Tacitus, the great historian and the most brilliant innovator of Latin letters, captures with his dense and unique style a dialogue that took place among the leading thinkers of his time, which is not limited only to rhetoric as an art and profession but also extends to pedagogy and poetry.

With a critical spirit and unmatched sharpness, he seeks the reasons why Roman rhetoric (and eloquence in general) experiences a profound decline in his days.

In this fascinating dialogue, the passion of the interlocutors shines through, winning us over with their arguments and humor, but what governs the entire work is Tacitus’ stance as a custodian of foreign words, writing sine ira et studio, that is, without anger and bias, a modern poetic of rhetoric.