Excerpt from The Institutio Oratoria Of Quintilian, Vol. 4 of 4: With An English Translation

Which a thing is essential does not necessarily make it of immediate and supreme importance for the formation of the ideal orator. For obviously the power of speech is the first essential, since therein lies the primary task of the orator, and it is obvious that it was with this that the art of oratory began, and that the power of imitation comes next, and third and last diligent practice in writing. But as perfection cannot he attained without starting at the very beginning, the points which come first in time Will, as our training proceeds, become of quite trivial importance. Now we have reached a stage in our enquiry where we are no longer considering the preliminary training of our orator, for I think the instructions already given should suiîice for that, they are in any case as good as I could make them. Our present task is to consider how our athlete who has learnt ail the technique of his art from his trainer, is to be prepared by actual practice for the contests in which he will have to engage. Con sequently, we must assume that our student has learned how to conceive and dispose his subject matter and understands how to choose and arrange.

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