declamatio

dēclāmātĭo, ōnis, f. [declamo].

• Exercise in oratorical delivery, exercise or practice in speaking, declamation (class.; most freq. in Quint.): cum sit declamatio forensium actionum meditatio, etc., Quint. 4, 2, 29; cf. id. 2, 10, 4; 12 et saep.: in quotidiana declamatione utilis, etc., Cic. Fam. 16, 21, 6; cf. id. Tusc. 1, 4, 7; 2, 11, 26.—
• • B Meton. (abstr. pro concreto), a theme, subject for declamation, called also causa (v. h. v.), Quint. 1, 2, 13; 10, 2, 12; 10, 5, 14; cf. Sen. Contr. 1 praef.— Poet. also of a person who serves as a theme, Juv. 10, 167.—
• II In a bad sense, loud, eager talking, bawling (so several times in Cic.): desinamus aliquando vulgari et pervagata declamatione contendere, Cic. Planc. 19, 47: sequitur ut materiae abhorrenti a veritate, declamatio adhibeatur, Tac. Dial. 35: non placet mihi inquisitio candidati, non declamatio potius quam persalutatio, Cic. Mur. 21, 44.

dēclāmātio, ōnis, f. (declamo), das laute Hersagen, I) im allg., das laute Eifern, Poltern, non placet mihi declamatio (candidati) potius quam persalutatio, Cic. Mur. 44. – II) insbes., der nach den Regeln der Kunst gehaltene Vortrag, die Deklamation, als Unterhaltung = der Lehrvortrag, als Übung zu Hause od. in der Rhetorenschule = die Übung im Vortrage, die Redeübung, a) eig.: ratio u. moderatio declamationis, Cornif. rhet.: senilis, Cic.: cotidiana, Cic. – zuw. emphat. = die leere, hohle Deklamation, Cic. Planc. 47. Tac. dial. 35. – b) meton., das zur Redeübung gewählte Thema, der Vorwurf, der Vortrag, Kunstvortrag, Schulvortrag, die Schulrede, Sen. rhet. u.a.: declamationes edere, Suet. u. Val. Max.: v. einer als Thema dienenden Person, Iuven. 10, 167.

declamatio [CL] 1 declamation. b proclamation. novum ~onis genus deliberando, demonstrando, judicando subortum est (Quad.) GAS 532; legantur ‥ libri ‥ quos decem Oratorum sententiis sub imagine ~onum scolarium [Seneca] illustravit J. Sal. Pol. 764B; 1549 inter baccalaureos ‥ junior primo declamabit, atque interim eligantur duo artium magistri ~onum praesides StatOx 359.  b tunc ibi detur dies ex quo omnes loquele que in Banco fuerunt posite sunt et remanent sine die per publicam ~onem inde factam Bracton 353b. 2 crying down, devaluation (of currency). 1486 de cv li. quas compotans obtulit ‥ compotorum rotulatori in le plakkis debito et legali tempore ante ~onem earundem ExchScot 363. 3 claim. homines de hundredo ‥ moliebantur manerium hujus ecclesie ‥ suo juri mancipare; sed is abbas [F., ob. 1117] ‥ ratiocinando ostendit ~onem eorum injustam esse Chr. Abingd. II 116.

dēclāmātĭō, (13) ōnis, f. (declamo), déclamation : ¶ 1 exercice de la parole : Cic. Tusc. 1, 7 ; Quint. 4, 2, 29 || sujet traité comme exercice : Quint. 2, 4, 41 || thème, sujet à déclamation : Juv. 10, 167 ¶ 2 [en mauv. part] discours banal, propos rebattus : Cic. Planc. 47 || protestation bruyante : Cic. Mur. 44 || style déclamatoire : Tac. D. 35.

declamatio , onis. f. et, v. declamo
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dēclāmātiō ōnis, f

• declamo, practice in public speaking, oratorical exercise, declamation: in cottidianā: ut declamatio fias, a theme for declamatory exercises, Iu.—Loud talking, noisy talk: volgaris.

DECLAMATIO

DECLAMA´TIOa term which came into use first in Cicero's time (Brut. 90, 310: commentabar declamitans, sic enim nunc loquuntur) for the rhetorical exercises, employed in the training of orators. These were of two kinds: (a) suasoriae; (b) controversiae. The former were based upon some historical or legendary theme, and the pupil was required to treat some problem arising thence, as, for instance, whether Sulla should have resigned his dictatorship (Juven. 1.16), or Cato have committed suicide (Pers. 3.45). These were regarded as suitable for beginners, as not requiring any wide or minute knowledge of law (Tac. Dial. 35). The latter dealt with legal questions, and took the form of the discussion of an imaginary case, such as might arise in the courts. Marcus Seneca, the father of the philosopher, has left seven examples of suasoriae, thirty-five of controversiae, as well as ten books of excerpta controversiarum, which contain many interesting specimens of the kind of questions thus treated. The practice at first had a real value, and Cicero represents himself as continuing it for a great part of his life (Tusc. 1.4, 7), although in his later years he preferred philosophical topics. But with the decline of free speech, the exercise sank into a mere occasion for display (Quint. 2.7, 1). The themes were hackneyed or extravagant, the language affected and full of strained antithesis and epigram (Quintil. 8.3, 76; 5, 14, &c.); and what should have been a preparation for real life became an end in itself. The rage for declamation was at its height during the first century of the empire. Quintilian's sober sense did much to check it; and though the practice did not wholly die out of the schools, it seems to have been confined within more reasonable limits. (Cf. Bernhardy, Röm. Lit. § 53; and Mayor's notes on Juven. 1.16, 7.150-Z2-170. Some representations from works of art of boys declaiming before their teachers are given in Daremberg and Saglio, vol. ii. pp. 34, 35.)

[A.S.W]

Declamatio

A term which came into use first in Cicero's time (Brut. 90, 310) for the rhetorical exercises employed in the training of orators. These were of two kinds: (a) suasoriae; (b) controversiae. The former were based upon some historical or legendary theme, and the pupil was required to treat some problem arising thence, as, for instance, whether Sulla should have resigned his dictatorship (Juv.i. 16) or Cato have committed suicide (Pers.iii. 45). These were regarded as suitable for beginners, as not requiring any wide or minute knowledge of law (Tac. Dial. 35). The latter dealt with legal questions, and took the form of the discussion of an imaginary case, such as might arise in the courts. Marcus Seneca (q.v.), the father of the philosopher, has left seven examples of suasoriae, thirty-five of controversiae, as well as ten books of excerpta controversiarum, which contain many interesting specimens of the kind of questions thus treated. The practice had at first a real value, and Cicero represents himself as continuing it for a great part of his life (Tusc. i. 4, 7), although in his later years he preferred philosophical topics. But, with the decline of free speech, the exercise sank into a mere occasion for display. The themes were hackneyed or extravagant, the language affected and full of strained antithesis and epigram (Quintil. viii. 3, 76; 5, 14, etc.); and what should have been a preparation for real life became an end in itself. The rage for declamation was at its height during the first century of the Empire. Quintilian's sober sense did much to check it; and though the practice did not wholly die out of the schools, it seems to have been confined within more reasonable limits. (Cf. Bernhardy, Röm. Lit. 53; Petron.1-3; and Mayor's notes on Juv.i. 16; vii. 150- 170.)