[6]
But while the matter is necessarily
either peculiar to the individual case, or at best
common to only a few, words must be acquired to
suit all and every case. Now, if there were special
[p. 7]
words adapted to each individual thing, they would
require less care, since they would automatically be
suggested by the matter in hand. But since some
words are more literal, more ornate, more significant
or euphonious than others, our orator must not
merely be acquainted with all of them, but must
have them at his fingers' ends and before his very
eyes, so that when they present themselves for his
critical selection, he will find it easy to make the
appropriate choice.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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