Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

ARGEN TARII. A RGENTARII. 181
times. (See the comment. on Cic. pro Quinct. 4.) maintaining his cause, and to produce them was
2. The keeping of sums of money for other per- called edere (Dig. 2. tit. 13. s. 1. ~ 1), or proferre
sons. Such money might be deposited by the codicen, (2. tit. 13. s. 6. ~~ 7, 8). 3. Their conowner merely to save himself the trouble of keep- nection with commerce and public auctions. This
ing it and making payments, and in this case it branch of their business seems to have been one of
was called depositum; the argentarius then paid the most ancient. In private sales and purchases,
no interest, and the money was called vcaceape- they sometimes acted as agents for either party
cunica. When a payment was to be made, the (interpretes, Plaut. Curc. iii. 1. 61), and sometilnes
owner either told the argentarius personally or he they undertook to sell the whole estate of a person,
drew a cheque. (Plaut. Curcul. ii. 3. 66, &c., iii. as an inheritance. (Dig. 5. tit. 3. s. 18, 46. tit.
66, iv. 3. 3, &c.) Or the money was deposited on 3. s. 88.) At public auctions they were almost
condition of the argentarins paying interest; in invariably present, registering the articles sold,
this case the money was called credilum, and the their prices, and purchasers, and receiving the payargentarius might of course employ the money ment from the purchasers. (Cic. p. Caec. 4, 6;
himself in any lucrative manner. (Suet. Aug. 39.) Quinctil. xi. 2; Suet. lNer. 5; Gaius, iv. 126;
The argentarius thus did almost the same sort of Capitolin. Anzton. 9.) At auctions, however, the
business as a modern banker. Many persons en- argentarii might transact business through their
trusted all their capital to them (Cic. p. Caec. 6), clerks or servants, who were called couctores from
and instances in which the argentarii made pay- their collecting the money. 4. The testing of the
mnents in the name of those whose money they had genuineness of coins (probatio nuesmoreum). The
in hand, are mentioned very frequently. A pay- frequent cases of forgery, as well as the frequent
ment made through a banker was called per men- occurrence of foreign coins, rendered it necessary
sam, de mensa, or per mensae scripturam, while a to have persons to decide upon their value, and the
payment made by the debtor in person was a pay- argentarii, from the nature of their occupation, were
ment ex rcea or de dono. (Plant. Cubrcul. v. 3. best qualified to act as probatores; hence they
7, &c., 43, Caeptiv. ii. 3. 89; Cic. ad Att. i. 9, were present in this capacity at all payments of
Top. 3; Schol. ad IIorat. Sat. ii. 3. 69; Senec. any large amount. This, however, seems originally
Epist. 26; Gaius, iii. 131.) An argentarius to have been a part of the duty of public officers,
never paid away any person's money without the mensarii or nummularii, until in the course of
being either authorised by him in person- or re- time the opinion of an argentarius also came to be
ceiving a cheque which was called perscriptio, looked upon as decisive; and this custom was
and the payment was then made either in cash, sanctioned by a law of Marius Gratidianus. (Plin.
or, if the person who was to receive it, kept an H. N. xxiii. 9; cmp. Cic. ad Att. xii.; Dig.
account with the same banker, he had it added 46. tit. 3. s. 39.) 5. The solidorum venditio, that
in the banker's book to his own deposit. This was is, the obligation of purchasing from the maint the
likewise calledperscribere or simply scribere. (Plaut. newly coined money, and circulating it among the
Asin. ii. 4. 30, &c., Curtul. v. 2. 20; Donat. ad people. This branch of their functions occurs only
Terent. P/orlm. v. 7. 28, &c., ad Adelph. ii. 4. 13; under the empire. (Symmach. Epist. ix. 49;
Cic. ad Altt. iv. 18, ix. 12, xii. 51, Philip. v. 4, Procop. Anecd. 25; comp. Salmasius, De Usur. c.
in Verr. v. 19; Horat. Sat. ii. 3. 76.) It alsooc- 17. p. 504.)
curs that argentarii made payments for persons who Although the argentarii were not in the service
had not deposited any money with them; this of the state, they existed only in a limited number,
was equivalent to lending money, which in fact and formed a collegium, which was divided into
they often did for a certain per centage of interest. societates or corporations, which alone had the right
(Plaut. Clire. iv. 1. 19, 2. 22, True. i. 1. 51, &c., to admit new members of their guild. (Orelli,
Epid. i. 2. 40; Tac. Ann. vi. 17.) Of all this Inscript. n. 913, 995.) It appears that no olne
business, of the receipts as well as of the expen- but free men could become members of such a corditure, the argentarii kept accurate accounts in poration, and whenever slaves are mentioned as
books called codices, tcabulae or rationes (Plin. II. N. argentarii, they must be conceived as acting only
ii. 7), and there is every reason for believing that as servants, and in the name of their lmasters, who
they were acquainted with what is called in book- remained the responsible parties even if slaves had
keeping double entry. tWhen an argentarius set- transacted business with their own peculiim. (Dig.
tled his accounts with persons with whom he did 2. tit. 13. s. 4. ~ 3, 14. tit. 3. s. 19.) With regard
business, it was done either in writing or orally, to the legal relation among the members of the
both parties meetilng for t~he p~urpose (Dig. 2. corporations, there existed various regulations; one
tit. 14. s. 47. ~ 1, 14. tit. 3. s. 20; Plaut. Au- (socius), o example, was respousihle for
iEl. iii. 5. 53, &c.), and the party found to be in the other. (Auct. ad Heretun. ii. 13; Dig. 2. tit.
debt paid what he owed, and then had his name 14. ss. 9, 25, 27.) They also enjoyed several
effaced (nomnen epedire or ezpuygere) from the privileges in the time of the empire, and Justinian,
banker's books. (Plaut. Cist. i. 3. 41; Cic. ad a particular patron of the argenltarii, greatly inAtt. xvi. 6.) As the books of the argentarii were creased these privileges (Justin. Nov. 13.6); hut
generally kept with great accuracy, mnd particu- dishonest argentarii were always severely punished
larly in regard to dates, they weri looked upon as (Suet. Galb. 10; Auson. Epiyr. 15), and in the
documents of high authority, and were appealed time of the enmperors, they were under the superto in the courts o' justice as unexceptionable evi- intendence of the praefectus urbi. (Dig. 1. tit. 12.
denuce. (Cic. p. Caec. 6; Gellius, xiv. 2.) Hence s. 1. ~ 9.)
the argenltarii were often concerned in civil cases, As regards the respectability of the argentarii,
as money transactions were rarely concluded with- the passages of the ancients seem to contradict one
out their influence or co-operation. Their codices another, for some writers speak of their occpation
or tabulae could not be withheld from a person as respectable and honourable (Cic. p. Caee. 4;
who in court referred to them for the purpose of Aurel. Vict. 72; Suet. VesP. 1; Acron. ad Horat.
2