The Elder Seneca Declamations: Controversiae, books 7-10. SuasuriaeHarvard University Press, 1974 - Rome Roman secondary education aimed principally at training future lawyers and politicians. Under the late Republic and the Empire, the main instrument was an import from Greece -- declamation, the making of practice-speeches on imaginary subjects. There were two types of such speeches: controversiae on law-court themes, suasoriae on delibertaive topics. On both types a prime source of our knowledge is the work of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Spaniard from Cordoba, father of the distinguished philosopher and stylist. Towards the end of his long life (?55 B.C. - ? A.D. 40) he collected together under the title (it would seem) Oratorum et rhetorum sententiae, divisiones, colores, ten books devoted to controversiae (some only preserved in excerpt) and at least one (surviving) to suasoriae. These books contained his memories of the famous rhetorical teachers and practitioners of his day: their lines of argument, their methods of approach, their idiosyncracies, and above all their epigrams. The extracts from the disclaimers, though scrappy, throw invaluable light on the influences that coloured the styles of most pagan (and many Christian) writers of the Empire. Unity is provided by Seneca's own contribution, the lively prefaces, engaging anecdote about speakers, writers and politicians, the brisk criticism of declamatory excess. |
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accused aiebat Albucius aliquis Antony ARELLIUS FUSCUS Argentarius autem brother Bursian Callias Cassius Severus causa Cestius Cicero Ciceronem Ciceronis Cimon colore usus colour controversia daughter declaimers deinde dicere diceret dixit eius enim epigram erat esset etiam etiamsi Euctemon facere father fecit filio filium fratrem fuisse fuit Gallio Gertz Glycon haec hanc Hispo hoc colore hunc illa illam illi illo illud illum inquit inter ipse itaque JUNIUS GALLIO killed Latro LATRONIS licet manus mihi Montanus mori nemo nihil nisi no-one noverca numquam nunc occidere omnia Parrhasius parricide parricidium pater patre patrem patris Pompeius Pompey Popillius possit potest praetor publica quae quam quia quid quidem Quintilian quis quod quoque rei publicae satis sententiam sibi Silo slave step-mother suasoria sunt tamen tamquam tantum tibi Triarius tyrannus tyrant Varius Geminus vobis Vols Votienus Xerses Xerxes