Universa Philosophia
Pedro Hurtado de Mendoza (1578–1641)
First published 1624
Hurtado de Mendoza, Universa Philosophia (Lyon 1624): the Summulae and the Logica through Disputatio VII, with an original English translation. The rest of the work follows in later append batches.
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Summulae
Instruction for the Beginner on the Method of Argument
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§ 8
The Sustentans, for his part, is bound to adhere so strictly to the form of the argument that he says not a word outside it, except perhaps a very brief remark to clarify terms, lest the disputation become tangled and ambiguous. Three words are permitted to him: I grant, I deny, I distinguish. When he distinguishes, he must answer in two parts—that is, his response must have two parts, one of which is denied and the other granted or allowed. When he grants the major, he must not say I grant the proposition: that is what rhetoricians say. Instead he should say, I grant the major, or the major proposition. Then he should proceed to the minor, and not say I deny the assumption, as rhetoricians do; nor should he rhetorically call the consequence a complexion. When a proposition is false or doubtful, and the consequence does not follow well from it, there is no need to deny it; he should say, Let the major pass. He must then proceed to the conclusion, and not turn aside to prove other propositions that do not serve the Sustentans's purpose.