The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, Or The
Causes Of Corrupt Eloquence, by Cornelius Tacitus

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Title: A Dialogue Concerning Oratory, Or The Causes Of Corrupt Eloquence
The Works Of Cornelius Tacitus, Volume 8 (of 8); With An Essay On
His Life And Genius, Notes, Supplements

Author: Cornelius Tacitus

Release Date: February 11, 2005 [EBook #15017]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CONCERNING ORATORY ***

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THE WORKS OF CORNELIUS TACITUS;

WITH

AN ESSAY ON HIS LIFE AND GENIUS,
NOTES, SUPPLEMENTS, &c.

BY
ARTHUR MURPHY, ESQ.

Praecipuum munus annalium reor, ne virtutes sileantur, utque pravis
dictis factisque ex posteritate et infamia metus sit.
TACITUS, Annales, iii. s. 65.

A NEW EDITION,
WITH THE AUTHOR'S LAST CORRECTIONS.

IN EIGHT VOLUMES.

VOL. VIII.

LONDON: PRINTED FOR JOHN STOCKDALE; F.C. AND J. RIVINGTON; J. WALKER;
R. LEA; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN; CADELL AND DAVIES; J.
MAWMAN; J. MURRAY; J. RICHARDSON; R. BALDWIN; AND J. FAULDER.

1811.

A DIALOGUE CONCERNING ORATORY,

OR THE CAUSES OF CORRUPT ELOQUENCE.

VOL. VIII.

CONTENTS.

I. General introduction, with the reasons for writing an account of
the following discourse.

II. The persons engaged in the dialogue; at first, Curiatius Maternus,
Julius Secundus, and Marcus Aper.

III. Secundus endeavours to dissuade Maternus from thinking any more
of dramatic composition.

IV. Maternus gives his reasons for persisting.

V. Aper condemns his resolution, and, in point of utility, real
happiness, fame and dignity, contends that the oratorical profession
is preferable to the poetical.

VIII. He cites the example of Eprius Marcellus and Crispus Vibius, who
raised themselves by their eloquence to the highest honours.

IX. Poetical fame brings with it no advantage.

X. He exhorts Maternus to relinquish the muses, and devote his whole
to eloquence and the business of the bar.

XI. Maternus defends his fa