Quintilian's Teachings of Grammar and Rhetoric

Quintilian defends the practice of packing young men off to public school where they can test themselves against their peers and be given public praise or corrective abuse. Cicero too had written instructional works on rhetoric, and his style was seen by quintilian as the best model for young men to learn to imitate. When quintilian speaks about solecisms or the inappropriate of foreign words, he bends over backwards to explain away passages where cicero seems guilty of such lapses. Quintilian's own educational theory is rather appealing. He does want the student to learn by imitation, but only in order to achieve independence, like a bird leaving the nest.