: ut ita dixerim Agr. 3, 13. See Crit. Notes.
Epicuri figuras. The reference is to the theory of εἴδωλα first adopted to explain
sensation by Democritus, and afterwards developed by Epicurus. Cp. Plut.
de Pl. Phil. iv. 8 Λεύκιππος καὶ Δημόκριτος τὴν αἴσθησιν καὶ τὴν νόησιν
γίγνεσθαι εἰδώλων ἔξωθεν προσιόντων. See Ritter and Preller §155 sq. Cp. Lucret. iv. 42 sq. Dico igitur
rerum effigias tenuesque figuras Mittier ab rebus summo de corpore
rerum, Quoi quasi membranae, vel cortex nominitandast, Quod speciem ac
formam similem gerit eius imago Cuiuscumque cluet de corpore fusa
vagari: cp. 157-8 Perpetuo fluere ut noscas e corpore summo Texturas
rerum tenues tenuesque figuras.
II:16
Hoc autem his accidit qui non introspectis penitus virtutibus ad primum
se velut adspectum orationis aptarunt; et cum iis felicissime cessit
imitatio, verbis atque numeris sunt non multum differentes, vim dicendi
atque inventionis non adsequuntur, sed plerumque declinant in peius et
proxima virtutibus vitia comprehendunt fiuntque pro grandibus tumidi,
pressis exiles, fortibus temerarii, laetis corrupti, compositis
130
exultantes, simplicibus neglegentes.
§ 16.
numeris, ‘rhythm’: cp. compositio §13, and 1 §79. Numeros ῥυθμούς accipi volo ix.
4, 45.
sunt ... differentes: a Greek construction.
vim dicendi 1 §1: viii. pr. 30. Neither in
force of expression nor in power of thought do they come up to their
models.
in peius. Cp. i. 1, 5 bona facile mutantur in peius, i. 3, 1:
ii. 16, 2: Verg. Georg. i. 200 in peius ruere. See Introd. p. xlvii.
proxima virtutibus vitia. Cp. Hor. A. P. 25-28 Decipimur
specie recti: brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio; sectantem levia nervi
Deficiunt animique; professus grandia turget; Serpit humi tutus nimium
timidusque procellae. Below (32-37) Quintilian draws the moral that
knowledge is necessary in order to avoid a fault, otherwise the opposite
fault may be committed. With ‘specie recti’ in Horace cp. Quint. viii.
3, 56 Κακόζηλον, id est
mala adfectatio, per omne dicendi genus peccat: nam et tumida et pusilla
et praedulcia et abundantia et arcessita et exultantia sub idem nomen
cadunt. Denique cacozelon vocatur quidquid est ultra virtutem, quotiens
ingenium iudicio caret et specie boni fallitur, omnium in eloquentia
vitiorum pessimum.
comprehendunt: a rare use. See on §3 adprehenditur. Cp. Cic. pro Balb. §3 omnes animo
virtutes penitus comprehendere.
pro grandibus tumidi: so grandia non tumida xii. 10, 80:
professus grandia turget Hor. l.c.
pressis, ‘concise,’ ‘chaste,’ 1 §44, §46.
exiles, ‘bald.’ Cp. Cic. Brut. §202 Sed cavenda est presso
illi oratori inopia
130
et ieiunitas, amplo autem inflatum et corruptum orationis genus.
fortibus temerarii: strength of style ought not to become
rashness. Cp. iii. 7, 25 pro temerario fortem ... vocemus: ii. 12, 4 est
praeterea quaedam virtutum vitiorumque vicinia qua maledicus pro libero,
temerarius pro forti, effusus pro copioso accipitur: ii. 12, 11 vim
appellant quae est potius violentia.
laetis corrupti: xii. 10, 80 laeta non luxuriosa. Wealth of
style ought not to degenerate into extravagance. For _laetus_ cp.
1 §46.
compositis exultantes: lit. ‘bounding instead of measured’:
cp. exultantia coercere 4 §1, where
see note. For _compositis_ v. 1 §44: for _exultantes_ cp.
ix. 4, 28 quaedam transgressiones ... sunt etiam compositione vitiosae
quae in hoc ipsum petuntur ut exultent atque lasciviant quales illae
Maecenatis: Sole et aurora rubent plurima, &c., ibid. §142, where
_saltare_ is used of this style, in which the excessive care
bestowed on the arrangement (_compositio_) degenerates into
affectation. See Crit.
Notes.
simplicibus neglegentes: Cicero, de Inv. i. 21, 30 opposes
dilucide et ornate ... to obscure et neglegenter. _Neglegentes_
implies contempt for as well as absence of ornament, almost
‘slovenliness.’
II:17
Ideoque qui horride atque incomposite quidlibet illud frigidum et inane
extulerunt, antiquis se pares credunt; qui carent cultu atque
sententiis, Attici sunt scilicet; qui praecisis conclusionibus obscuri,
Sallustium
131
atque Thucydiden superant; tristes ac ieiuni Pollionem aemulantur;
otiosi et supini, si quid modo longius circumduxerunt, iurant ita
Ciceronem locuturum fuisse.
§ 17.
horride atque incomposite: horride inculteque Cic. Orat. 28: cp.
1 §66 rudis in
plerisque et incompositus (Aeschylus): Tac. Dial. 18 sunt enim horridi
et impoliti et rudes et informes. _Horridus_ is the opposite of
_nitidus_: Cic. de Orat. iii. 51: de Legg. i. 2, 6: Brutus §§68,
83, 117, 238, 268.
quidlibet illud frigidum et inane. As the expression
_horride atque incomposite_ denotes the unpleasing form, so this
phrase (cp. frigida et inanis adfectatio ix. 3, 74) stigmatises the
tasteless and vapid substance of the incompetent imitators (Hor. Ep. i.
19, 19 O imitatores, servum pecus): tr. ‘writers who have come out
with their favourite platitudes and inanities.’ There is something
deictic about _illud_. Becher compares ix. 2, 94 postulandum est ut
_nescio quid illud_ quod adversarii obliquis sententiis significare
voluerint obiciant palam: i. 3, 4 hi sunt qui ... quicquid illud possunt
statim ostendunt: Liv. ix. 3, 13 vivet semper in pectoribus illorum
quidquid istud praesens necessitas inusserit. Cp. xii. 6, 2: vi. pr. §3
(quidquid hoc est in me), and often _ipsum illud_, _hoc illud_
(e.g. Liv. praef. 10): Liv. i. 29, 3 domos suas ultimum illud
visuri.
extulerunt. The commentators explain as = dicendo extulerunt:
cp. i. 5, 16: viii. 3, 40: and Cicero, Orat. §150. But it is more
probably the same use as we have in 1 §109, viz. a metaphor from a
productive soil: cp. Cic. de Natur. Deor. ii. §86, and Brut. §16.
antiquis: 1 §43 quidam solos veteres
legendos putant: Tac. Dial. 20 tristem et impexam antiquitatem: 21
sordes autem illae verborum et hians compositio et inconditi sensus
redolent antiquitatem: Quint. v. 14, 32 se antiquis per hoc similes
vocant. In the Dialogue, Aper (15-23) criticises excessive devotion to
antique models,—holding ‘vitio malignitatis humanae vetera semper
in laude, praesentia in fastidio esse.’
cultu = ornatu: 1 §124: See Introd. p. xliv.
sententiis: 1 §61, §90, §129.
Attici: 1 §44. See Crit. Notes. Cp. xii. 10, 16 Et
antiqua quidem illa divisio inter Atticos atque Asianos fuit, cum hi
pressi et integri, contra inflati illi et inanes haberentur, in his
nihil superflueret, illis iudicium maxime ac modus deesset: ibid. 21
quapropter mihi falli multum videntur qui solos esse Atticos credunt
tenues et lucidos et significantes, sed quadam eloquentiae frugalitate
contentos ac semper manum intra pallium continentes. Cp. Cic. de Opt.
Gen. Orat. §11: Brutus §284 sq.: Orator §28 putant enim qui horride inculteque dicat, modo
id eleganter enucleateque faciat, eum solum Attice dicere.
scilicet, ironical.
praecisis. iv. 2, 47 neque mihi umquam tanta fuerit cura
brevitatis ut non ea quae credibilem faciunt expositionem inseri velim.
Simplex enim et undique praecisa non tam narratio vocari potest quam
confessio.
conclusionibus, the clauses that ‘round off’ the period: cp.
on concludit 1 §106.
Anacoluths result in such a style from the omission of something
essential to the complete period.
obscuri. A similar cause of obscurity
131
is noted viii. 2, 19 alii brevitatem aemulati necessaria quoque orationi
subtrahunt verba et, velut satis sit scire ipsos, quid dicere velint,
quantum ad alios pertineant, nihil putant referre. For the omission of
_sunt_, see Introd. p. lv.
Sallustium: cp. 1 §32,
§102: iv. 2, 45 quare vitanda est etiam illa
Sallustiana (quamquam in ipso virtutis obtinet locum) brevitas et
abruptum sermonis genus.
Thucydiden: 1 §73.
tristes ac ieiuni. The opposite would be _hilares et
copiosi_: viii. 3, 49 proinde quaedam hebes, sordida, ieiuna, tristis
(‘dreary’), ingrata, vilis oratio est. Quae vitia facillime fient
manifesta contrariis virtutibus. Nam primum acuto, secundum nitido,
tertium copioso, deinceps hilari, iucundo, accurato diversum est.
Pollionem, 1 §113. Cp. vi. 3, 110 de
Pollione Asinio seriis iocisque pariter accommodato dictum est, esse eum
omnium horarum.
otiosi et supini: ‘your easy-going drawler.’ For
_supinus_ cp. ὑπτιος
in Dion. Hal. de Isocr. 15: de Dein. 8, &c. So supini securique xi.
3. 3: Iuv. 1, 66 multum referens de Maecenate supino: Martial ii. 6, 13
nunquam deliciae supiniores: vi. 42, 22 Non attendis, et aure me supina
Iamdudum quasi negligenter audis. See Introd. p. xliii. and xlvi.—For _otiosus_, see
on 1 §76.
circumduxerunt: ix. 4, 124 cum sensus unus longiore ambitu
circumducitur.
Ciceronem: cp. lentus est in principiis, &c. Tac. Dial.
22.
II:18
Noveram quosdam qui se pulchre expressisse genus illud caelestis huius
in dicendo viri sibi viderentur, si in clausula posuissent ‘esse
videatur.’ Ergo primum est ut quod imitaturus est quisque intellegat, et
quare bonum sit sciat.
§ 18.
se expressisse. This unusual construction (after _sibi
viderentur_ = persuasum haberent) may express intensity of
conviction: these imitators are thoroughly convinced of their own
excellence, whatever the opinion of others may be (_sibi_, sc.
_non_ aliis). Cp. Cic. de Off. iii. §71 ea malitia quae volt ...
videri se esse prudentiam. The same construction occurs sometimes after
_mihi videtur_ in the sense of _mihi placet_: 1 §91: Cic. Tusc. v. 5, 12 Non
mihi videtur ad beate vivendum satis posse virtutem: Sall. Iug. 85, 2:
Livy xxxvi. 13, 9 quia videbatur et Limnaeum eodem tempore oppugnari
posse.
caelestis: 1 §86.
clausula. Cicero gives minute directions for ending a period,
Orator. §215: cp. Quint. ix. 3, 45 and 77: iv. 62, 75, 96, &c.
esse videatur: Tac. Dial. 23 illud tertio quoque sensu in
omnibus orationibus pro sententia positum ‘esse videatur’: Quint, ix. 4,
73 esse videatur iam nimis frequens, octonarium inchoat. An instance
occurs below 7 §29.
primum est ut: cp. rarum est ut 7, §24. Zumpt §623.
II:19
Tum in suscipiendo onere consulat suas vires. Nam quaedam sunt
imitabilia, quibus aut infirmitas naturae non sufficiat aut diversitas
repugnet. Ne, cui tenue ingenium erit, sola velit fortia et abrupta, cui
forte quidem, sed indomitum, amore subtilitatis
132
et vim suam perdat et elegantiam quam cupit non persequatur; nihil est
enim tam indecens quam cum mollia dure fiunt.
§ 19.
consulat suas vires. So Hor. A. P. 38 Sumite materiam
vestris, qui scribitis, aequam Viribus, et versate diu quid ferre
recusent, Quid valeant umeri. Cui lecta potenter erit res Nec facundia
deseret hunc nec lucidus ordo.
imitabilia: i.e. there are some things which are (in
themselves) fit patterns for imitation, but—then follows the
limitation (quibus c. subj.).
tenue ingenium = ability for the _tenue genus dicendi_,
for which see on 1 §44.
Cp. xii. 10, 35 nec rerum nimiam tenuitatem ... fortioribus ... verbis
miscebimus.
fortia et abrupta: a ‘bold and rugged style,’ the latter
quality being often associated with excessive brevity: iv. 2, 45 vitanda
est illa Sallustiana brevitas et abruptum sermonis genus.
forte (sc. ingenium): a talent for vigorous and energetic
diction. Cp. Cic. de
132
Orat. ii. 183 non enim semper fortis oratio quaeritur, sed saepe
placida, summissa, lenis. So below §23
‘lene ac remissum genus causarum’ is that which calls for ‘lene ac
remissum genus dicendi.’
indomitum: ‘violent,’ unbridled, unrestrained. In such a case
the _genus dicendi grande atque robustum_ will be more appropriate
than the _genus subtile_: cp. 1 §44. For the union of
_subtilitas_ and _elegantia_ cp. 1, 78 Lysias subtilis atque
elegans.
et ... et: not for aut ... aut as Bonnell-Meister, on
the ground that et is inconsistent with the negative. He loses
_vis_ and fails to secure _elegantia_ at one and the same
time. The construction occurs when the writer wishes to indicate that
the coincidence of the two should be guarded against: cp. Cic. ad Att.
iii. 7, 2 ne et meum maerorem exagitem et te in eundem luctum vocem: id.
xii. 40, 2: ad Fam. xi. 7, 2: de Off. i. 14, 42.
mollia = lenia, dulcia. He might have added, having regard to
what has gone before, _aut cum dura molliter_. Cp. Arist. Rhet.
iii. 7 ἐὰν οὖν τὰ μαλακὰ σκληρῶς καὶ
τὰ σκληρὰ μαλακῶς λέγηται ἀπίθανον γίγνεται.
II:20
Atque ego illi praeceptori quem institueram in libro secundo credidi non
ea sola docenda esse, ad quae quemque discipulorum natura compositum
videret; nam is et adiuvare debet quae in quoque eorum invenit bona, et,
quantum fieri potest, adicere quae desunt et emendare quaedam et mutare;
rector enim est alienorum ingeniorum atque formator. Difficilius est
naturam suam fingere.
§ 20.
atque has in transitions often the force of _atqui_. Tr. ‘To
be sure ... I expressed the belief that’ (_credidi_.)
in libro secundo: ch. 8, where he discusses the question, An
secundum sui quisque ingenii naturam docendus sit. The conclusion
arrived at there might seem inconsistent with what he is now saying, so
this paragraph is added to clear away the contradiction.—The
sequence of thought is as follows: the teacher must not confine himself
to what his pupils have a natural bent for. Besides developing latent
talent, he must ‘adicere quae desunt et emendare quaedam et mutare’: for
his office is to mould the minds of others, and that is not so hard. It
is more difficult to form one’s own character. But he ought not to waste
his pains over what he finds repugnant to the mind of his pupils.
compositum: cp. ii. 8, 7.
naturam suam fingere: i.e. without the help and supervision of
a _praeceptor_ to assist in applying such principles as are laid
down in §19.
II:21
Sed ne ille quidem doctor, quamquam omnia quae recta sunt velit esse in
suis auditoribus quam plenissima, in eo tamen cui naturam obstare
viderit laborabit.
Id quoque vitandum, in quo magna pars errat, ne in oratione poetas nobis
et historicos, in illis operibus oratores aut declamatores imitandos
putemus.
§ 21.
quamquam: v. 1 §33 and §96: 7 §17 below.
in illis operibus, sc. in poesi et historia: cp. 1 §31.
declamatores: 1 §71.
II:22
Sua cuique proposito lex, suus decor est: nec comoedia in cothurnos
adsurgit, nec contra
133
tragoedia socco ingreditur. Habet tamen omnis eloquentia aliquid
commune: id imitemur quod commune est.
§ 22.
proposito, i.e. officio poetarum, historicorum, oratorum: cp. ix.
4, 19: xi. 1, 33. See Crit.
Notes.
decor, ‘appropriate character’: v. on 1 §27. Quintilian seems to have
in view here the passage in Ars Poetica (86-118) where Horace insists on
the necessity for maintaining proper tone and style. Cp. esp. 86
Descriptas servare vices operumque colores, and 92 Singula quaeque
133
locum teneant sortita decentem. Cp. also Cicero, de Opt. Gen. Oratorum
1 §1 Itaque et in
tragoedia comicum vitiosum est, et in comoedia turpe tragicum: et in
ceteris suus est cuique sonus et quaedam intellegentibus vox.
cothurnos ... socco. Hor. A. P. 89-91 Versibus exponi tragicis
res comica non vult; Indignatur item privatis ac prope socco Dignis
carminibus narrari cena Thyestae. In line 80 he contrasts the
_soccus_ (κρηπίς) or
‘slipper’ of comedy with the _grandes cothurni_ (‘buskins’) of
tragedy. Cp. Milton’s ‘the buskin’d stage,’ and ‘If Jonson’s learned
sock be on.’ Bombast must be avoided in comedy, though Interdum tamen et
vocem comoedia tollit, Iratusque Chremes tumido delitigat ore
(A. P. 93): and tragedy on the other hand should soar above the
tone suited to the affairs of daily life (cp. 95 sq.).—For
adsurgit cp. 1 §52.
nec ... nec contra: iv. 1, 60 Nec argumentis autem nec locis
nec narrationi similis esse in prooemio debet oratio, neque tamen
deducta semper atque circumlita, &c.
habet tamen, i.e. notwithstanding the rules appropriate to
each department (lex cuique proposita).
omnis eloquentia. For this wide use of the word cp. Tac.
Dial. x. Ego vero omnem eloquentiam omnesque eius partes sacras et
venerabiles puto: nec solum cothurnum vestrum aut heroici carminis
sonum, sed lyricorum quoque iucunditatem et elegorum lascivias et
iamborum amaritudinem et epigrammatum lusus et quamcumque aliam speciem
eloquentia habeat, anteponendam ceteris aliarum artium studiis credo.
For _oratoria eloquentia_ on the other hand see cap. vi. and
_passim_.
II:23
Etiam hoc solet incommodi accidere iis qui se uni alicui generi
dediderunt, ut, si asperitas iis placuit alicuius, hanc etiam in leni ac
remisso causarum genere non exuant; si tenuitas aut iucunditas, in
asperis gravibusque causis ponderi rerum parum respondeant:
134
cum sit diversa non causarum modo inter ipsas condicio, sed in singulis
etiam causis partium, sintque alia leniter alia aspere, alia concitate
alia remisse, alia docendi alia movendi gratia dicenda; quorum omnium
dissimilis atque diversa inter se ratio est.
§ 23.
uni alicui: cp. §24 below, also in
reverse order 7 §16 aliquam rem
unam. It is used as the singular of _singuli_.
asperitas, ‘passion,’ opp. to _lenitas_ and
_aequabilitas_. Cp. Cic. de Orat. ii. 64 genus orationis fusum
atque tractum (‘easy and flowing’) et cum lenitate quadam aequabili
profluens sine hac iudiciali asperitate et sine sententiarum forensibus
aculeis: Quint. i. 8, 11 forensi asperitate: cp. 5 §14 below. The same antithesis is given in
other words Orat. §53 Elaborant alii in lenitate et aequabilitate et
puro quasi quodam et candido genere dicendi; ecce aliqui duritatem et
severitatem quandam in verbis et orationis quasi maestitiam sequuntur.
Cp. de Orat. iii. 7, 28 Gravitatem Africanus, lenitatem Laelius,
asperitatem Galba, profluens quiddam habuit Carbo et canorum.
alicuius, ‘some particular author’: for the use of the full
form in a conditional clause, whereby the pronoun receives emphasis, cp.
1 §22, §130: 6 §5: 7 §2,
§15, §16.
leni ac remisso, cp. on forte (sc. ingenium) §19, above. So Brutus §317 Cotta et Hortensius,
quorum alter remissus et lenis et propriis verbis comprehendens solute
et facile sententiam, alter ornatus, acer, ... verborum et actionis
genere commotior: de Orat. ii. 95 dicendi molliora ac remissiora
genera.
tenuitas: like subtilitas in §19
above, amore subtilitatis vim suam perdat: cp. 12, 2, 13 sectas ad
tenuitatem suam vires ipsa subtilitate consumet. In conjunction with
_iucunditas_ (cp. 1 §§46, 64, 82, 96, 101, 113) it is certainly not used in a
depreciatory sense, though it always implies the absence of all attempt
at embellishment. Ernesti (Clav. Cic.) says: corporis est
_tenuitas_, cum sucus ei et carnis copia deest, cum sit sanum: unde
ad dicendi genus subtile transfertur, quod sine vitiis est, _sed et
sine ornamentis_. Tr. ‘simplicity,’ ‘naturalness’: cp. 1 §44. Perhaps _tenuitas_
and _iucunditas_ together might be rendered ‘artless grace,’ which
does not suffice where _gravitas_ or even _asperitas_
orationis is called for. See Crit. Notes.
asperis: ‘exciting’ causes, i.e. such as arouse passion, so
that the speaker cannot be _lenis ac remissus_, ‘smooth and
unimpassioned.’
134
cum sit: cp. §13.
diversa ... diversa: an instance of negligent repetition, of
which we have another in _uni alicui_ immediately following. Cp. 1 §§8, 9, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 42, 80, 94, 116, 126, 131: 2 §§11-13, 24: 3 §§7, 21: 5 §§6, 7: 6 §7: 7 §§7, 30.
inter ipsas, §15.
docendi ... movendi, cp. xii. 10, 58 quoted on 1 §44.
II:24
Itaque ne hoc quidem suaserim, uni se alicui proprie, quem per omnia
sequatur, addicere. Longe perfectissimus Graecorum Demosthenes, aliquid
tamen aliquo in loco melius alii, plurima ille. Sed non qui maxime
imitandus, et solus imitandus est.
§ 24.
suaserim ... se addicere: for the infinitive cp. Cic. de Orat. i.
§251; Zumpt 616.
sequatur: the subj. is to be supplied from the indefinite
pronoun (sc. aliquem) understood before _addicere_. Cp. 1 §7: ii. 15, 12 primum esse ...
ducere in id quod velit: 16, 19 in quae velit ducere. For this use of
_sequi_ cp. 1 §28:
2 §7.
longe perfectissimus: 1 §§39, 105.
melius. The same ellipse of the verb is repeated below 3 §25.
II:25
Quid ergo? non est satis omnia sic dicere quo modo M. Tullius
dixit? Mihi quidem satis esset, si omnia consequi possem: quid tamen
noceret vim Caesaris, asperitatem Caeli, diligentiam Pollionis, iudicium
Calvi quibusdam in locis adsumere?
§ 25.
non est: cp. 1 §56.
M. Tullius; for Quintilian’s reverence for Cicero see 1 §39 and §105 sq.
quid tamen noceret should be taken in connection with the
foregoing. The meaning is, ‘yet even if I _could_ rival Cicero in
every respect, what harm would it do?’ etc. The impf. is motived by the
preceding _si possem_,—an unrealisable supposition.
vim Caesaris: 1 §114. Cp. i. 7, 34 vim
Caesaris fregerunt editi de analogia libri?
asperitatem Caeli: 1 §115. For an example see iv.
2, 123. For ‘asperitatem’ Eussner proposes _acerbitatem_.
Pollionis: 1 §113.
Calvi: 1 §115. A similar
enumeration is given, xii. 10, 11, vim Caesaris, indolem Caeli,
subtilitatem Calidi, diligentiam Pollionis, dignitatem Messallae,
sanctitatem Calvi, gravitatem Bruti, acumen Sulpici, acerbitatem
Cassi.
adsumere: as §27 utilitatis
gratia adsumpta; not as 1 §121.
II:26
Nam praeter id quod prudentis est quod in quoque optimum est, si possit,
suum facere, tum in tanta rei difficultate unum intuentes vix aliqua
pars sequitur. Ideoque cum totum exprimere quem elegeris paene sit
homini inconcessum, plurium bona ponamus ante oculos, ut aliud ex alio
haereat, et quo quidque loco conveniat aptemus.
135
§ 26.
praeter id quod: see on 1 §28: cp. 3 §6.
tum, as if the sentence had opened with _Nam primum_.
vix ... sequitur: ‘some element, or quality, is realised with
difficulty, if we look only at one model.’ _Vix aliqui_ gives
prominence to the affirmative, and so differs from _vix quisquam_:
it is achieved but with difficulty. For aliqua cp. 7 §16. _Sequitur_ here =
_contingit_. See on §27: and cp. xi.
2, 39, quod meae quoque memoriae infirmitatem sequebatur.
aliud ex alio: sc. scriptore.
haereat: sc. in animo legentis. Cp. Hor. A. P. 195 quod
non proposito conducat et haereat apte.
135
II:27
Imitatio autem (nam saepius idem dicam) non sit tantum in verbis. Illuc
intendenda mens, quantum fuerit illis viris decoris in rebus atque
personis, quod consilium, quae dispositio, quam omnia, etiam quae
delectationi videantur data, ad victoriam spectent; quid agatur
prooemio, quae ratio et quam varia narrandi, quae vis probandi ac
refellendi, quanta in adfectibus omnis generis movendis scientia,
quamque laus ipsa popularis utilitatis gratia adsumpta, quae tum est
pulcherrima, cum sequitur, non cum arcessitur. Haec si perviderimus, tum
vere imitabimur.
§ 27.
saepius: §§12-13: §16.
non sit: cp. non putemus 3 §16: ibid. §5.
(Cp. also utinam non inquinasset 1 §100.) Cic. pro Cluent. §155 a
legibus non recedamus: Hor. Sat. ii. 5, 91 non etiam sileas. Draeger,
Hist. Synt. 1, 312 speaks of the usage as a stronger negation than
_ne_. Nettleship on Aen. 12, 78 says that non is used ‘if a
particular part of the sentence is to be emphasized.’ Kr.3
suggests that _non_ should be taken with _tantum_.—See
Introd. p. lii.
delectationi ... data: xii. 10, 45 atque id fecisse
M. Tullium video, ut cum plurimum utilitati, turn partem quandam
delectationi daret.
ad victoriam: 1 §29 ad victoriam niti: ii. 4,
32: v. 12, 22: xii. 10, 48.
prooemio, narrandi, probandi, refellendi, adfectibus movendis
give the five essential parts of a judicial speech (iii. 9, 1); the
introduction, the narrative, the proof, the refutation, and the closing
appeal (epilogus, peroratio).
laus popularis: cp. 1 §17 laudantium clamor:
referring to the crowd surrounding the tribunal. Tac. Dial. vi. coire
populum et circumfundi coronam et accipere adfectum quemcumque orator
induerit. In viii. 3, 2 Quintilian opposes to _laus popularis_,
_iudicium doctorum_.
adsumpta (sit): ‘how popular applause itself has been worked
in,’ made useful for winning the case.
cum sequitur, ‘when it is given spontaneously, not courted.’
So viii. prooem. 18 decoris qui est in dicendo mea quidem sententia
pulcherrimus, sed cum sequitur, non cum adfectatur. Cp. Sall. Cat. 54 ad
fin.: quo minus petebat gloriam, eo magis illum sequebatur:
ibid. 3. Plin. Epist. i. 8, 14 sequi enim gloria non adpeti debet,
nec si casu aliquo non sequatur, idcirco quod gloriam meruit minus
pulchrum est.
II:28
Qui vero etiam propria his bona adiecerit, ut suppleat quae deerunt,
circumcidat si quid redundabit, is erit, quem quaerimus, perfectus
orator; quem nunc consummari potissimum oporteat, cum tanto plura
exempla bene dicendi supersunt quam illis qui adhuc summi sunt
contigerunt. Nam erit haec quoque laus eorum, ut priores superasse,
posteros docuisse dicantur.
§ 28.
perfectus orator: see on §9 quomodo
sperare possumus illum oratorem perfectum?
quem ... consummari. If _quem_ can be referred only to
_orator_ in what immediately precedes (and not to _perfectus
orator_) the inf. need not mean anything more than ‘perfectum fieri.’
This is Becher’s view (Quaest. Quint. p. 19) adopted by Krüger (3rd
ed.). But ‘_perfectus orator_’ forms so much a single idea here
that it seems more probable that _quem_ covers both the noun and
the adj. In so loose a writer as Quintilian no difficulty need be felt
about _consummari_, though the editors think it necessary to assume
that, with the infin., _perfectus_ is proleptic = oratorem
consummari ita ut perfectus fiat, comparing (with Krüger, 2nd ed.)
Demosth. μέγας ἐκ μικροῦ ὁ Φίλιππος ηὔξηται. See 1 §122 on
_consummatus_.
oporteat: see Crit.
Notes.
eorum: sc. qui adhuc summi sunt,—those who have hitherto
been (and are) pre-eminent.