The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero Part 26

does not allow me to conceal that I take delight in it; or whether it is your eagerness which has extorted this volume from me; still it was worth while to make a reply to those whom I suspected of being likely to find fault with me.

But if the circ.u.mstances which I have mentioned had no existence, still who would be so harsh and uncivilised as not to grant me this indulgence, so that, when my forensic labours and my public exertions were interrupted, I might devote my time to literature rather than to inactivity of which I am incapable, or to melancholy which I resist?

For it was a love of letters which formerly led me into the courts of justice and the senate-house, and which now delights me when I am at home. Nor am I occupied only with such subjects as are contained in this book, but with much more weighty and important, ones; and if they are brought to perfection, then my private literary labours will correspond to my forensic exertions. However, at present let us return to the discussion we had commenced.

XLIV. Our words then must be arranged either so that the last may as correctly as possible be consistent with the first, and also so that our first expressions may be as agreeable as possible; or so that the very form of our sentences and their neatness may be well rounded off; or so that the whole period may end in a musical and suitable manner.

And, in the first place, let us consider what kind of thing that is which above all things requires our diligence, so that a regular structure as it were may be raised, and yet that this may be effected without any labour. For the labour would be not only infinite, but childish. As in Lucilius, Scaevola is represented as attacking Albucius very sensibly:

"How neatly all your phrases are arranged; Like tesselated pavement, or a box Inlaid with deftly wrought mosaic."

The care taken in the construction must not be too visible. But still a practised pen will easily perfect this manner of arranging its phrases. For as the eye does in reading, so in speaking, the eye will see beforehand what follows, so that the combination of the last words of a sentence with the first may not leave the whole sentence either gaping or harsh. For sentiments ever so agreeable or dignified offend the ears if they are set down in ill-arranged sentences; for the judgment of the ears is very fastidious. And the Latin language is so particular on this point, that no one can be so ignorant as to leave quant.i.ties of open vowels. Though this is a point on which men blame Theopompus, because he was so ostentatious in his avoidance of such letters, although his master Isocrates did the same; but Thucydides did not; nor did that other far superior writer, Plato. And he did this not only in those conversations which are called Dialogues, when it ought to have been done designedly; but even in that oration[61]

addressed to the people, in which it is customary at Athens for those men to be extolled who have been slain in fighting for their country.

And that oration was so greatly approved of that it was, as you know, appointed to be recited every year; and in that there is a constant succession of open vowels, which Demosthenes avoided in a great degree as vicious.

XLV. However, the Greeks must judge of that matter for themselves. We are not allowed to use our words in that manner, not even if we wish to; and this is shown even by those unpolished speeches of Cato. It is shown by all the poets except those who sometimes had recourse to a hiatus in order to finish their verse; as Naevius--

"Vos, qui accolitis Istrum fluvium, atque Algidam."

And again--

"Quam nunquam vobis Graii atque Barbari."

But Ennius does so only once--

"Scipio invicte."

And we too have written,--

"Hinc motu radiantis Etesiae in vada ponti."

For our countrymen would not have endured the frequent use of such a liberty, though the Greeks even praise it. But why should I talk about vowels? even without counting vowels, they often used contractions for the sake of brevity, so as to say--

Multi' modis for imdtis modis.

Vas' argenteis for vasis argenteis.

Palmi et crinibus for palmis et crinibus.

Tecti' fractis for tectis fractis.

And what would be a greater liberty than to contract even men's names, so as to make them more suitable to verse? For as they contracted _duellum_ into _bellum_, and _duis_ into _bis_, so they called _Duellius_ (the man I mean who defeated the Carthaginians in a naval action) _Bellius_, though his ancestors were always called _Duellii_.

Moreover, they often contract words, not in obedience to any particular usage, but only to please the ear. For how was it that Axilla was made Ala, except by the flight of the larger letter? and so the elegant usage of Latin conversation takes this letter _x_ out of _maxilla_, and _taxilla_, and _vexillum_, and _paxillum_.

They also joined words by uniting them at their pleasure; so as to say--_sodes_ for _si audes_, _sis_ for _si vis_. And in this word _capsis_ there are no less than three[62] words. So _ain_ for _aisne, nequire_ for _non quire, malle_ for _magis velle, nolle_ for _son velle_. And again, we often say _dein_ for _deinde_, and _exin_ for _exinde_. Well, need I give any more instances? Cannot we see easily from whence it arises that we say _c.u.m illis_, but we do not say _c.u.m n.o.bis_, but _n.o.bisc.u.m_? because if it were said in the other way, the letters would clash in a discordant manner; as they would have clashed a minute ago if I had not put _autem_ between them. This is the origin of our saying _mec.u.m_ and _tec.u.m_, not _c.u.m me_, and _c.u.m te_, so that they too might be like _n.o.bisc.u.m_ and _vobisc.u.m_.

XLVI. And some men find fault with all this; men who are rather late in mending antiquity; for they wish us, instead of saying _Dem atque hominum fidem_, to say _Deorum_. Very likely it may be right, but were our ancestors ignorant of all this, or was it usage that gave them this liberty? Therefore the same poet who had used these uncommon contractions--

"Patris mei mecm factm pudet," for meorum factorum,

and,

"Texitur: exitim examen rapit," for exitiorum,

does not say "_liberm_" as many of us do say in such an expression as _cupidos liberm_, or in _liberm loco_, but, as these men approve,

"Neque tuum unquam in gremium extollas liberorum ex te genus."

And again he says,--

"Namque aesculapi liberorum...."

And another of these poets says in his Chryses, not only

"Cives, antiqui amici majorum mem,"

which was common enough; but he says, with a much more unmusical sound,--

"Consilim, augurim, atque extm interpretes."

And again he goes on--

"Postquam prodigim horriferm, putentfm pavos,"

which are not at all usual contractions in a string of words which are all neuter. Nor should I much like to say _armm judicium_, though the expression occurs in that same poet,--

"Nihilne ad te de judicio armm accidit?"

instead of _armorum_. But I do venture (following the language of the censor's returns) to say _jabrm_ and _procm_, instead of _fabrorum_ and _procorum_. And I actually never by any chance say _duorum virorum judicium_, or _triumvirorum capitalium_, or _decemvirorum litibus judicandis_.

And Attius said--

"Video sepulchra dua duorum corporam."

And at another time he has said,--

"Mulier una dum virm."

I know which is proper; but sometimes I speak according to the licence of the present fashion, so far as to say _Proh Dem_, or _Proh Deorum_; and at other times I speak as I am forced to, when I say _trium virm_, not _virorum_, and _sestertim nummm_, not _nummorum_; because with respect to these words there is no variety of usage.

XLVII. What am I to say is the reason why they forbid us to say _nosse, judica.s.se_, and enjoin us to use _novisse_ and _judicavisse_?

as if we did not know that in words of this kind it is quite correct to use the word at full length, and quite in accordance with usage to use it in its contracted form. And so Terence does use both forms, and says,--

"Eho, tu cognatum tuum non noras?"

And afterwards he has,--

"Stilphonem, inquam, noveras?"