Gracián's "conceit" and Peirce's "interpretant" maintain a logical-and-rhetorical agreement that recurs in the history of ideas. Ciceronian humanism and Scotist realism were instrumental for Gracián's conception: they were part of the curricular requirements for XVII century Je-suits. Likewise, Peirce's New List and his revival of "Speculative Rhetoric" partake of this legacy. Their innovations hinge on the category of Relation and on its inferential and speculative potential for thought.