Note 32 — Book IV. Exordium, Narratio, Petitio, Conclusio

The term is said to be more inclusive. “Narrationum genera tria sunt: oratorium, digressorium, et poeticum.” Digressorium probably refers to the digressio for which a place in the speech was provided by ancient rhetoric after the division (see ARP, 65). Poeticum is of course divided into historia, fabula, argumentum (for which see the index). The author makes no use of this, or of the whole division, which indeed is inapplicable to a letter; but it seems to have troubled him, as it troubled the poetriæ (see above, page 193). Quintilian’s clear distinction seems to have escaped them: “Et historiæ, quæ currere debet ac ferri, minus convenissent insistentes clausulæ,” etc., IX. iv.