Brutus ou Des orateurs illustres Passage 137

L. etiam Cotta praetorius in mediocrium oratorum numero, dicendi non ita multum laude processerat, sed de industria cum verbis tum etiam ipso sono quasi subrustico persequebatur atque imitabatur antiquitatem. Atque ego et in hoc ipso Cotta et in aliis pluribus intellego me non ita disertos homines et rettulisse in oratorum numerum et relaturum. Est enim propositum conligere eos qui hoc munere in civitate functi sint, ut tenerent oratorum locum; quorum quidem quae fuerit ascensio et quam in omnibus rebus difficilis optimi perfectio atque absolutio ex eo quod dicam existimari potest.

Lucius Cotta, who had held the praetorship, was also counted among middling orators. He had not advanced very far in reputation for speaking, but deliberately pursued and imitated antiquity both in his words and in the somewhat rustic sound of his voice. From this very Cotta, and from several others, I understand that I have included, and shall include, among orators men who were not very eloquent. My purpose is to collect those who performed this function in the state and thus occupied the place of orators. How high their ascent was, and how difficult in every field is the perfection and completion of the ideal, may be judged from what I shall say.

Lucius Cotta, ancien préteur, comptait lui aussi parmi les orateurs médiocres. Il n’avait pas beaucoup progressé dans la gloire oratoire, mais il recherchait et imitait avec application l’ancien style, tant dans ses mots que dans le caractère presque rustique de sa prononciation. Je comprends d’ailleurs que, pour Cotta lui-même comme pour plusieurs autres, j’ai rangé et rangerai encore parmi les orateurs des hommes qui n’étaient pas très éloquents. Mon dessein est en effet de rassembler ceux qui ont exercé dans l’État cette fonction et tenu la place d’orateurs. Ce que fut leur progression, et combien il est difficile en toute chose d’atteindre le degré suprême de perfection et d’accomplissement, on pourra en juger par ce que je vais dire.