PROPER USE OF THE WORD ARGUMENT. 319 



which often seems to correspond in meaning to argutus, just as ofjy is used to signify a shrill, 

 sharp sound, we have in Cic. de opt. gen. oratorum, 2, § 5 : " sententiarum totidem genera sunt, 

 quot diximus esse laudum. Sunt enim docendi acutse, delectandi quasi argutse, commovendi 

 graves." With reference to the secondary and most usual sense of arguo " to try and prove," 

 we have argutus as a regular passive participle in Plautus, Amphit. iii. 2, Q: "ita me probri, 

 stupri, dedecoris a viro argutam meo !" and in the inferential sense of " thoroughly tested," 

 "sound and accurate," we have such phrases as that in Horace, Ara Poetica, 364: "poesis — 

 judicis argutum quae non formidat acumen," " poetry which dreads not the nice and accurate 

 discernment of a critic," where again the word is virtually distinguished from acutus. 



The double compounds co-arguo and red-arguo do not require any special examination, and 

 it is only necessary that I should remark in passing, that they indicate the early use of arguo 

 as a well-defined and virtually simple verb. 



Such being the true meaning of the verb arguo and its participle argutus, there can be 

 little doubt as to the signification of the derivative noun argumentum. Whatever may be the 

 metaphysical explanation of the fact, there can be no doubt of the fact that many nouns in 

 -mentum denote the thing which carries out the action of the verb. Thus we have ali-mentumt 

 '' that which nourishes," ar-mentum, " that which ploughs," atra-menium, " that which makes a 

 black mark," blandi-mentum, " that which allures," condi-mentum, " that which seasons," docu- 

 mentum, " that which shows," fo-mentum, " that which warms," horta-mentum, " that which 

 encourages," irrita-mentum, " that which excites," leni-mentum, " that which alleviates," monu- 

 mentum, " that which reminds," nutri-mentum, " that which nurtures," orna-mentum, " that 

 which adorns," pig-mentum, " that which paints," testa-mentum, " that which testifies," vesti- 

 mentum, " that which clothes," &c. In the same way argu-mentum means id quod arguit, 

 " that which makes a substance ring, which sounds, examines, tests, and proves it." Hence 

 the word is constantly used by the best writers to denote the outward and visible sign, from 

 which something is inferred, the test, which is accepted as conclusive. Thus we have in Cicero, 

 Verr. ii. 6 : " qua^ res pertenui nobis argumento indicioque patefacta est." Id. Cat. iii. 5, S 13: 

 " mihi quidem quum ilia certissima sunt visa argumenta atque indicia sceleris, tabellas, signa, 

 manus, denique uniuscujusque confessio, tum multo ilia certiora, color, oculi, vultus, taciturn- 

 itas." Ovid, Metam. iv, 761 : " lotique lyraeque, tibiaque, et cantus, animi felicia Iseti argu- 

 menta, sonant." Pliny, II. N. xii. 15, 68 : " nostri unguentarii murram digerunt hand difficulter 

 odoris atque pinguedinis argumentis." Hence argumentum denotes the outward appearance of 

 a thing, that which it bears on the face of it, as when Pliny says {H. N. xxii. 15): "ex argu- 

 mento nomen accipit scorpio herba: semen enim habet ad similitudinem caudae scorpionis." 

 That this is also the meaning implied, when the word signifies the theme or subject of some 

 composition, especially the plot of a play, might be inferred from the distinction given by 

 Quintilian, who says {Inst. Or. 11. 4, ^2): "narrationum tres accepimus species: fabulam, quae 

 versatur in tragoediis atque carminibus, non a veritate modo, sed etiam a forma veritatis remo- 

 tam ; argumentum, quod falsum, sed vero simile, comoedisB fingunt ; historiam, in qua est 

 gestae rei expositio." It is, however, more reasonable to suppose that this meaning may have 

 flowed from the logical use of the term, which I am about to consider, and which, as we shall 

 see, would give to argumentum occasionally the same force as our word " topic " in its secondary 

 Vol. X. Part II. 41 



