FRONTO, THE ORATOR AND THE MAN
where the success of the Roman arms in Britain is referred to.[1] Moreover we have, preserved on a palimpsest in the Palatine Library, a few concluding words of a speech of thanks for the Carthaginians, some years later.[2] It was evidently one of his pompaticae orationes.
Of other speeches we have a mere mention: the Pro Ptolemaeensibus, from which Charisius preserves a single grammatical form; a speech against Herodes in 142, of which we do not know the title; one Pro Demostrato Petitiano; several in behalf of Saenius Pompeianus and other friends;[3] and speeches on behalf of the Cilicians and Bithynians, the latter in its revised form giving details of his past life, the loss of which is to be regretted.[4] His most famous effort, according to Sidonius Apollinaris, was the speech against Pelops, probably a physician of Pergamus, mentioned by Galen.
It will be seen from this short summary that we have really no material for judging Fronto's capacity either as advocate in the courts or as orator in the Senate. Dirksen[5] denies his juristic competence, but few will believe that he was not perfectly conversant with Roman Law. How otherwise could he have gained his commanding position at the bar in an age which produced such eminent jurists and was
- ↑ See below. He made many speeches in praise of Pius.
- ↑ On the occasion of Pius's liberality to the city after a great fire. See Capit. Vit. Pii. ix.
- ↑ See pp. 232, 238.
- ↑ For the mention of these, see Index.
- ↑ Opp. 1, pp. 243 ff. and 277 &.
