[30]
Very few observed what he knew,
but every one asked where he had been taught; they thought that nothing poor or had
could be produced by him. If he had come from Statilius, even if he had surpassed
Roscius in skill, no one would have been able to see it. For just as no one supposes
that a good son can be born to a worthless father, so no one would suppose that a good
Comedian could be formed by a very bad actor; but because he came from Roscius, he
appeared to know more than he really did know.
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M. Tullius Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, literally translated by C. D. Yonge. London. George Bell & Sons. 1903.
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