word is made up out of two. But in compound words a threefold
change can be made, not of words, but only of order, so that when a
thing has once been said plainly, as nature itself prompts, the order
may be inverted, and the expression may be repeated, turned upside
down, as it were, or backwards and forwards. Then again the same
expression may be reiterated in a mutilated, or re arranged, form. But
the practice of speaking is very much occupied in all these kinds of
conversion.

_C. F._ The next point is action, if I do not mistake.

_C. P._ It is so, and that must be constantly varied by the orator,
in correspondence with the importance of his subjects and of his
expressions. For the orator makes an oration clear, and brilliant,
and probable, and agreeable, not only by his words, but also by the
variety of his tones, by the gestures of his body, by the changes of
his countenance, which will be of great weight if they harmonize with
the character of his address, and follow its energy and variety.

_C. F._ Is there nothing remaining to be said about the orator
himself?

_C. P._ Nothing at all, except as to memory, which is in a certain
manner the sister of writing, and though in a different class greatly
resembles it. For as it consists of the characters of letters, and of
that substance on which those characters are impressed, so a perfect
memory uses topics, as writing does wax, and on them arranges its
images as if they were letters.

VIII _C. F._ Since, then, you have thus explained all the power of an
orator, what have you to tell me about the rules for an oration?

_C. P._ That there are four divisions in an oration, of which the
first and last are of avail to excite such and such feelings in the
mind, for they are to be excited by the openings and perorations of
speeches: the second is narration: and the third, being confirmation,
adds credibility to a speech. But although amplification has its own
proper place, being often in the opening of a speech, and almost
always at the end still it may be employed also in other parts of the
speech especially when any point has been established, or when the
orator has been finding fault with something. Therefore, it is of the
very greatest influence in producing belief. For amplification is a
sort of vehement argumentation; the one being used for the sake of
teaching, the other with the object of acting on the feelings.

_C. F._ Proceed, then, to explain to me thes