Note 21: — ACADEMICAL DIALECTIC
Reading edition
'Every syllogism has three, and only three terms: viz. the middle term and the two terms (or extremes, as they are commonly called) of the Conclusion or Question. Of these, first, the subject of the conclusion is called the minor term; second, its predicate, the major term; and third, the middle term, (called by the older logicians "Argumentum") is that with which each of them is separately compared, in order to judge of their agreement or disagreement with each other. If therefore there were two middle terms, the extremes or terms of conclusion not being both compared to the same, could not be conclusively compared to each other.'21