Quint. ii. 12, 12, 'quando et praecipiendi munus iam pridem deprecati sumus et in foro quoque dicendi, quia honestissimum finem putamus, desinere dum desideraremur.' After his retirement Quintilian was appointed tutor of Domitian's grandnephews, sons of his niece Flavia Domitilla and his cousin Flavius Clemens. Quint. iv. prooem. 2, 'Cum mihi Domitianus Augustus sororis suae nepotum delegaverit curam.' Through the influence of Clemens, he obtained the consulship. Auson. _grat. act._ p. 23 (Schenkl), 'Quintilianus consularia per Clementem ornamenta sortitus honestamenta potius videtur quam insignia potestatis habuisse.' Cf. Iuv. 7, 197, 'Si Fortuna volet, fies de rhetore consul; si volet haec eadem, fies de consule rhetor.' His gratitude led him into fulsome flattery of Domitian. x. 1, 91, 'Germanicum Augustum ab institutis studiis deflexit cura terrarum, parumque dis visum est esse eum maximum poetarum' (cf. iv. prooem. 3-5). Quintilian married late in life. His wife died at the age of eighteen, his younger son soon afterwards at the age of five, the elder one subsequently at the age of nine. vi. prooem. § 2, 'Illum, de quo summa conceperam et in quo spem unicam senectutis reponebam, repetito volnere orbitatis amisi'; § 9, 'Non flosculos, sicut prior, sed iam decimum aetatis ingressus annum, certos ac deformatos fructus ostenderat'; § 4, 'erepta prius mihi matre eorumdem, quae nondum expleto aetatis undevicesimo anno duos enixa filios ...'; § 5, 'cum omni virtute, quae in feminas cadit, functa insanabilem adtulit marito dolorem, tum aetate tam puellari, praesertim meae comparata, potest et ipsa numerari inter volnera orbitatis'; § 6, 'Mihi filius minor quintum egressus annum prior alterum ex duobus eruit lumen.' The date of Quintilian's death is unknown. If he outlived Domitian it was not for long, as Pliny in the letters quoted above (the earlier written about A.D. 100) does not speak of Quintilian as alive. (2) WORKS. _Earlier works._--Quintilian refers to a work _de causis corruptae eloquentiae_, and to an _ars rhetorica_ in two Books. For speeches of his taken down and published, see vii. 2, 24, quoted p. 303. vi. prooem. 3, 'eum librum, quem de causis corruptae eloquentiae emisi.' i. prooem. 7, 'Duo iam sub nomine meo libri ferebantur artis rhetoricae neque editi a me neque in hoc comparati. Namque alterum, sermone per biduum habito, pueri, quibus id praestabatur, exceperant; alterum pluribus sane diebus, quantum notando consequi potuerant, interceptum, boni iuvenes sed nimium amantes mei, temerario editionis honore volgaverant.' The _Institutio Oratoria_.--For the date of publication see p. 304. The circumstances of publication are given by Quintilian in the preface addressed to his bookseller Trypho.