controversiae

A series of compositions on legal subjects by the elder Seneca, originally in ten books. The questions treated are hypothetical cases, and are discussed by way of practice for actual cases. With the ten books of controversiae is one book of suasoriae (see Declamatio), the whole collection bearing the title Oratorum et Rhetorum Sententiae, Divisiones, Colores. The work is a very valuable source of information regarding the history of rhetoric under the early Empire. Of the original ten books of the controversiae, only five (I., II., VII., IX., X. ) have been preserved. The Gronovii published an edition, with notes in Latin (Amsterdam, 1672). Recent critical editions are those of Kiessling (Leipzig, 1872) and H. J. Müller (Prague, 1887). See Rhetorica.