[67]
My subject suggests that at this point I express1
once more my regret at the decadence, not to say
the utter extinction, of eloquence; and I should do
so, did I not fear that people would think that I
were complaining on my own account. We see,
nevertheless, what orators have lost their lives and
how few of any promise are left, how far fewer there
are who have ability, and how many there are who
have nothing but presumption. But though not all
—no, not even many—can be learned in the law or
eloquent as pleaders, still anybody may be of service
to many by canvassing in their support for appointments, by witnessing to their character before juries
and magistrates, by looking out for the interests of
one and another, and by soliciting for them the aid
of jurisconsults or of advocates. Those who perform
such services win the most gratitude and find a
most extensive sphere for their activities.
1 The decline of eloquence.
M. Tullius Cicero. De Officiis. With An English Translation. Walter Miller. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1913.
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