The Rhetorica of Philodemus. 313 



small boats unable to sail far from shore, because they accom- 

 plish nothing' brilliant. If by "sail the deep seas" they mean 

 "make long speeches," then rhetoric is a crazy profession.® I^ t o 

 by "sail deep seas" they mean treat at length a subject needing col. X. 

 detailed treatment, and arrogate to themselves alone this power, 

 not even then are they in their right minds ; for the philosophers, 

 or any one else with sense can treat a subject in this manner. 

 However if they examine a subject minutely by their "deep 

 sea" method, then the rhetors are mistaken in thinking they 

 speak only about large subjects. ... 1. 26. They borrow the 

 dialectic method from the philosophers, and pride themselves on 

 something which they reject as a principle. 



For the method of question and answer is necessary not only I, 241, col. 

 in .philosophy and education, but often in the ordinary inter- • 

 course of life. The method of joint inquiry frequently demands 

 this style. Moreover this method is adopted by the rhetor in 

 the assembly as well as in the court of justice. "Rhetoric enables 

 a man to be a guard of metics, a friend of citizens and a pro- 

 tector of those of lesser rank."' Therefore one could not say 

 that a rich man does not possess happiness unless he knows 

 rhetoric, but that he is much better off without it. For he ought 

 not to fortify himself, but to free himself from paying ransom to 

 speechwriters. 



Consequently though both methods are useful, they neglect i, 242, col. 

 one of them. Those who say that the rhetors use the method ■^•'■•'■• 

 of question and answer in -its highest degree cannot prove that 

 this method is peculiar to them, nor that they rather than the 

 philosophers wrote technical works about it. Neither the 

 modern sophists in their teaching, nor the ancients in their pub- 

 lished works attained such distinction in dialectic as have the 

 philosophers. 



They say that the rhetor does not seek pleasure from such I, 244, col. 

 foolish subjects as geometry, but producing arts and sciences ^^J^^'^- 

 of daily life, he directs men to that path which leads to the city 

 and place of assembly, which they themselves follow. It is 

 ridiculous for them to say that geometry produces pleasure and 

 glory. Certainly we do not claim to devote our whole life to 



"Col. IX 21-34 is a dittography of col. X, I-14. 

 ^ Cf . Schneidewin, Studia Philodemea, p. 10, n. 26. 



