[54]
A most attractive form of exordium is that which draws its material
from the speech of our opponent, if only for the
reason that the fact of its not having been composed
at home, but having been improvised on the spot to
meet the needs of the case increases the orator's
reputation for natural talent by the readiness with
which it is produced and carries conviction owing to
the simple and ordinary language in which it is
clothed. As a result, even although the rest of the
speech has been committed to writing and carefully
elaborated, the whole of the speech will often be
regarded as extempore, simply because its commencement is clearly not the result of previous
study.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1921.
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