Suasoria

Origin

The formal introduction of suasoria as a school form is unknown. One of the earliest forms of this exercise, however, involved Cicero's practice of philosophical theses, which were addressed to the self. The exercise became prevalent in ancient Rome, where it was, with the controversia, the final stage of a course in rhetoric at an academy. One famous instance was recalled by Juvenal in the first of his Satires:

Et nos ergo manum ferulæ subduximus: et nos
Consilium dedimus Syllæ privatus ut altum
Dormiret. Stulta est clementia cum tot ubique
Vatibus occurras perituræ parcere chartæ.

I too have felt the master's cane upon my hand. I too
have given Sulla advice to retire into a deep
sleep. No point in sparing paper which is doomed to
destruction as you meet all those 'bards' everywhere.

Here Juvenal recalls his speech advising the dictator Sulla to retire. Another Roman poet who recalled enjoying his suasoria was Ovid.