Along with this appreciation of the substance of Roman thought went an appreciation for the form in which it was expressed. The Spirit of the day was anti-barbarous to a degree. Correctness and elegance of diction came to be a passion with the Latinists of the time. This tendency naturally went too far, and we notice the beginning of an arbitrary exaltation of the Ciceronian manner of speech as the sole example worthy of imitation, — an attitude which unfortunately, despite frequent and vigorous protest, is still widely prevalent to — day.