The arte of logick Plainely taught in the English tongue, according to the best approued authors. Very necessary for all students in any profession, how to defend any argument against all subtill sophisters, and cauelling schismatikes, and how to confute their false syllogismes, and captious arguments. By M. Blundevile.

What order is to be obserued in making a dialecticall definition?

First, you must know in what predicament the thing is contai∣ned which you would define, to the intent that in descending from the most generall kinde, downe towards the most sp•…•…ciall kinde of the same predicament, ye may finde out by the way that which is next generall kinde to the thing that is to be defined: which next generall kinde being found out, yee must then seeke out the speciall difference or propertie, the proper cause, effect, or common accidents belonging to the same: as for example, if ye would define what vertue is, ye must resort to the predicament of qualitie, wherein vertue is contained: then in descending from qualitie, proceed to habit, from habit to habit of the minde, which is twofold, that is to say, intellectuall and morall, and not finding it vnder habit intellectuall, proceed to habit morall, for that is the next generall kinde to vertue: that done, seeke out the difference or propertie, true cause or effect: the difference is to be good, wherein it differeth from vice, for vice is also a morall habit as well as vertue: the effect of vertue is to incline mans will to doe alwaies according to right reason or true iudgement, so shall you make a true definition of vertue, in saying that vertue is a good morall habit, inclining mans will to doe alwaies according to

true iudgement. And after this sort yee may learne to define any other thing.