Dialogus de ōrātōribus (‘dialogue on orators’), dialogue attributed to Tacitus and now generally accepted as by him, in spite of differences in style from his later work, which may be the result of its belonging to a different literary genre. It is no longer thought to be an early work; since it is dedicated to Lucius Fabius Justus, consul in AD 102, it was probably published in that year or soon after. The claims of oratory against other branches of literature are discussed, and the reasons why oratory has declined since Cicero's day. The scene is set in the house of Curiātius Māternus, a poet. The other interlocutors are two distinguished orators, Marcus Aper, an advocate, and Julius Secundus, both of Gallic birth and both teachers of Tacitus; and Vipstanus Messalla, a man of distinguished birth. The date is supposed to be c.AD 75. The first twenty-seven chapters are introductory. Aper, a practical, utilitarian lawyer, maintains the superiority of oratory over poetry, for the rewards it brings. Maternus, a meditative idealist, disdains wealth and power and prefers a quiet life and the companionship of the Muses. Aper admits no decline in oratory. Messalla, a champion of former times, criticizes the modern speakers. At the request of Maternus he passes to the causes of the alleged decline (ch. 28), which for the purposes of the discussion is to be assumed. These causes Messalla finds in the lax education of the young, contrasted with the careful methods of former days; and in the defective training given to orators in the schools of rhetoric. After this there is a gap of several pages in the manuscript. When the text resumes someone else (probably Maternus) is speaking. He argues that the decline in oratory is due to the changed conditions of public life. Oratory flourished under the republic in times of disorder and revolution, when orators were inspired by political enthusiasm. The calmness of political life under the emperors has removed these incentives, but has brought compensations.
Oratory was seen by Tacitus to be in an inevitable decline, linked as it was to political institutions themselves in decline. It is interesting to compare this work with the near-contemporary Education of an Orator (published in the 90s) by Quintilian, whose concern is rather with the technical and literary aspects of oratory.
Dialogus de oratoribus
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The Dialogus de oratoribus is a short work attributed to Tacitus, in dialogue form, on the art of rhetoric. Its date of composition is unknown, though its dedication to Fabius Iustus places its publication around 102.
The dialogue itself, set in the year 75 or 77, follows the tradition of Cicero's speeches on philosophical and rhetorical arguments. The beginning of the work is a speech in defence of eloquence and poetry. It then deals with the decadence of oratory, for which the cause is said to be the decline of the education, both in the family and in the school, of the future orator. The education is not as accurate as it once was; the teachers are not prepared and a useless rhetoric often takes the place of the general culture.
After an incomplete section, the Dialogus ends with a speech delivered by Maternus reporting what some believe is Tacitus's opinion. Maternus thinks that great oratory was possible with the freedom from any power, more precisely in the anarchy, that characterized the Roman Republic during the civil wars. It became anachronistic and impracticable in the quiet and ordered society that resulted from the institution of the Roman Empire. The peace, warranted by the Empire, should be accepted without regret for a previous age that was more favorable to the wide spread of literacy and the growth of great personality.
Some believe that at the base of all of Tacitus's work is the acceptance of the Empire as the only power able to save the state from the chaos of the civil wars. The Empire reduced the space of the orators and of the political men, but there is no viable alternative to it. Nevertheless, Tacitus does not accept the imperial government apathetically, and he shows, as in the Agricola the remaining possibility of making choices that are dignified and useful to the state.
The date of publication of the Dialogus is uncertain, but it was probably written after the Agricola and the Germania. Many characteristics set it apart from the other works of Tacitus, so much so that the its authenticity may be questioned, even if it is always grouped with the Agricola and the Germania in the manuscript tradition. The way of speaking in the Dialogus seems closer to the model of Cicero, refined but not prolix, which inspired the teaching of Quintilian; it lacks the incongruities that are typical of Tacitus's major historical works. It may have been written when Tacitus was young; its dedication to Fabius Iustus would thus give the date of publication, but not the date of writing. More probably, the unusually classical style may be explained by the fact that the Dialogus is a work of rhetoric. For this genre the structure, the language, and the style of Cicero were the usual models.
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 | dialogue |
| rhetoric |
| Publius Cornelius Tacitus |
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