- Source
- Aristotle. Aristotelis Ars Rhetorica. Ross, William David, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press,1959 (printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg038.humanitext-grc2:2.18.1-2.18.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Confirms that all persuasive speech is directed toward judgment, and introduces the common topics (koina) applicable to all speeches, such as the 'possible and impossible' and 'magnitude.'
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τῶν πιθανῶν λόγων χρῆσις πρὸς κρίσιν ἐστί1 (περὶ ὧν γὰρ ἴσμεν καὶ κεκρίκαμεν οὐδὲν ἔτι δεῖ λόγου), ἔστι δʼ ἐάν τε2 πρὸς ἕνα τις τῷ λόγῳ χρώμενος προτρέπῃ ἢ ἀποτρέπῃ, οἷον οἱ νουθετοῦντες ποιοῦσιν ἢ πείθοντες (οὐδὲν γὰρ ἧττον κριτὴς ὁ εἷς· ὃν γὰρ δεῖ πεῖσαι, οὗτός ἐστιν ὡς εἰπεῖν ἁπλῶς κριτής), ἐάν τε πρὸς ἀμφισβητοῦντας, ἐάν τε πρὸς ὑπόθεσιν λέγῃ τις, ὁμοίως (τῷ γὰρ λόγῳ ἀνάγκη χρῆσθαι καὶ ἀναιρεῖν τὰ ἐναντία, πρὸς ἃ ὥσπερ ἀμφισβητοῦντα τὸν λόγον ποιεῖται), ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιδεικτικοῖς (ὥσπερ γὰρ πρὸς κριτὴν τὸν θεωρὸν3 ὁ λόγος συνέστηκεν, ὅλως δὲ μόνος ἐστὶν ἁπλῶς κριτὴς ἐν τοῖς πολιτικοῖς ἀγῶσιν ὁ τὰ ζητούμενα κρίνων· τά τε γὰρ ἀμφισβητούμενα ζητεῖται πῶς ἔχει, καὶ περὶ ὧν βουλεύονται), περὶ δὲ τῶν κατὰ τὰς πολιτείας ἠθῶν ἐν τοῖς συμβουλευτικοῖς εἴρηται πρότερον—ὥστε διωρισμένον ἂν εἴη πῶς τε καὶ διὰ τίνων τοὺς λόγους ἠθικοὺς ποιητέον.
Since the use of persuasive speech is directed toward judgment (for there is no longer any need of speech concerning things which we already know and have judged), and it is so whether someone, using speech toward a single person, exhorts or dissuades, as those who admonish or persuade do (for the single person is no less a judge; for he whom one must persuade is, to speak simply, a judge), or whether one speaks against opponents, or against a thesis, it is likewise (for it is necessary to use speech and to refute the opposites, against which, as if they were opponents, one constructs the speech), and in the same way also in epideictic speeches (for the speech is constructed as if the spectator were a judge, and in general, in political contests, the only simple judge is the one who judges the questions under inquiry; for both the disputed matters are inquired into as to how they stand, and the things about which they deliberate), and since the characters according to the constitutions have been discussed before in the deliberative speeches—therefore, it would be defined how and through what means speeches must be made ethical.
ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ ἕκαστον μὲν γένος τῶν λόγων ἕτερον ἦν τὸ τέλος, περὶ ἁπάντων δʼ αὐτῶν εἰλημμέναι δόξαι καὶ προτάσεις εἰσὶν ἐξ ὧν τὰς πίστεις φέρουσιν καὶ συμβουλεύοντες καὶ ἐπιδεικνύμενοι καὶ ἀμφισβητοῦντες, ἔτι δὲ ἐξ ὧν ἠθικοὺς τοὺς λόγους ἐνδέχεται ποιεῖν, καὶ περὶ τούτων διώρισται, λοιπὸν ἡμῖν διελθεῖν4 περὶ τῶν κοινῶν.
Since for each genre of speeches there was a different end, and for all of them accepted opinions and propositions have been grasped from which people bring forward proofs when deliberating, performing epideictic speeches, and disputing, and furthermore, those from which it is possible to make speeches ethical, and since these have been defined, it remains for us to go through the common topics.
πᾶσι γὰρ ἀναγκαῖον τῷ περὶ τοῦ δυνατοῦ καὶ ἀδυνάτου προσχρῆσθαι ἐν τοῖς λόγοις, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὡς ἔσται τοὺς δὲ ὡς γέγονε πειρᾶσθαι δεικνύναι.
For it is necessary for everyone to make additional use of the topic of the possible and impossible in their speeches, and for some to try to show that a thing will be, and for others that it has happened.
ἔτι δὲ τὸ περὶ μεγέθους κοινὸν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ τῶν λόγων· χρῶνται γὰρ πάντες τῷ μειοῦν καὶ αὔξειν καὶ συμβουλεύοντες καὶ ἐπαινοῦντες ἢ ψέγοντες καὶ κατηγοροῦντες ἢ ἀπολογούμενοι.
Furthermore, the topic of magnitude is common to all speeches; for everyone uses amplification and depreciation, whether they are deliberating, praising or blaming, and accusing or defending.
τούτων δὲ διορισθέντων περὶ τῶν ἐνθυμημάτων κοινῇ πειραθῶμεν εἰπεῖν, εἴ τι ἔχομεν, καὶ περὶ παραδειγμάτων, ὅπως τὰ λοιπὰ προσθέντες ἀποδῶμεν5 τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πρόθεσιν. ἔστιν δὲ τῶν κοινῶν τὸ μὲν αὔξειν οἰκειότατον τοῖς ἐπιδεικτικοῖς, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, τὸ δὲ γεγονὸς τοῖς δικανικοῖς (περὶ τούτων γὰρ ἡ κρίσις), τὸ δὲ δυνατὸν καὶ ἐσόμενον τοῖς συμβουλευτικοῖς.
With these things defined, let us try to speak in common about enthymemes, if we have anything to say, and about examples, so that by adding what remains we may fulfill our original purpose. Of the common topics, amplification is most proper to epideictic speeches, as has been said, what has happened to forensic speeches (for judgment is about these), and the possible and what will be to deliberative speeches.
- 1391bἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τῶν πιθανῶν λόγων χρῆσις πρὸς κρίσιν ἐστί
The subordinate clause starting with the introductory ἐπεὶ continues through many parenthetical elements to the end of the section, leading to the main conclusion (apodosis) introduced by ὥστε διωρισμένον ἂν εἴη...
- 1391bἔστι δʼ ἐάν τε
The impersonal verb ἔστι is followed by the conditional clauses ἐάν τε... ἐάν τε... ('whether... or...'), expressing that 'it is likewise [the case] even if...'.
- 1391b15ὥσπερ γὰρ πρὸς κριτὴν τὸν θεωρὸν
Expresses the idea that the spectator (τὸν θεωρόν) in epideictic speeches is treated 'as if toward a judge (κριτήν)' using the preposition πρός with the accusative, indicating that all rhetoric ultimately involves 'judgment (κρίσις)'.
- 1391b25λοιπὸν ἡμῖν διελθεῖν
An impersonal construction λοιπόν [ἐστι] ('it remains') with the dative ἡμῖν ('for us') and the infinitive διελθεῖν ('to go through') as its subject.
- 1392a1ὅπως τὰ λοιπὰ προσθέντες ἀποδῶμεν
A purpose clause introduced by ὅπως with the subjunctive (ἀποδῶμεν). The participle (προσθέντες) functions adverbially to express means ('by adding').