Institutio Oratoria, Books 1-3

Quintilian was born in Spain about A.D. 35; he became a well-known and prosperous teacher of rhetoric in Rome, probably the first to receive a salary as such from public funds. His "Institutio Oratoria" ("Training of an Orator"), a comprehensive training program in twelve books, draws on his own rich experience. Here Quintilian gives guidelines for proper schooling (beginning with the young boy); analyzes the structure of speeches and recommends devices for engaging listeners and appealing to their emotions; reviews a wide range of Greek and Latin authors of use to the orator; and counsels on memory, delivery, and gestures. This practical guide, in lucid style, provides valuable insight on Roman education. The work also yields many a memorable comment on the styles of various writers.