men, out of a desire to avoid
pain, have often told lies under torture; and have preferred dying
while confessing a falsehood to suffering pain while persisting
in their denial. Many men, also, have been indifferent to the
preservation of their own life, as long as they could save those who
were dearer to them than they were to themselves; others, owing to
the nature of their bodies, or to their being accustomed to pain,
or because they feared punishment and execution, have endured the
violence of torture; others, also, have told lies against those whom
they hated. And all these arguments are to be fortified by instances.
Nor is it at all uncertain that (since there are instances on both
sides of a question, and topics also for forming conjectures on both
sides) contrary arguments must be used in contrary cases. There is,
also, another method of disparaging witnesses, and examinations under
torture; for often those answers which have been given may be attacked
very cleverly, if they have been expressed rather ambiguously or
inconsistently, or with any incredible circumstances; or in different
ways by different witnesses.

XV. _C. F._ The end of the oration remains to be spoken of by you; and
that is included in the peroration, which I wish to hear you explain?

_C. P._ The explanation of the peroration is easy; for it is divided
into two parts, amplification and enumeration. And the proper place
for amplification is in the peroration, and also in the course of
the oration there are opportunities of digressing for the purpose of
amplification, by corroborating or refuting something which has been
previously said. Amplification, then, is a kind of graver affirmation,
which by exciting feelings in the mind conciliates belief to one's
assertion. It is produced by the kind of words used, and by the
facts dwelt upon. Expressions are to be used which have a power of
illustrating the oration; yet such as are not unusual, but weighty,
full-sounding, sonorous, compound, well-invented, and well-applied,
not vulgar; borrowed from other subjects, and often metaphorical, not
consisting of single words, but dissolved into several clauses, which
are uttered without any conjunction between them, so as to appear more
numerous. Amplification is also obtained by repetition, by iteration,
by redoubling words, and by gradually rising from lower to loftier
language; and it must be altogether a natural and lively sort of
speech, made up of