The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

FORTO meete aȝens the firste bifore spoken opinioun, and forto vnroote and updrawe it, y schal sette forth first xiij. principal conclusiouns. But for as miche as this vnrooting of the first opinioun and the proofis of tho xiij. conclusiouns mowen not be doon and made withoute strengthe of argumentis, therfore that y be the better and the cleerer vndirstonde of the lay peple in summe wordis to be aftir spoken in this present book, y sette nowe bifore to hem this doc|trine taken schortli out of the faculte of logik. An argument if he be ful and foormal, which is clepid a sillogisme, is mad of twey proposiciouns dryuyng out of hem and bi strengthe of hem the thridde proposi|cioun. Of the whiche thre proposiciouns the ij. first ben clepid premissis, and the iije. folewing out of hem is clepid the conclusioun of hem. And the firste of tho ij. premissis is clepid the first premisse, and the ije. of hem is clepid the ije. premisse. And ech such argu|ment is of this kinde, that if the bothe premissis ben trewe, the conclusioun concludid out and bi hem is also trewe; and but if euereither of tho premissis be trewe, the conclusioun is not trewe. Ensaumple her of is this. "Ech man is at Rome, the Pope is a man, eke the Pope is at Rome." Lo here ben sett forth ij. proposicions, which ben these, "Ech man is at Rome;" and "The Pope is a man;" and these ben the ij. pre|myssis in this argument, and thei dryuen out the iije. proposicioun, which is this, "The Pope is at Rome," and it is the conclusioun of the ij. premissis. Wher|fore certis if eny man can be sikir for eny tyme that these ij. premyssis be trewe, he mai be sikir that the conclusioun is trewe; thouȝ alle the aungelis in heuen wolden seie and holde that thilk conclusioun were not trewe. And this is a general reule, in euery good and formal and ful argument, that if his premissis be knowe for trewe, the conclusioun ouȝte be avowid for trewe, what euer creature wole seie the contrarie.