disertus

Disertus and facundus denote a natural gift or talent for speaking, whereas eloquens, an acquired and cultivated art. Disertus is he who speaks with clearness and precision; facundus, he who speaks with elegance and beauty; eloquens, he who combines clearness and precision with elegance and beauty. The disertus makes a good teacher, who may nevertheless be confined to a one-sided formation of intellect; the facundus is a good companion, whose excellence may nevertheless be confined to a superficial adroitness in speaking, without acuteness or depth, whereas the eloquens, whether he speaks as a statesman or as an author, must, by talent and discipline in all that relates to his art, possess a complete mastery over language, and the resources of eloquence. Cic. Orat. 5, 19. Antonius . . . . disertos ait se vidisse multos, eloquentem omnino neminem. Quintil. viii. pr. 13. Diserto satis dicere quæ oporteat; ornate autem dicere proprium est eloquentissimi. Suet. Cat. 53. Eloquentiæ quam plurimum adtendit, quantumvis facundus et promptus. (iv. 14.)