Brutus, or On Eminent Orators Passage 133

tum Brutus: Mihi quidem, inquit, nec iste notus est nec illi; - sed haec mea culpa est, numquam enim in manus inciderunt - nunc autem et a te sumam et conquiram ista posthac curiosius. Fuit igitur in Catulo sermo Latinus; quae laus dicendi non mediocris ab oratoribus plerisque neglecta est. Nam de sono vocis et suavitate appellandarum litterarum, quoniam filium cognovisti, noli exspectare quid dicam. Quamquam filius quidem non fuit in oratorum numero, sed non deerat ei tamen in sententia dicenda cum prudentia tum elegans quoddam et eruditum orationis genus.

Then Brutus said: "For my part, neither that book nor those others are known to me. But that is my fault, for they have never fallen into my hands. Now, however, I shall borrow them from you and search for such works more carefully hereafter." Catulus, then, possessed Latin speech, a by no means slight merit in oratory which most speakers have neglected. As for the sound of his voice and the sweetness with which he pronounced his letters, since you knew his son, do not expect me to say anything. The son, indeed, was not counted among the orators, yet when expressing an opinion he lacked neither good judgment nor a certain elegant and cultivated manner of speaking.

Alors Brutus dit: «Pour ma part, ni ce livre ni les autres ne me sont connus. Mais c’est ma faute: ils ne me sont jamais tombés entre les mains. À présent, je te les emprunterai et je les rechercherai désormais avec plus de soin.» Catulus possédait donc la pure langue latine, mérite oratoire qui n’est pas médiocre et que la plupart des orateurs ont négligé. Quant au timbre de sa voix et à la douceur avec laquelle il articulait les lettres, puisque tu as connu son fils, n’attends pas que je t’en parle. Le fils, à vrai dire, ne comptait pas parmi les orateurs; mais lorsqu’il exprimait son avis, la prudence ne lui manquait pas, non plus qu’une manière de parler élégante et cultivée.