Chapter 4 – Ad Herennium: The Art of Memory

latinitium.com/2000-years-of-latin-prose/ad-herennium

2000 Years of Latin Prose

·A 21st century Anthology of Latin Prose

A Latin anthology for the 21st century

Two thousand years of Latin Prose is a digital anthology of Latin Prose. Here you will be
able to find texts from two millennia of gems in Latin. In this fourth chapter, we will
learn about the rhetorical manual long thought to be the work of Cicero, called Ad
Herennium. We will read a passage from book 3 (28-30) about memory – a very
important ingredient for any orator.

If you want to learn more about the anthology, you will find the preface here.

Chapter 4: Ad Herennium

contents

1. The Work

2. Audio & Video

3. Latin Text

4. Keywords & Commentary

5. English Translation

❶ The Work
In this section you will learn about the rhetorical work.

Ad Herennium

(c. 86-82 B.C.)

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Ad Herennium, or Rhetorica Ad Herennium, or De ratione dicendi ad C. Herennium , is the
oldest rhetorical treatise in Latin and one of the most studied books in European
history.

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Rhetorica ad Herennium from ms Vat. Pal. lat. 1459, fol. 1r. Bibliotheca Apostolica
Vaticana

This book, this treatise or rhetorical manual, was probably written sometime between
86 and 82 B.C. and has no known author, nor a known original title. It has been called a
version of Ad Herennium or Rhetorica ad Herennium, as it is dedicated to one Gaius
Herennius. Who this Gaius Herennius was, we do not know.

The art of rhetoric became increasingly popular and important in the ancient world and
from the 5th century B.C. onwards schools appeared where rhetoric was taught. This
led to the collection of information, expertise and experiences in the form of textbooks.
An early example of this is Aristoteles' (384-322 B.C.) Rhetoric.

For books in Latin about rhetoric, Ad Herennium is the oldest one known. Apart from Ad
Herennium, we can also find examples in Latin literature such as Cicero's De
inventione and De oratore, and Quintilian’s Institutio Oratoria.

We don't know if Ad Herennium was popular during antiquity, we don't even know if it
was ever used by the Romans. However, it became one of the most influential works on
rhetoric further on in history.

When we stepped into the Christian era of European history, Ad Herennium popped up
like a jack-in-the-box and was recommended by the early Christian Church Fathers. One
of the reasons for the recommendations was that, from at least Hieronymus' time
(known to many as Saint Jerome) i.e. c. 347-420 A.D., it was believed that Rhetorica Ad
Herennium was a work of Cicero.

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Today, this hypothesis has been scrapped, but Cicero was a contemporary of the
unknown writer of Ad Herennium and he was one of, if not the, greatest orator Rome
had seen. Cicero was also considered a so-called “virtuous pagan” by the Early Christian
Church, deeming his works worthy of preservation and study despite him having been a
pagan.

The high esteem and authoritative awe in which Cicero was held, rubbed off on Ad
Herennium which in combination with its format—it is a rather short book, very clear,
systematic, and pedagogic—turned it into one of the most important textbooks of
Western European history.

It became a standard textbook for teaching rhetoric in schools from the Carolingian era
to the Renaissance and was usually used alongside Cicero's De Inventione. But even long
after the Renaissance, Ad Herennium, was important – used still as a textbook, a
reference, or a model when you wrote new books on the subject.

The work itself is, as mentioned, clear and pedagogically written. It goes through
different kinds of speeches, as well the mechanics of giving a speech, e.g. voice,
emotion, and body-language, how to handle the language, be eloquent and create a
varied and expressive style, but also how to remember your speech.

The book is crammed with examples, which are many times wonderfully written. Take
this one from liber 4 for example where the likeness of an untamed horse is used to
illustrate virtue:

“Neque equus indomitus, quamvis bene natura conpositus sit, idoneus potest esse ad eas
utilitates quae desiderantur ab equo; neque homo indoctus, quamvis sit ingeniosus, ad
virtutem potest pervenire.”

— Ad Herennium, 4.59

“Neither can an untrained horse, however well-built by nature, be fit for the services desired
of a horse, nor can an uncultivated man, however well-endowed by nature, attain to
virtue.” (transl. Harry Caplan)

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What set Ad Herennium apart from
other rhetorical works was that it
covers all sides of rhetoric. Many
times you would only learn about
rhetoric in theory from a rhetorical
textbook, but Ad Herennium also
gave you the practical side of
rhetoric. How to actually hold a
speech. The completeness of the
manual with theory and practice
hand in hand is what made it so
popular for schools and teachers of
the subject.It was the perfect
handbook on how to hold a speech.
A “rhetoric 101”, so to speak.

In today's chapter of 2000 years of

Latin Prose, we will turn to book
3.28-30 and a passage of Ad
Herennium that is the oldest
surviving treatment in Latin of this
specific subject. A subject that is
always relevant, and where the old
techniques described in Ad
Herennium are still – after over 2000
years – being used successfully, and
not just in the rhetorical sphere. I'm Rhetorica_ad_Herennium_1350-1400, Beinecke
talking about the so important MS 681, fol 1r
memory and mnemonic techniques.

Written by Amelie Rosengren

I highly recommend that you join the

great number of people who
throughout history have read and
studied Ad Herennium, and read this
gem from cover to cover. If not in
Latin, read it in English or find a
translation to your preferred
language. You can find it in Latin with
a parallel English translation here.

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❷ Audio & Video
Click below to read and listen to a passage from Ad Herennium.

Video with English Subtitles

Watch Video At:

https://youtu.be/Vw63vwLiXnw

Audio of Latin text

004. Ad Herennium – 2000 Years of Latin Prose – Latinitium.com.mp3
Daniel Pettersson
Download

❸ Latin text
Below you will find the original text of the passage in Latin.

Ad Herennium, 3.28-30
Nunc ad thesaurum inventorum atque ad omnium partium rhetoricae custodem,
memoriam, transeamus.

Memoria utrum habeat quiddam artificiosi, an omnis ab natura proficiscatur, aliud

dicendi tempus magis idoneum dabitur. Nunc proinde atque constet in hac re multum
valere artem et praeceptionem, ita de ea re loquemur. Placet enim nobis esse
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valere artem et praeceptionem, ita de ea re loquemur. Placet enim nobis esse
artificium memoriae—quare placeat alias ostendemus; in praesentia cuiusmodi sit ea
aperiemus.

Sunt igitur duae memoriae: una naturalis, altera artificiosa. Naturalis est ea quae
nostris animis insita est et simul cum cogitatione nata; artificiosa est ea quam
confirmat inductio quaedam et ratio praeceptionis. Sed qua via in ceteris rebus ingenii
bonitas imitatur saepe doctrinam, ars porro naturae commoda confirmat et
auget, item fit in hac re ut nonnumquam naturalis memoria, si cui data est egregia,
similis sit huic artificiosae, porro haec artificiosa naturae commoda retineat et
amplificet ratione doctrinae. Quapropter et naturalis memoria praeceptione
confirmanda est ut sit egregia, et haec quae doctrina datur indiget ingenii. Nec hoc
magis aut minus in hac re quam in ceteris artibus fit, ut ingenio doctrina, praeceptione
natura nitescat. Quare et illis qui natura memores sunt utilis haec erit institutio, quod
tute paulo post poteris intellegere; et si illi, freti ingenio, nostri non indigerent, tamen
iusta causa daretur quare iis qui minus ingenii habent adiumento velimus esse. Nunc
de artificiosa memoria loquemur.

Constat igitur artificiosa memoria ex locis et imaginibus. Locos appellamus eos qui
breviter, perfecte, insignite aut natura aut manu sunt absoluti, ut eos facile naturali
memoria conprehendere et amplecti queamus: ut aedes, intercolumnium,
angulum, fornicem, et alia quae his similia sunt. Imagines sunt formae quaedam et
notae et simulacra eius rei quam meminisse volumus; quod genus equi, leonis, aquilae
memoriam si volemus habere, imagines eorum locis certis conlocare oportebit.

❹ Vocabulary & commentary

Below you will find some keywords and comments on the text.

Vocabulary & Commenary

These following words are key to understanding the text, if you already know them -
great! - if not, make a mental note of them.

ab natura proficiscatur: whether it comes from nature

proinde atque constet: just as if it were established that…. Constat with the accusative
and infitive often has the meaning of “it is established, accepted, agreed upon”.

placet: here it seems proper, I am of the opion that…

alias: adv. at another time

in praesentia: at present, for the time being

cuiusmodi: of what sort, what it is like

naturae commoda: the advantages of nature, i.e. gifts accorded someone by nature 7/10
naturae commoda: the advantages of nature, i.e. gifts accorded someone by nature

item: similarly

nostri indiget: requires, needs us, i.e. the precepts of the author of Ad Herennium.

quapropter: therefore

loci et imagines: locations. In the realm of mnemonics, locations are the real or
imagined places where one places images (imagines) that refer to the information one
wants to memorize. I will treat the art of memory at length in an upcoming article.

paulo post: shortly after, shortly

intercolumnium, -i, n. the space between two columns. Inter in compound nouns
indicates the space between two things, e.g. interregnum, the time between the end of
one king’s rule and the beginning of another’s.

quod genus: here for example. Cf. another example of this expression from Ad
Herennium: Quod genus, si dicam me ex provincia rediisse, profectum quoque in provicniam
intellegatur (“For example, if I were to say that I have returned from the province, it
would be understood that I had also gone there”.)

❺ English Translation
Below you will find an English translation of the text.

Ad Herennium, 3.28-30
Now let me turn to the treasure-house of the ideas supplied by Invention, to the
guardian of all the parts of rhetoric, the Memory.

The question whether memory has some artificial quality, or comes entirely from
nature, we shall have another, more favourable, opportunity to discuss. At present I
shall accept as proved that in this matter art and method are of great importance, and
shall treat the subject accordingly. For my part, I am satisfied that there is an art of
memory—the grounds of my belief I shall explain elsewhere. For the present I shall
disclose what sort of thing memory is.

There are, then, two kinds of memory: one natural, and the other the product of art.
The natural memory is that memory which is imbedded in our minds, born
simultaneously with thought. The artificial memory is that memory which is
strengthened by a kind of training and system of discipline. But just as in everything
else the merit of natural excellence often rivals acquired learning, and art, in its turn,
reinforces and develops the natural advantages, so does it happen in this instance. The
natural memory, if a person is endowed with an exceptional one, is often like this
artificial memory, and this artificial memory, in its turn, retains and develops the natural
advantages by a method of discipline. Thus the natural memory must be strengthened 8/10
advantages by a method of discipline. Thus the natural memory must be strengthened
by discipline so as to become exceptional, and, on the other hand, this memory
provided by discipline requires natural ability. It is neither more nor less true in this
instance than in the other arts that science thrives by the aid of innate ability, and
nature by the aid of the rules of art. The training here offered will therefore also be
useful to those who by nature have a good memory, as you will yourself soon come to
understand. But even if these, relying on their natural talent, did not need our help, we
should still be justified in wishing to aid the less well-endowed. Now I shall discuss the
artificial memory.

The artificial memory includes locations and images. By locations I mean such scenes as
are naturally or artificially set off on a small scale, complete and conspicuous, so that
we can grasp and embrace them easily by the natural memory—for example, a house,
an intercolumnar space, a recess, an arch, or the like. An image is, as it were, a figure,
mark, or portrait of the object we wish to remember; for example, if we wish to recall a
horse, a lion, or an eagle, we must place its image in a definite location.

Translated by Harry Caplan, (1954

Daniel Pettersson, M.A., is co-founder of Latinitium and is

currently teaching Latin at Stockholm University where he is
also working on his PhD dissertation on Humanist Colloquia.
Daniel believes in the importance of Latin literature in the
modern world, and that you can teach yourself Latin with the
right motivation, method and material.

Amelie Rosengren, M.A. and co-founder of Latinitium, is a

published author, illustrator and historian. She specializes in
daily life, has a soft spot for historic curiosities, and works
as a museum educator at the world’s oldest open air
museum, Skansen.

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