Lucius Seneca - Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 2)

"Let this, then, be the first of my precepts, to point out to the student whom he should imitate, and in such a manner that he may most carefully copy the chief excellences of him whom he takes for his model. Let practice then follow, by which he may represent in his imitation the exact resemblance of him whom he chose as his pattern; not as I have known many imitators do, who endeavour to acquire by imitation what is easy, or what is remarkable, or almost faulty; for nothing is easier than to imitate any person's dress, or attitude, or deportment; or if there is anything offensive in a character, it is no very difficult matter to adopt it, and be offensive in the same way; in like manner as that Fufius, who even now, though he has lost his voice, rants on public topics, could never attain that nervous style of speaking which Gaius Fimbria had, though he succeeds in imitating his distortion of features and broad pronunciation; but he neither knew how to choose a man as a pattern whom he would chiefly resemble, and in him that he did choose, he preferred copying the blemishes. But he who shall act as he ought, must first of all be very careful in making this choice, and must use the utmost diligence to attain the chief excellencies of him whom he has approved.

"What, let me ask, do you conceive to be the reason why almost every age has produced a peculiar style of speaking? a matter on which we cannot so easily form a judgment in regard to the orators of our own country, (because they have, to say the truth, left but few writings from which such judgment might be formed,) as those of the Greeks, from whose writings it may be understood what was the character and tendency of eloquence in each particular age. The most ancient, of whom there are any works extant, are Pericles 4and Alcibiades, 5and, in the same age, Thucydides, writers perspicacious, pointed, concise, abounding more in thoughts than in words. It could not possibly have happened that they should all have the same character, unless they had proposed to themselves some one example for imitation. These were followed in order of time by Critias, Theramenes, and Lysias. There are extant many writings of Lysias, some of Critias; 6of Theramenes 7we only hear. They all still retained the vigorous style of Pericles, but had somewhat more exuberance. Then behold Isocrates arose, from whose school, 8as from the Trojan horse, none but real heroes proceeded; but some of them were desirous to be distinguished on parade, some in the field of battle. Accordingly those such as Theopompus, Ephorus, Philistus, 9Naucrates, 10and many others, differ in genius, but in their manner bear a strong resemblance both to each other and to their master; and those who applied themselves to legal cases, as Demosthenes, Hyperides, Aeschines, Lycurgus, Dinarchus, and a multitude of others, although they were dissimilar in abilities one to another, yet were all engaged in imitating the same kind of natural excellence; and as long as the imitation of their manner lasted, so long did that character and system of eloquence prevail. Afterwards, when these were dead, and all recollection of them grew gradually obscure, and at last vanished, more lax and remiss modes of speaking prevailed. Subsequently Demochares, who, they say, was the son of Demosthenes' sister and the famous Demetrius Phalereus, the most polished of all that class, in my opinion, and others of like talents, arose; and if we choose to pursue the list down to the present times, we shall understand, that, as at this day all Asia imitates the famous Menecles of Alabanda, and his brother Hierocles, to both of whom we have listened, so there has always been some one whom the majority desired to resemble.

"Whoever, then, shall seek to attain such resemblance, let him endeavour to acquire it by frequent and laborious exercise, and especially by composition; and if our friend Sulpicius would practise this, his language would be more compact; for there is now in it at times, as farmers say of their corn when in the blade, amidst the greatest fertility, a sort of luxuriance which ought to be, as it were, eaten down 11by the use of the pen." Here Sulpicius observed, 'You advise me rightly, and I am obliged to you; but I think that even you, Antonius, have never written much." 'As if,' replied Antonius, "I could not direct others in matters in which I am deficient myself; but indeed, I am supposed not to write even my own accounts. But in this particular a judgment may be formed from my circumstances, and in the other from my ability in speaking, however small it be, what I do in either way. We see, however, that there are many who imitate nobody, but attain what they desire by their own natural powers, without resembling any one; a fact of which an instance may be seen in you, Caesar and Cotta; for one of you has acquired a kind of pleasing humour and wit, unusual in the orators of our country; the other an extremely keen and subtle species of oratory. Nor does Curio, who is about your age, and the son of a father who was, in my opinion, very eloquent for his time, seem to me to imitate any one much; but by a certain force, elegance, and copiousness of expression, has formed a sort of style and character of eloquence of his own; of which I was chiefly enabled to judge in that case which he pleaded against me before the centumviri, on behalf of the brothers Cossi, and in which no quality was lacking in him that an orator, not merely of fluency, but of judgment, ought to possess.

"But to conduct, at length, him whom we are forming to the management of cases, and those in which there is considerable trouble, judicial trials, and contested suits, (somebody will perhaps laugh at the precept which I am going to give, for it is not so much sagacious as necessary, and seems rather to proceed from a monitor who is not quite a fool, than from a master of profound learning,) our first precept for him shall be, that whatever cases he undertakes to plead, he must acquire a minute and thorough knowledge of them. This is not a precept laid down in the schools; for easy cases are given to boys. "The law forbids a stranger to ascend the wall; he ascends it; he beats back the enemy; he is accused." It is no trouble to understand such a case as this. They are right, therefore, in giving no precepts about learning the case; for such is generally the form of cases in the schools. But in the forum, wills, evidence, contracts, covenants, stipulations, relationship by blood, by affinity, decrees, opinions of lawyers, and even the lives and characters of those concerned in the case, are all to be investigated; and by negligence in these particulars we see many causes lost, especially those relative to private concerns, as they are often of greater intricacy. Thus some, while they would have their business thought very extensive, that they may seem to fly about the whole forum, and to go from one case to another, speak upon cases which they have not mastered, whence they incur much censure; censure for negligence, if they voluntarily undertake the business, or for dishonesty, if they undertake it under any engagement; 12but such censure is assuredly of worse consequence than they imagine, since nobody can possibly speak on a subject which he does not understand, otherwise than to his own disgrace; and thus, while they despise the imputation of ignorance, which is in reality the greater fault, they incur that of stupidity also, which they more anxiously avoid.

"I am accustomed to endeavour, that every one of my clients may give me instructions in his own affairs himself, and that nobody else be present, so that he may speak with the greater freedom. 13I am accustomed also to plead to him the case of his adversary, in order to engage him to plead his own, and state boldly what he thinks of his own case. When he is gone, I conceive myself in three characters, my own, that of the adversary, and that of the judge. Whatever circumstance is such as to promise more support or assistance than obstruction, I resolve to speak upon it; wherever I find more harm than good, I set aside and totally reject that part entirely; and thus I gain this advantage, that I consider at one time what I shall say, and say it at another; two things which most speakers, relying upon their genius, do at one and the same time; but certainly those very persons would speak considerably better, if they would but resolve to take one time for premeditation, and another for speaking.