§8.3.36cum sint eorum alia (ut dicit Cicero) nativa, id est, quae significata sunt primo sensu, alia reperta, quae ex his facta sunt, ut iam nobis ponere alia, quam quae illi rudes homines primique fecerunt, fas non sit, at derivare, flectere, coniungere, quod natis postea concessum est, §8.3.37quando desiit licere? sed, si quid periculosius finxisse videbimur, quibusdam remediis praemuniendum O. est: ut ita dicam, Si licet dicere, Quodam modo, Permittite mihi sic uti. quod idem etiam in iis, quae licentius translata erunt, proderit, nihilque non tuto dici potest, in quo non falli iudicium nostrum sollicitudine ipsa manifestum erit.
Since, of these, some (as Cicero says) are native, that is, those which were given meaning in their first sense, and others discovered, which were made from these, so that while it is now not lawful for us to set down words other than those which those rude and first men made, yet to derive, to inflect, and to join together, which was granted to those born later, when did it cease to be lawful? But, if we seem to have coined something too risky, we must fortify it beforehand with certain remedies: "so to speak," "if I may say so," "in a certain way," "permit me to use it thus." This same practice will also be beneficial in those things which are metaphorically used more freely, and nothing cannot be said safely, in which it will be clear from our very anxiety that our judgment is not mistaken.
qua de re Graecum illud elegantissimum est, quo praecipitur προεπιπλήσσειν τῇ ὑπερβολῇ.
Regarding this, that Greek saying is most elegant, by which it is commanded to rebuke our own exaggeration beforehand.
§8.3.38translata probari nisi in contextu sermonis non possunt.
Metaphorical words cannot be approved except in the context of speech.
itaque de singulis verbis satis dictum, quae, ut alio loco ostendi, per se nullam virtutem habent.
Therefore, enough has been said about individual words, which, as I showed in another place, have no virtue in themselves.
sed ne inornata sunt quidem, nisi cum sunt infra rei, de qua loquendum est, dignitatem, excepto si obscena nudis nominibus enuntientur.
But they are not even unadorned, unless when they are below the dignity of the subject of which we must speak, except if obscene things are expressed by their naked names.
§8.3.39quod viderint, qui non putant esse vitanda, quia nec sit vox ulla natura turpis et, si qua est rei deformitas, alia quoque appellatione quacunque ad intellectum eundem nihilominus perveniat.
Let those look to this who think that such words are not to be avoided, on the ground that no word is ugly by nature, and, if there is any deformity in a thing, it nevertheless reaches the same understanding by any other appellation whatsoever.
ego Romani pudoris more contentus, ut iam respondi talibus, verecundiam silentio vindicabo.
I, content with the custom of Roman modesty, as I have already replied to such persons, will protect shame by silence.
§8.3.40iam hinc igitur ad rationem sermonis coniuncti transeamus.
Let us now therefore pass from here to the system of connected speech.
cuius ornatus in haec duo prima dividitur, quam concipiamus elocutionem, quo modo efferamus.
Its adornment is divided first into these two things: how we conceive our expression, and how we utter it.
nam primum est, ut liqueat, augere quid velimus an minuere, concitate dicere an moderate, laete an severe, abundanter an presse, aspere an leniter, magnifice an subtiliter, graviter an urbane.
For the first thing is that it should be clear whether we wish to amplify or diminish something, to speak with excitement or with moderation, joyfully or severely, abundantly or concisely, harshly or gently, magnificently or subtly, with gravity or with urbanity.
tum, §8.3.41quo translationum genere, quibus figuris, qualibus sententiis, quo modo, qua postremo collocatione id, quod intendimus, efficere possimus.
Then, by what kind of metaphors, by what figures, by what thoughts, in what manner, and finally by what arrangement we can achieve that which we intend.
ceterum dicturus, quibus ornetur oratio, prius ea, quae sunt huic contraria laudi, attingam; nam prima virtus est vitio carere.
But, being about to speak of the things by which speech is adorned, I will first touch upon those which are contrary to this praise; for the first virtue is to be free from vice.
§8.3.42igitur ante omnia ne speremus ornatam orationem fore, quae probabilis non erit.
Therefore, above all, let us not hope that a speech will be adorned which is not plausible.
Probabile autem Cicero id genus dicit, quod non nimis est comptum.
But Cicero calls that kind plausible which is not too highly adorned.
Non quia comi expolirique non debeat (nam et haec ornatus pars est) sed quia vitium est ubique quod nimium est.
Not because it ought not to be adorned and polished (for this also is part of adornment), but because that which is excessive is everywhere a vice.
§8.3.43itaque vult esse auctoritatem in verbis, sententias vel graves vel aptas opinionibus hominum ac moribus.
Therefore, he wishes there to be authority in words, and thoughts that are either grave or adapted to the opinions and manners of men.
his enim salvis, licet assumere ea quibus illustrem fieri orationem putat, delecta, translata, superlata, ad nomen adiuncta, duplicata et idem significantia atque ab ipsa actione atque ab imitatione rerum non abhorrentia.
For with these preserved, it is permitted to adopt those things by which he thinks speech becomes illustrious: selected words, metaphorical, exaggerated, epithets, duplicated words and those signifying the same thing, and those not abhorrent to the actual action and to the imitation of things.
§8.3.44sed quoniam vitia prius demonstrare aggressi sumus, ab hoc initium sit, quod κακέμφατον vocatur, sive mala consuetudine in obscenum intellectum sermo detortus est (ut ductare exercitus et patrare bella, apud Sallustium dicta sancte et antique ridentibus, si dis placet; quam culpam non scribentium quidem iudico sed legentium, §8.3.45tamen vitandam, quatenus verba honesta moribus perdidimus, et vincentibus iam vitiis cedendum est) sive iunctura deformiter sonat, ut, si cum hominibus notis loqui nos dicimus, nisi hoc ipsum hominibus medium sit, in praefanda videmur incidere, quia ultima prioris syllabae littera, quae exprimi nisi labris coeuntibus non potest, aut intersistere nos indecentissime cogit aut continuata cum insequente in naturam eius corrumpitur.
But since we have undertaken to demonstrate vices first, let us begin with that which is called kakemphaton, whether speech has been twisted by bad custom into an obscene meaning (as to lead armies and to accomplish wars, spoken by Sallust in a sacred and archaic way, are laughed at, if it pleases the gods; which fault I judge to be not of the writers indeed, but of the readers, yet it must be avoided, insofar as we have lost honorable words through our manners, and we must yield to vices that are now victorious); or whether the joining of words sounds ugly, as when we say we are speaking with well-known men, unless this very word for "men" is in the middle, we seem to fall into obscene words, because the last letter of the prior syllable, which cannot be pronounced except with lips closing together, either forces us to pause most indecently, or, continued with the following letter, is corrupted into its nature.
§8.3.46aliaeque coniunctiones aliquid simile faciunt, quas persequi libenter est in eo vitio, quod vitandum dicimus, commorantis.
And other connections of words do something similar, to pursue which belongs to one who willingly lingers in that very vice which we say must be avoided.
sed divisio quoque adfert eandem iniuriam pudori, ut si intercapedinis nominativo casu quis utatur.
But division also brings the same injury to modesty, as if someone should use the nominative case of intercapedo.