Page:Archaeologia Volume 13.djvu/209

Helmdon Mantle Tree Infer iphon, &c. 159 fundry treatifes on Arithmetick. But I fufpecl: it will not be an eafy thing to prove that they availed themfelves of the ufe of them in their Day Booh and Ledgers ; for having propofed a fearch to Mr. Gough, the anfwer to his inquiries was, that moft of the merchants and corporation books were confumed in the fire of London. However, in a mifcellaneous parcel relating to paper marks and Arabic numerals in Dr. Lort's collection, there was found a meet, containing feveral charges incident to a mip navigated from Africa to England in the year 1603, in which the pages referred to in another book are marked in the vulgar figures, as are alfb the fums of money difburfed in columns properly arranged, the items fpecifying the charges being written in the Latin numerals in the middle of the page. This correfponds in fome degree with Re- cord's explanation by the Roman letters of the value of the vulgar figures in his chapter of Numeration, and it might be owing to this mode of teaching that this needlefs twofold entry was fo long praclifed. Record, in his Preface, mentions treatifes in Englim on Arith- metick that were written before his book appeared, and on examin- ing Typographical Antiquities I difcovered three, if not four, on this fubjecl:. Notes of, as it is believed, almoft all the treatifes publimed from the time of the introduction of printing by Caxton, to the year 1600, are conveyed with this paper. Perfons w r ho arc luckily pofTeffed of thefe treatifes (fome of which are fcarce) may poffibly be able to collecl; from them remarks hiftorical and illuf- trative. With an exception to Record's book, I can form no other judgment than from the title pages, with Herbert's Summary of the contents of each treatife. The evidence thus afforded mall be ftated, and the conclufions that may be deduced from it. In the " Ymage or Mirrour of the Worlde," translated from the French by Caxton, and printed by him A. 1480, the tenth chap- ter