Orator Passage 22

horum singulorum generum quicumque vim in singulis consecuti sunt , magnum in oratoribus nomen habuerunt. Sed quaerendum est satisne id quod volumus effecerint. videmus enim fuisse quosdam qui idem ornate et graviter, idem versute et subtiliter dicerent. Atque utinam in Latinis talis oratoris simulacrum reperire possemus! esset egregium non quaerere externa, domesticis esse contentos.

Whoever has attained the force of any one of these styles in its own sphere has won a great name among orators. But we must ask whether such men have sufficiently accomplished what we desire. For we see that there have been some who could speak both ornately and weightily, and also adroitly and subtly. If only we could find among Latin speakers the image of such an orator! It would be splendid not to seek foreign models, but to be content with our own.

Tous ceux qui ont pleinement acquis la puissance propre à l’un de ces genres se sont fait un grand nom parmi les orateurs. Mais il faut rechercher s’ils ont suffisamment accompli ce que nous voulons. Nous voyons en effet certains orateurs parler tout ensemble avec parure et gravité, adresse et subtilité. Puissions-nous trouver chez les Latins l’image d’un tel orateur! Il serait excellent de ne pas chercher à l’étranger et de nous contenter de nos ressources nationales.