(1) . . . and at one time he makes a
phrase out of a noun, at another he condenses a phrase into a noun; and now, on the
one hand, he expresses a verbal idea nominally, again, on the other hand, he makes
the noun a verb; and in addition he varies the uses of these very things (nouns), so
that a proper noun, on the one hand, may become a common noun and a common
noun, on the other, may be expressed as a proper noun; and (he makes) passive verbs
active, and active ones passive; . . . And one can find not a few also of the theatrical
figures of speech in him, I mean parisoses
To speak summarily, there are four
instruments, as it were, of Thucydides' style: the poetic quality of his vocabulary,
the variety of his figures, the roughness of his composition, and the swiftness of his
thoughts. And the hues of his style are its solidity and density, and its sharpness and
austerity, and its weightiness and formidable intensity, but above all these things its
emotive quality. Such a one, then, is Thucydides, as concerns the character of his
style, in which he stands out from the rest. Whenever, then, on the one hand, his
purpose and his power run the course together, complete and marvelous
achievements take place; but whenever his power flags, and his vigor does not
remain until the end, because of the swiftness of his exposition his style becomes
unclear and brings some other unseemly faults.
[I am indebted to the exemplary translation of W. K. Pritchett, with its full scholarly
apparatus. Everyone interested in Dionysios should consult it.]
Just as if someone should enjoy Falernian wine, but not so new that he wants a
wine dating from the previous consuls nor yet so old that he seeks Opimius or Anicius as consul.
'But these are the best labels.' I agree; but excessive age neither has that sweetness which we
seek nor it is really, by now, tolerable. 'You don't mean that whoever has this idea should think that
he must draw his wine new from the cask?' Not at all, but let him seek a certain age. Thus I would
advise those people both to avoid that new manner of speaking, as it were still seething
and fermenting in the vat, and not to seek that famous label of Thucydides, too old like that of Anicius.
For Thucydides himself, if he had lived later, would have been much maturer and mellower.
Moreover, what so great perversity is there in men that, when
grains have been discovered, they dine on acorns? Or has our diet been able to be improved by the
beneficence of Athenian men, but not our speaking? Further, who ever of Greek rhetoricians took
anything from Thucydides? 'But he has been praised by all.' I admit this--but praised as an intelligent,
austere, dignified recounter of events, not such as to deal with cases in law-courts but such as to
narrate wars in historical writings. Thus he has never been counted as an orator nor indeed, if he
had not written history, would his name be extant, even though he had been especially honored (with
public offices) and illustrious. In any case no one (of these Thucydideans) imitates the weightiness
either of his words or of his thoughts, but instead, when they have spoken some broken and gaping
words, which they could have done even without a teacher, they think they are genuine
Thucydideses.
(ibid. 51)
So then, to those who think that reading and understanding the language
of Thucydides is the preserve only of the well-educated, I have this to say, that what
is necessary and useful for all about the work (for nothing could be more necessary
or more variously beneficial) they seek to remove from our common life, making it
thus the property of a few men, just as in cities governed by oligarchies or
tyrannies. For they are decidedly few in number who are such as to understand all
of Thucydides' writings, and not even these can understand some things without a
grammatical commentary.
(Cicero, De Oratore 2.56)
And after (the time of) that one (Herodotos), Thucydides, in my opinion,
easily vanquished all in artfulness of style; he so concentrates his copious material that he
almost matches the number of his words with the number of his thoughts; in his words, further, he is
so apposite and compressed that you do not know whether his matter is being illuminated by his
diction or his words by his thoughts. . . .
(Cicero, Brutus 29-31)
What type of speaking flourished in those times can best be understood
from the writings of Thucydides, who himself was alive then. They were grand in their words, tightly
packed with thoughts, brief in their concision of expression and for this very reason sometimes
rather obscure. But when it was realized how much power a studied and in a sense artificial diction
possessed, then indeed many teachers of speaking suddenly appeared. Then Gorgias of Leontinoi,
Thrasymachos of Chalkedon, Protagoras of Abdera, Prodikos of Keos, Hippias of Elis were in great
honor. . . .
(Cicero, Brutus 287-288)
'We are imitating Thucydides,' he says. Fine, if you intend to write
history, not to plead causes. For Thucydides was an honest and even grand narrator of historical
events; but this contentious type of speaking, belonging to the forum and the law-courts, he did not
take up. The speeches, however, which he interspersed--for there are many of them--these I am
accustomed to praise. To imitate them neither would I be able if I wished, nor, perhaps, would I wish
to if I were able.
(Cicero, Orator 30-32)
Lo and behold, some even proclaim that they are Thucydideans, some new
and unheard-of type of unadept people. For those who follow Lysias follow some pleader of cases
at least, not to be sure copious and magnificent, but subtle and elegant nonetheless and one who
could take his place with distinction in cases argued in the forum. Thucydides, however, narrates
historical events and wars and battles, weightily, yes, and properly, but nothing from him can be
carried over to the practice of the forum and of public speaking. Those speeches themselves have
so many obscure and recondite thoughts that they can hardly be understood, which is perhaps the
greatest fault in political oratory.
(Cicero, Orator 24)
. . . In Thucydides I miss only the rounding-off of his diction; the ornaments are
manifest.
(A. W. Gomme, Historical Commentary on Thucydides, on 2.42.1)
He was doubtless
much influenced by Gorgias, especially in his younger years; but the general effect
is different. Gorgias is rich and flowing; the river of Thucydides' eloquence is
equally abundant, but is obstructed by rocks, and curious eddies are formed. Unlike
the other he has something to say. Like the finest passage of all in this manner (iii.
82-83), it was not approved by Dionysios of Halikarnassos.
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