Pius II’s letter to Mahomet II was rhetorically brilliant but insincere

Evidence

The one thing which it lacks is any depth of sincerity. He wrote rather as a lawyer with a brief than as a man speaking from the heart. But from the point of view of a European statesman it is hard to say that the attempt at persuasion in this letter was not worth making. — R. W. Southern, Western Views of Islam in the Middle…, 536

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to modern diplomatic rhetoric as legal brief rather than heartfelt appeal — parallels with current political speech analysis.