Orator Passage 96

est enim quoddam etiam insigne et florens orationis pictum et expolitum genus, in quo omnes verborum, omnes sententiarum inligantur lepores. Hoc totum e sophistarum fontibus defluxit in forum, sed spretum a subtilibus, repulsum a gravibus in ea de qua loquor mediocritate consedit.

There is also a distinctive and florid style of speech, colored and polished, in which every charm of language and thought is intertwined. It flowed whole from the sophists' springs into the forum, but, scorned by the subtle speakers and rejected by the weighty, it settled in the middle range of which I speak.

Il existe en effet un genre de discours remarquable et fleuri, coloré et poli, dans lequel s’entrelacent toutes les grâces des mots et des pensées. Il a coulé tout entier des sources des sophistes jusqu’au forum; mais, méprisé par les orateurs subtils et repoussé par les orateurs graves, il s’est établi dans ce juste milieu dont je parle.