muste needis be trewe, which is this, "my fader is now at the chirche." And in lijk maner it is of euery formal argument mad of ij. proposiciouns or ij. resouns concluding out of hem the iije. proposicioun or resoun, [resoun is interlineated in a later hand.] as thus: "Ech man is a synner; y am a man; eke thanne y am a synner:" "No man is without a bodi; the king is a man; eke thanne the king is not without a bodi;" and so forth lijk it is in alle wel and formali [formal, MS.] mad argumentis mad of ij. proposiciouns concluding and driving out of hem the iije. [This sentence runs very clum|sily. Perhaps we should place a full stop after so forth, and cancel all the rest of the sentence, which is a mere repetition of what has just preceded.] And fer|thermore it is to wite, that in ech such now seid argu|ment the ij. proposiciouns or spechis or resouns, so as is now seid concluding and dryving out of hem the iije. proposicion, speche, or resoun, ben clepid ij. pre|missis, or the firste and ije. premysse of the argument; and the iije. proposicioun, speche, or resoun driuen out and concludid forth bi hem and fro hem is clepid the conclusioun of the argument.
And ferther, euen as whanne a formali mad argument is mad of ij. premyssis concluding a conclusioun, if bothe premyssis ben trewe, the conclusioun needis is trewe; so whanne an argument is mad schortli, so that the oon premisse is expressid in which the gretter strengthe of the argument lithe, and the other pre|mysse is stille vnspokun for schortnes; ȝit, if thilk oon premysse expressid be trewe, needis muste the con|clusioun be trewe. Forwhi out of a treuthe folewith not a falshede, but out of treuthe folewith neuer eny thing saue treuthe; for ellis ther were no wey to proue bi it eny thing be trewe, if a falshede myȝte be con|cludid in a formal argument fro a treuthe, as weel as
