[45]
I have, therefore, no strong objection even to the
views expressed by those who think that some concession should be made to the circumstances under which
we speak and to the ears of the audience which
require something more polished and emotional than
ordinary speech. For this reason I consider that it
would be absurd to restrict an orator to the style of
the predecessors of Cato and the Gracchi, or even
of those orators themselves. And I note that it was
the practice of Cicero, while devoting himself in the
main to the interests of his case, to take into account
the delectation of his audience as well, since, as he
pointed out, his own interests were concerned as
well as those of his client, although of course the
latter were of paramount importance. For his very
charm was a valuable asset.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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