Quintilian, Training of the Orator 6.3.29

oratori minime convenit distortus vultus gestusque, quae in mimis rideri solent.

Not at all suitable for an orator is the distortion of face and of gesture; these things, done by actors of farces, are generally a source of laughter.

Quintilian, Training of the Orator 11.3.126

So, should you stand still or wander about when making a speech?

iam et ambulatio quaedam propter inmodicas laudationum moras, quamquam Cicero rarum incessum neque ita longum probat. discursare vero et (quod Domitius Afer de Sura Manlio dixit) ‘satagere’ ineptissimum: urbaneque Flavus Verginius interrogavit de quodam suo antisophiste quot milia passum declamasset.

Sometimes a certain amount of walking is convenient, because of the excessive delays caused by applause – although Cicero recommends walking about only occasionally, and not very far. But actually running up and down and ‘bustling about’ (the term which Domitius Afer used of Manlius Sura), is very absurd; and Verginius Flavus was witty when he asked his rival speaker how many miles he had declaimed.

Quintilian, Training of the Orator 6.4.12

valet autem in altercatione plurimum acumen, quod sine dubio ex arte non venit – natura enim non docetur – arte tamen adiuvatur.

But the most powerful thing in debate is shrewdness; without a doubt this does not come from theoretical knowledge – for nature is not taught – but it is helped by theoretical knowledge.

Quintilian, Training of the Orator 11.2.17

Quintilian is discussing mnemonic systems. Simonides’ system (allegedly developed after he identified crushed dinner-party guests from the seats where he remembered they were sitting) involves the recall of places and how associating them with ideas can make memorisation easier. Quintilian agrees that one easily associates certain places with certain memories:

ex hoc Simonidis facto notatum videtur iuvari memoriam signatis animo sedibus, idque credet suo quisque experimento. nam cum in loca aliqua post tempus reversi sumus, non ipsa agnoscimus tantum sed etiam quae in iis fecerimus reminiscimur, personaeque subeunt, nonnumquam tacitae quoque cogitationes in mentem revertuntur. nata est igitur, ut in plerisque, ars ab experimento.

From this achievement of Simonides it seems to have been noticed that memory is helped by locations impressed on the mind – a thing which everyone can try out for themselves, because when we have returned to places after some time we not only recognise the places themselves but can also remember the things we did there; people too come into our heads – and often even unspoken thoughts return to our minds. So, as in most things, a skill is begotten by experiment.

Quintilian, Training of the Orator 4.2.91

Quintilian advises the young lawyer not to get caught out when being economical with the truth – and cites a proverbial expression to support his point.

utrubique autem orator meminisse debebit actione tota quid finxerit, quoniam solent excidere quae falsa sunt: verumque est illud quod vulgo dicitur, mendacem memorem esse oportere.

But in either case the orator will have to remember, throughout the whole case, what he has made up, since falsehoods are liable to slip one’s mind. That common expression is true: ‘A liar needs to have a good memory.’