Institutio Oratoria

For cases and questions always have first a major premise, such as

You have committed sacrilege,

or

Not everyone who has killed a man is guilty of murder.

Second comes a reason, which is stated at greater length in cases and questions than in separate arguments, while finally comes the conclusion in which as a rule they set forth the point they have proved either by enumeration of particulars or in the form of a hasty conclusion. In this type of epicheireme the major premise is doubtful, since it is still under investigation.