Tlic Rhetor ica of Philodemus. 



305 



he is transferring the power he once had in pohtical afifairs to 



investigations which require proof. 



After considering all the divisions of rhetoric and its claims, I- -^^^ col. 



XLII 

 Gains, and recognizing that some are false, and others are of 



no use to one who does not make a profession of rhetoric, it is 

 plain that their claim that rhetoric is the mother of the arts 

 and sciences is a vain pretense. In another place we shall dis- 

 cuss the charge that it is based on deceit, and therefore harmful. 

 We differ from them when they say that the students of rhetoric 

 become better than their contemporaries. If they mean that 

 they become better in their private lives they are utterly wrong. ^^ 

 If they claim that it gives them more practical power than other 

 arts, we retort that all do not obtain power, but some are 

 banished and hated. Gorgias' statement -° that the rhetorician 

 is more artistic than anv other artist we shall consider later. 



I, 221, col. 

 XLIIIa. 



BOOK V. 



This book consists of three groups of fragments. The first group is 

 contained in vol. II pp. 131-143, and is designated as A by Sudhaus in his 

 introduction; the second group is in vol. It pp. 143-167, designated as B 

 by Sudhaus ; the third group, vol. I pp. 225-270, comprises eight uncon- 

 nected fragments, and a more or less continuous series designated as C. 

 The contents of this book are foreshadowed at the close of the fourth 

 book by the statement, "We postpone to another time the discussion of 

 the claim that rhetoric is harmful because based on deceit." A large por- 

 tion of the fifth book is occupied with a presentation of the disadvantages 

 of rhetoric. This is, however, only a foil to the praises of Epicurean 

 philosophy which are given in the form of a comparison of rhetoric and 

 philosophy. In a portion of the book, at least, Philodemus discusses a 

 treatise in praise of rhetoric, the statements of which are taken up and 

 refuted one by one. 



Briefly stated the contents of the book are :— Rhetoric is harmful, and 

 useless in actual practice in public life ; it is no protection against syco- 

 phants, but a trained speaker is even at a disadvantage before a jury 

 because they expect to be deceived by his specious arguments. If a man 

 expects to use it as a means to public preferment he should remember that 



"The claims of rhetoric here refuted are perhaps the common claims of 

 Philodemus' own day. However they are at least as old as Isocrates, 

 whose statement of them is perhaps the best; v. the chapter on Isocrates 

 in the author's. The Influence of Isocrates on Cicero, etc. 



"" Cf. Plato, Gorgias, 456C. I. e. better able to discuss medicine than 

 the physician. 



