XXXIV. "Aa to Publius Seipio, who died in his consulehip, he neither spoke much, nor often; but he was inferior to no one in purity of language, and superior to all in wit and pleasantry. His colleague, Lucius Bcstia, who began bis tri-huneship very successfully, (for, by a law which he prefenred for the purpose, he procured the recal of Popillius, who had been exiled by the influence of Caiua Gracchus,) was a man of spirit, and a tolerable speaker; hut he did not finish. his consulship equally happily. For, in consequence of the invidious law of Mamilius abovC'ineutioned, Caius Galba, one of the priests, and the four consular gentlemen, Lucius Bestia, Cains Cato, Spurius Albinus, and that excellent citizen Lucius OpimiuB, who killed Gracdms, of which he was acquitted by the people, though he had constantly sided against them, were all condenmed by their judges, who were of the Gracchan party. Very unlike him in hia tribuneship, and indeed in eveiy other part of his life, was that infamous I h; OB, C&ius LiciniuB Nerva; but he was aot destitute of ice. Nearly at tLe Euraetime (tJioagh, mdeed, he was mt older) flourished Caius Fimbria, who woh rather 'Mugfa and abusive, and much too warm and host;; but his iSpf^licution, and his great iut^rity and firmness, made him a tervieeable speaker in the senate. Heiras likewise a tolerable pleader and cmlian, and dietinguished by the same rigid freedom in the turn of his language, as in that of his tiptuee. When we were boys, we used to think his orations -worth reading; though they are now scarcely to be met with. But OaiuB SoitiuB C'alvinus waa equally el^aut, both in bit taste and his laugnage, though, unhappily, of a Tery infirm constitation; when the pain in his feet intermitted, he did ntyt decline the trouble of pleading, but he did not attempt it very often. His fellow-citizen e, therefore, made use of His advice, whenerer they had occasion for it; but of his patroo' age, only when his health perxoitted. Contemporary wili se, my good friend, was your namesake Marcus Brutus disgrace of your noble family; who, though he bore that ourable name, and had the best of men and an eminent >MlviliBti for his father, oonfiued his practice to accusatioos, as irgus ie said to hare done at Athens. He aever sued for of our magistracies; but was a severe and a troublescnu ^ loutor; BO that we easily see that, in him, the n&tunl goodness of the stock was eornipted by the vicious inclin*-tions of the man. At the same time lived Lucius Caesulenns, a man of plebeian rank, and a professed accuser, like the former; I myself heard him in his old age, when be endeavoured, by the Aquilian law, to subject Lucius Sabelliua lo a fine, for a breach of justice. But I should not have t ' any notice of such a low-bom wretch, if I had not t that no person I ever heard, could give a more snspicioni torn to the cause of the defendant, or ezaggezate tt to ft higher degree of criminality.
XXXV. " Titus Albucius, who hved in the sante tme, was well versed in the Gi-euian literftture, or, rather, wh jdmost a Greek himself, I speak of him as I think; bat person who pleases may judge what he waa by his itions. In his youth, he studied at Athens, and returned therooa thorough proficient in the doctrine of Epicurm: loh, of all others, is the least adapted to form a " ' RBUARKS ON EMIITCKT ORATORS. 439 speaker, net is the cinGient tnate, but {unless Miythisg more perfect can be exhibited) in tbe finished style of the modems. He had oopious stores of learning; aa easy, winning elegsnce, not only in his maimers and dispoBition, but in his very language; and an unblemiahed. purity and correctness of style. This may be easily seen by his oiationa; and particularly by the History of his Consulship, and of his subsequent transactiouB, which he composed in the soft and agreeable maimer of Xenophon, and made a present of to the poet Aulus Furios, an intimate acquaintance of his. But this performance is as little known aa the throe books of Scaurus before-mentioned."
" Indeed, 1 must confess," said Brutus, " that both the one and the other are perfectly untnown to me; but that is entirely my own fault, I shall now, therefore, reqiiest a sight of them from you,- and am r^olved, ia future, to be more careful in collecting such valuuble curiosities," " This Catulus," said I, " as 1 have just observed, was distinguished by the purity of hie iMJguage; which, though a material acoompbshment, is too much neglected by most of the Roman orators; for as to the elegant tono of his voioe, and tlie sweetneaa of his accent, as you knew his son, it will be needless to t^e fmy notice of them. His sou, indeed, was not in t%e Hst (rf orators; but MhoncTer he had occasion to deliver his sentiments in public, he neither wanted judgn>ent, nor a neat and liberal turn of espression. May, even the firther himself ■was not reckoned the foremost in the rank of orators j hut still he had that kind of merit, that notwithstanding after you had heard two or three speakers who were pEuiicularly eminent in their profession, you might judge him inferior; yet, whenever you hear him alone, and without an immediate opportunity of making a comparison, you would not only be satisfied with him, but scarcely wish for a better advocate.
Ab to QuintuB MeteUus Numidlcus, and his colleague Marons Silanus, they spoke, on matters of government, with as much eloquence aa was really necessary for men of their iUustriona draroeter, and of consular dignity. But Marcus Aurehus ScauruH, though he spoke in pubho but seldom, always spoke Tery neatly, and he had a more elegant command of the Eoman language than most men. Aulus Albinus was a speaker of the same kind; but Alhinus the flamen was deemed an orator. Quintus Oiepio, too, had a great deal of spirit, and was a brave citizen; but the univw^'g doKaaa (S- I I BBOTU8; OR, war was imputed to him as a crime, and the geneml odium of the people proved hia ruin.
XXXyi. " Cabm and Lucius Memmiua were likewise indifierent orators, and distinguished by the bitterness and asperity of their aoousationa; for they prosecuted many, but Beldom spoke for the defendant Spurius Thorius, ou tbe other hand, was dbtioguiahed by his popular way of speakiug; tbe very same man who, by his corrupt and frivolous law, dimiuished ' the taxes which were levied on the public lands. Marcus Marccllus, the father of /Eseminus, though not reckoned a professed pleader, was a prompt, and, in some degree, a practised speaker; as was also his son Publius Lentulus. Lucius Cotta likewise, a man of pnetoriaa rank, wns esteemed a tolerable orator; but he never made an j great progress; on the contrary, he purposely endeavoured, both in the choice of his words and the rusticity of his pronunciation, to imitate the manner of the ancients. I am indeed sensible that in this instance of Cotto, and in many others, I have and shall again insert in the list of orators those who, in reality, had but little claim to the character. For it was, professedly, my design to collect an a«3couat of all the Eomaus, without exception, who made it their business to excel in the profession of docfuenee; and it may be easily seen ii-om this account by what slow gradations they advanced, and how eicessively difficult it is in everything to rise to the summit of perfection. As a proof of this, how many orators have been already recounted, and how much time liave we bestowed upon them, before we could ascend, after infinite Migue and drudgery, as, among the Greeks, to Dmrwithenes and Hyperides, sc now, among our own countrymen, to Antoniai and CVasmtJ For, in my mind, these were couaummate orators, and first among the Romans whose difi^usive eloquence rivalled glory of the Greeks.
XXXVII, "AntoniuB comprehended everything which be of service to his cause, and he arranged hia materials in tbe most advantageous order; and as a skilful general posts the cavalry, the infantry, and the light troops, where each of them can act to most adva.ntage, so Antouius drew up his arguments in those parts of his discourse, where they were likely to have the best effect. He had a quick and retentive memory, and a fi-ankness of manner which precluded J diridiag great part of them nmong the pt lul^ ecluded any -1 ON EMINENT- OBATOES. 441 BUBpicion of artifice. All his specohea wore, in nppearaoce, the unpremeditated effusions of an honest heart; and yet, in realitj, they were preconcerted with so much skill, that the judges were sometimes not bo well prepared as theyebould have been, to withstand the force of them, Hia language, indeed, was not so refined as to pass for the standard of elc* gaace; for which reason he was thought to he rather a careless speaker; and yet, on tho other hand, it was neither Tulgar nor incorrect, but of that solid and judicious turn which constitutes tho real merit of au orator, as to the choice of his words. For, though a purity of style is certainly, as has heen observed, a very commendable quality, it is not bo much so for its intriiisic consequence, as because it ia too generally n^leoted. In short, it ia uot so meritorious to apeak our native tongue correctly, as it is disgraceful to speak it otherwise; nor is it so much the characteristic of a good orator as of a well-hred citizen. But in the choice of his words (in which he had more regard to their weight than their brilliance), and likewise in the strnaturc of hia language and the compass of his periods, Antonius confornied bimaelf to the dictates of reason, and, in a great measure, to the nicer rules of art; though his chief excellence was a judicious management of the figures and decorations of sentiment. This was likewiae the distinguishing excellence of Demostbenesj in which he was so far superior to all others, as to be allowed, in the opinion of the best judges, to be the prince of orators.
For the Jiffures (as they are called by the Greeks) are the principal omamoats of an able speaker; — I mean those which contribute not so much to paint and embellish our language, as to give a lustre to our sentiments.
XXXVIII. " But besides these, of which Antonius hod a great command, he had a peculiar excellence in hia manner of delivery, both a.s to hia voice and gesture; for the latter was such as to correspond to the meaning of eveiy sentence, without beating time to the words. His hands, his ehoulders, tho turn of his body, the stamp of hia foot, hia posture, hia air, and, in short, all his motions, -were adapted to hia language and sentiments; and his voice was strong and firm, though naturally hoai-so,— a defect which he alono was capable of improving to his advantage; for in capital eauaes, it had a mournful dignity of accent, wbicli was exceedingly proper, both to win tho assent of the judges, and excite t.V«M i^wlsi.- BRUTUS; OR, BRUTUS; OR, pseson for a suffering elientj so that in Am the observation of Demosthenea was emiaently -verified; Tho, being asked what was tho Jira quality of a good orafcir, what the tecond, and what the third, conatantiy rephed. ' A good enimdatioo.' But many thought that La was equalled, and others that he WM even exoelled, by Lucius Craaaus. All, however, nHte agreed in this, that whoever had either of them for hia advocate, hod no cause to wish for a better. For my own part, notwithstanding the nncomraon merit I have aacrilx>d to Arrtoniufi, I must also acknowledge, that there caimot be a more finished character than that of Crassus. He pflasessed a wonderful dignity of einention, with an agreeable mixture of wit and pleasantry, which was perfectly pohshed, and without the smallest tincture of scurrility. His styla was correct and elegant, without Btifiness or affectation; liis method of reasoning was remarkably clear and distinct; and when hia cause turned upon any point of law or equity, be had an inexhaustible fund of arguments and comporatiTe ilhistTationB.
XXXIX. " For as Antonius had an admiriible turn for auggeating apposite hints, and either auppressing or exciting the suspicions of the hefirer, so no man could explain and define, or discuss a point of equity, with a more copious facilily IJian Crassus; aa sufficiency appeared upon many other oooasione, but particularly in the cause of Manius Curing which was tried before the Centmnvh-i. For he urged a great ■vnriety of argument* in the defence of right and oqui^, against the literal jM&ei of the law; and supported them by such a numerous series of precedents, that he OTerpowraed Quinhis ScBsvola (a man of uncommon penetration, and ablest crvihan of his time), thongh the case belbre them only a matter of legal right But the causa was managed by the two advocates, who were nearly of and both of consular rant, that while each endeavoured to interpret the law in fevour of his client, Crassus was universaUy allowed to be the best lawyer anicmg the orators, and Sraevola to bo the most eloquent civilian of the age; for the latter coiild not only discover with the nicest precision what was agreeable to law and equity, but hoji likewise a conciasness and propriety of eipressioa, which was admirably adapted to his purpoae. In short, he had such a wonderful vein a£' oratory in commenting, csplaiuing, and discussing, ' ' "* I vein okh , tbstfifl RBMARSB OK EMINENT ORATORa never beheld his equal; though in ampliiyitig, embellishing, and refliting, he waa rather to be dreaded as a formidablo critic, than admired as an eloquent speaker."
XL. " Indeed," said Brutus, "though I always thought I aafficieotly imderatood the character of Scffivola, by the account I had heard of him from Cains Kutilius, -whose oompaaiy I frequented for the sake of his acquaintance with him, I had not the least idea of his merit as an orator. I am now, therefore, not a little pleased to be informed, that our republic has had the honour of producing so accomplished a man, and such an eicellout genius." " Really, my Bmtufi," said I, " you may take it from me, that the Roman state had never been adorned with two finer charaeters than these. For, as I have before ohserved that the one was tiie best lawyer among the orators, and the other the best speaker among the oiviliaas of his time; bo the differenoe between them, in all other respects, was of such a nature, that it would almost be impossible for you to determhie which of the two you would rather choose to resemble. For, as Crassus was the closest of all our elegant speakers, 80 ScievoJa was the most elegant among those who were distinguished by the concise accuracy of their language; and as Craasus tampered his affability with a proper share of seyerity, bo ihe rigid air of Scwvoln was not destitute of the milder graces of an affable condescension. Though this was really their character, it is very possible that I may be thoi^ht to have embellished it beyond the bounds of truth, to give an agreeable air to my narrative; but as your favourite sect, my Brutus, the old Academy, has defined aO virtue to be a just mediocrity, it was the constant endeavour of these two eminent meu to pursue this golden mean; and yet it ao happened, that while each of them shared a part of the other's excellence, be preserved his own entire." " To apeak what I think," replied Brutus, " I have not only acquired a proper acquaintance with their characters from your account of them, hut I can likewise disoorer, that the same compariaos might be drawn between yow and Servius Sulpicius, which you have just been making between Craasus and Sctevola."
"In what mannerl" said I. "Because j/om," replied Brutus, "have taken the pains to acquire as extensive a knowledge of the law as is neceffiary for an orator; and Solpioiua, on. tiia other hand, took care to fomisVi tnma^ -miJOa «aSiKiE.\&.
I eloquence to support the cbaracta; of an able civUian. Besides, joar age corresponded ae neariy to his, aa the age of Crvnua did to that of S^terola."
XLl. " As to mj own abilities," said I, " the rules of decency forbid me to speak of them; bnt your character of Servius is a very just one, and I may freely tell you what I tiiink of him. There are few, I belieTe, who have applied themnelvea more assiduously to tbe art of speaking than he did, or indeed to the study of every usefiil science. In our youth, we both of us followed the same liberal exercises; and be afterwards accompanied me to Rhodes, to pursue those studies wliich might equally improve him as a inau and a scholar; but when he returned from thence, he appears to me to have been rather ambitions of being th man in a secondary protession, than the second in that wb claims the highest dignity. I will not pretend to say, he could not have ranked Hmself among the first in latter profession; but he rather chose to be, what ho actual! made himself the first lawyer of his time." "Indeed! said Brutus: "and do you really prefer Serviua to Quintua Scfflvolai" " My opinion," said I, " Brutus, is, that Quintus Scfovola and many others had a thorough practieal knowledge of the law; but that Servius alone understood it aa a tcience; which he could neyer have done by the mere study of the law, and without a previous acquaintance with the art, which teaches us to divide a whole into its subordinate ports, to explain an indeterminate idea by an accurate definition; to illustrate what is obscure by a clear interpretation; and first to discover what things are of a doubtful natui then to distinguish them by their different degrees of proh bility; and, lastly, to be provided with a certain rule Eoeosure by which we may judge what is true, and false, and what inferences fairly may or may not bo daduo from any given premises. Thia important art he applied: those subjects which, for want of it, were necessarily i by others without due order and precision."
XLII. "You mean, I suppose," said Brutus, "the art logic." " You suppose very rightly," answered I; added to it an oitenaivo acquaintance with polite literata and an elegant manner of expressing himself; as is Bi ciently evident from the ineomparoble writings ho has behind him. And oa be attadvei 'UiifiwiU, tii tW im^cov BEUASEB ON EMISENT ORATOEa ment of hia eloquence, to Lucius Lucilius BaJbua and Caius AquiliuB GatluB, two very able speakers, he effectually thwarted the prompt celerity of the latter (though a keen, experienced man) both in supporting and refuting a charge, by his accuracy and precision, and overpowered the deliberate formality of Balbua fa man of great learning and erudition) by hia adroit and dexterous method of arguing; so that he equally poBsessed the good qualities of both, without their defects.
As Crasaus, therefore, in my mind, acted more prudently than Scsevola; (for the latter was very fond of pleading causes, in which he was certainly inferior to Crassus; whereas the former never engaged himself in an unequal competition with ScBBVoki by asauming the character of a civilian;) so ServiuB pursued a plan which sufficiently discovered his wisdom; for as the profession of a pleader aad a lawyer are both of them held in great esteem, and give those who are masters of them the most eitensive influence among their fellow-citizens, he acquired an nndiaputed superiority in the one, and improved himself as much in the othor as was necessary to support the authority of the civil law, and promote bim to the dignity of consul." " This is precisely the opinion I had formed of him," said Brutna. " For a few years ago I heard him often, and very attentively, at Saraos, when I wanted to be instnicted by him ia the pontifical law, as far as it is connected with the civil; and I am now greatly confirmed in my opinion of him, by finding that it coincides so exactly with yours. I am likewise not a little pleased to observe, that the equality of your ages, your sharing the same honours and preferments, and the affinity of your respective studies and professions, has been so fii fi-om precipitating either of you into that envious detraction of the other's merit, which most people are tormented with, that, instead of interrupting your mutual friendship, it has only served to increase and strengthen it; for, to my own knowledge, ho bad tho same affection for, and the same favourable sentiments of you, which I now discover in you towards him. I cannot, therefore, help regretting very sincerely, that the Roman state has so long been deprived of the benefit of his advice and of your eloquence; a circumstance which is indeed calamitous enough in itself, but must appear much more so to him who considers into what bawl?, that once respectable authority has been ot \o.Va, \ ■^'^ '^'^'^ BRQTU8; Oft, My traiwferred, but forcibly wrested." " You. certainly forget,'' aaid Atticus, " that I proposed, when we b^an t^ oeaveraation, to drop all mattery of state; by bU meaaa, therefore, let «s keep to our plan; for if ure once begia to repeat our grievancee, there will be no end, I need not lay to our iDquiriea, but to our sighs aad laneutatioiis" XLIII. "Let ufi proceed, then," Baid I, "without any &rther digression, and pursue the plan we set out upon.
. CrasisuB (for he is the orator we were juat speaking of) alirajs eame into the forum ready prepared for the combat. He woA expected with impatience, and heard with pleasure. When he first began his oratioo (whicia be always did in a very accurate style), he Eeemed worthy of the great etpectationa he had raised. He waa very moderate in tie Baovomenta of his body, Lad no remarkable variation of Toice, never advanced irota the ground he stood upon, and seldom stamped his foot; his bmguage was forcible, an<i Kmetimes warm and pathetic; he had many strokes of humour, which were always tempered witti a becomii^ ^guity; and, what is difficult to attain, be waa at once veiy florid and very concise. In a dose contest, he nevei neet with his equal; and there waa scarcely any kind of causes is which he had not »gnaliaed his abilities j so that he esrolled himself very early among the first orators of tbs time. He accused Caius Corbo, though a man of great eloquence, when he waa but a youth; and displayed his talents in such a manner, that they wore not only applauded, hut admired by everybody, He afterwards defended thfr virgin Lictnia, when he waa only twenty-seven years of age; on whid)