Two Books of the Elements of Rhetoric

Etiology the study of causes

the care of things should be the first, the care of words the second. Therefore, five duties of the Orator are counted: Invention, Disposition, Elocution, Memory, and Pronunciation. For, first, when one is about to speak, things must either be found or selected, and when they are sought out, they must be explained in order. Thus, Invention and Disposition concern things, while Elocution concerns words. For those things which we have devised and arranged in order in the mind must finally be explained with significant words. And the whole art is almost consumed in these three parts. Therefore, we shall prescribe nothing concerning the other two parts, because memory is aided very little by art.

Action, however, is now far different from what it was among the ancients. And what is most fitting in action must be learned in the forum by imitation. We see that the ancients mostly approved of modesty in action. For Aeschines praises Solon, because while speaking he did not even bring his hands out from his cloak, signifying that a calm and not at all agitated action is most fitting.

THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN DIALECTIC AND RHETORIC.

The kinship of Dialectic and Rhetoric is so great that the distinction can hardly be detected. For some think that Invention and Disposition are common to both arts, and for that reason the topics Latin: loci; standard logical categories for finding arguments, which Rhetoricians also use, are taught in Dialectic.