[92]
One of the commonest of all the gestures consists
in placing the middle finger against the thumb and
extending the remaining three: it is suitable to the
exordum, the hand being moved forward with an
easy motion a little distance both to right and left,
while the head and shoulders gradually follow the
direction of the gesture. It is also useful in the
statement of facts, but in that case the hand must be
moved with firmness and a little further forward,
while, if we are reproaching or refuting our adversary, the same movement may be employed with
some vehemence and energy, since such passages
permit of greater freedom of extension.
Quintilian. With An English Translation. Harold Edgeworth Butler. Cambridge. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1922.
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