[27]
But imitation (for I must repeat this point again
and again) should not be confined merely to words.
We must consider the appropriateness with which
those orators handle the circumstances and persons
involved in the various cases in which they were
engaged, and observe the judgment and powers of
arrangement which they reveal, and the manner
[p. 91]
in which everything they say, not excepting those
portions of their speeches which seem designed
merely to delight their audience, is concentrated on
securing the victory over their opponents. We must
note their procedure in the exordium, the method
and variety of their statement of facts, the power
displayed in proof and refutation, the skill revealed
in their appeal to every kind of emotion, and the
manner in which they make use of popular applause
to serve their case, applause which is most honourable when it is spontaneous and not deliberately
courted. If we have thoroughly appreciated all these
points, we shall be able to imitate our models with
accuracy.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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