Chapter D: H. Strahan

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"_Begging the Question_" (Vol. viii., p. 640.; Vol. ix., p. 136.).--It may interest your logical readers to be informed of the fact that this fallacy was called the _petition of the principle_, this being, of course, a literal rendering of the Latin phrase. The earliest English work on logic in which I have found this Latinism is, _The Arte of Logike, plainelie set foorth in our English Tongue, easie both to be understoode and practised_, 1584. Here occurs the following passage:

"Now of the default of Logike, called Sophisme. It is eyther
{ Generall. } / { Speciall. } The generall are those which cannot be
referred to any part of Logike. They are eyther { Begging of the
question, called the petition of the principle. } / { Bragging of no
proof. } Begging of the question is when nothing is brought to prooue,
but the question, or that which is as doubtfull."