[22]
Further, such cases consist of comparison, which
may be effected in different ways. For we may either
compare our case in its entirety with that of our
adversary, or we may compare individual arguments.
The choice between these two methods can only
be determined by the requirements of the case. For
example, in the pro Vareno, Cicero, in dealing with
the first charge, compares the individual arguments:
for it would have been rash in connexion with the
second charge to compare the position of a stranger
with that of a mother.1 It is therefore best, if
possible, to refute argument by individual argument:
if, however, our individual arguments are weak, we
shall try to secure success by comparison of case
with case as a whole.
1 The pro Vareno being lost, it is impossible to say to what this refers, and for the same reason Halm's conjecture must be regarded as quite uncertain.
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