And Demosthenes was so fired on one occasion by the eloquence of
Callistratus, that the ambition was roused within him of becoming
an orator himself. Yet Demosthenes was physically weak, had a
feeble voice, indistinct articulation, and shortness of breath--
defects which he was only enabled to overcome by diligent study
and invincible determination. But, with all his practice, he
never became a ready speaker; all his orations, especially the
most famous of them, exhibiting indications of careful
elaboration,--the art and industry of the orator being visible in
almost every sentence.
Similar illustrations of character imitating character, and
moulding itself by the style and manner and genius of great men,
are to be found pervading all history. Warriors, statesmen,
orators, patriots, poets, and artists--all have been, more or
less unconsciously, nurtured by the lives and actions of others
living before them or presented for their imitation.
Great men have evoked the admiration of kings, popes, and
emperors. Francis de Medicis never spoke to Michael Angelo
without uncovering, and Julius III. made him sit by his side while
a dozen cardinals were standing. Charles V. made way for Titian;
and one day, when the brush dropped from the painter's hand,
Charles stooped and picked it up, saying, "You deserve to be
served by an emperor." Leo X. threatened with excommunication
whoever should print and sell the poems of Ariosto without the
author's consent.
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