The third chapter covers the span of Roman oratory, from its first (lost) beginnings to the importance of Greek models, to its full flourishing in the work of Cicero. It emphasises throughout how central to Roman aristocratic life the art of good speaking was, how competitive an art form it was, and that the people were sophisticated auditors. Cicero necessarily dominates the discussion, but we try to capture the style of a few others, including Cato the Elder.

This chapter will offer a fresh interpretation of the importance of Dionysius’ rhetorical essays and in particular of the importance of his essay on Lysias for his critical work more generally. It will also revisit the question of the development in Dionysius’ rhetorical essays and argue that instead of seeing the essays progressing from one orator to another as an advancement of the critical competences of the author, it appears much more appropriate to view the progress from the perspective of a potential student. Dionysius emerges, then, as a writer and a teacher who is much more sensitive to the interests and abilities of his students than perhaps granted thus far.

The final analytic chapter looks at royal reported discourse in historical chronicles: printed texts intended for a large, public audience. Focussing on three chronicles' accounts of the reign of Henry VII, the study finds that rhetorical principles inform the depiction of royal voices in the texts. In general, there is no clear distinction made between royal and non-royal reports, with discourse representation more obviously driven by narrative concerns e.g. narrative peaking. However, two lengthy orations of Richard III and Henry VII, found in Grafton's chronicle, are considered in detail. The formulaic characteristics of Tudor royal texts are most evident in Richard III's oratory, whereas Henry VII has a less institutionalised rhetoric. The findings point to the accepted creativity of discourse representation in historiography in the period, and the salience of key features of the royal voice when undertaking this creative work.