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[125] The period must have at least two cola. The average number would appear to be four, but it often contains even more. According to Cicero,1 its length should be restricted to the equivalent of four senarii or to the compass of a single breath. It is further essential that it should complete the thought which it expresses. It must be clear and intelligible and must [p. 579] not be too long to be carried in the memory. A colon, if too long, makes the sentence drag, while on the other hand, if it be too short it gives an impression of instability.

1 Or. lxvi. 222. Cicero says hexcameters, not senarii.

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