[91]
To these remarks I would add that all extravagance of any kind is indecorous, and consequently
statements which are in sufficient harmony with the
facts will none the less lose all their grace unless
they are modified by a certain restraint. It is hard
[p. 211]
to give rules as to the exact method in which this
precept should be observed, but the problem will
easily be solved by following the dictates of our own
judgement, which will tell us what it is sufficient to
say and how much the ears of our audience will
tolerate. We cannot weigh or measure our words
by fixed standards: they are like foods, some of
which are more satisfying than others.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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