[8]
Brevity and copiousness each
have their own peculiar grace, the merits of metaphor are one thing and of literalness another, and,
while direct expression is most effective in one case,
in another the best result is gained by a use of
figures. Further, the exercise is valuable in virtue
of its difficulty; and again, there is no better way of
acquiring a thorough understanding of the greatest
authors. For, instead of hurriedly running a careless
eye over their writings, we handle each separate
phrase and are forced to give it close examination,
and we come to realise the greatness of their excellence from the very fact that we cannot imitate
them.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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