that in the fifteenth century, there was in England a disgraceful neglect of the arts and sciences; and though we read lists of persons styled great mathematicians and philosophers[1], no discoveries of importance did they make, no books did they write that have been thought worthy to be perpetuated in print. In an age, therefore, so incurious and idle, (unless when in search of the elixir of life that was to cure all diseases, and make old people young, or of the philosopher's stone, that was to transmute the baser metals into fine gold or silver) it was not likely that scribes and scriveners should be solicitous in their inquiries after figures newe, or willing to change the old characters they were trained to use, and for the writing of which they were liberally paid[2]; or if a more easy mode of reckoning was pursued, they might have their doubts whether the profits of their craft would not be lessened by it. As late as the conclusion of the Sixteenth century the persons employed by churchwardens to keep the parish accounts made use of Roman capitals[3], and in public offices all change was carefully
- ↑ "John Sommer about 1390; John Walter about 1400; William Batecombe about 1410; William Buttoner about 1460; were very eminent in ether kinds of learning, and particularly in mathematics; and divers of their works are extant in our libraries, which have not been printed." Treatise of Algebra, p. 6.
- ↑ Paston Letters, V. II. p. 810, Note. "We are here furnished with a curious account of the expences attending the transcribing of books, previous to the noble art of printing. At this time the common wages of a mechanic were with diet 4d. and without diet 5d.½, or 6d. a day. We here see that a writer received 2d. for writing a folio leaf, three of which he could with ease finish in a day; and I should think that many quick writers at that time would fill four, five, or even six in a day; if so, the pay of these greatly exceeded that of common handicraft men."
- ↑ "I find by our parish books that the churchwardens and overseers of the poor stated their accounts in numeral letters till since the year 1600." Bibliotheca Literaria, Number VIII. p. 8. The title of the paper is, An Historical Essay concerning Arithmetical Figures and their use. But the parish in which the writer lived is not mentioned.
avoided,
