Institutio Oratoria

The fifth place they assign to the conclusion which either merely makes the necessary inference from the preceding parts ( i.e.

Therefore the universe is governed by reason

) or after briefly bringing major and minor premise together adds what is deduced from them with the following result:

But if on the one hand things that are controlled by reason are better governed than things which are not and on the other nothing is better administered than the universe, then it follows that the universe is governed by reason.

As regards this part of the epicheireme I agree.

I have said that the epicheireme consists of three parts: its form is not however invariable. There is

firstly the form in which the conclusion is identical with what has already been stated in the major premise.

The soul is immortal, since whatever derives its motion from itself is immortal. But the soul derives its motion from itself. Therefore the soul is immortal.

This process occurs not merely in individual arguments, but in whole cases, provided they are of a simple character, and also in questions. [*](See III. vi. 9, 10.)

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.