Excerpt from The Public and Domestic Life of the Right Hon.: Edmund Burke "Vir bonus dicendi peritus" - a virtuous man skilled in the art of speaking - such is the definition of an orator given by Cato the elder, and handed down by Quinctilian. Certainly no one on record more aptly accords with the description than thee illustrious subject of this biography. Perfect in private and in public life, as far perhaps as the common failings of humanity would permit, Edmund Burke presents throughout his whole course an example pleasing to contemplate, and of infinite advantage to study. Burke's speeches and writings have, by frequent repetition, reference, and quotation, become known to most people in and out of Parliament. Few political emergencies occur - few measures of imminent interest and importance fall into discussion and debate - without recourse, either for guidance or encouragement, to the lessons and language of Edmund Burke; and thus it is that his thoughts of wisdom and his words of fire have become familiar to us all. Yet his own history, like that of Shakespeare, is far less known than his works. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.