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XXXIII. Notices respecting Neis) Books. 



Rara Mathem atica ; or a Collection of Treatises on the Mathematics 

 and Subjects connected with them : from ancient inedited Manu- 

 scripts. Edited by James Orchard Halliwell, Esq., F.R.S., 

 F.S.A., &;c. of Jesus College, Cambridge. London, Parker; Cam- 

 bridge, Deightons. 



WE called the attention of our readers to the first number of 

 this work at the time of its publication. The work is now 

 brought to a close ; but more abruptly than was originally intended, 

 owing to the increase of materials pointing out to the editor the ne- 

 cessity of a different plan. He has, therefore, resolved upon publish- 

 ing a history of early English mathematics, by which means he 

 will be better able to classify the subjects ; whilst he prints the ma- 

 nuscripts themselves, or such parts of them as are relevant to the 

 subject, in the form of illustrations. This, indeed, appears to us 

 to be, upon the whole, a better plan than that which he first adopted, 

 and we look forward with considerable interest to the completion 

 of his arduous undertaking. That there are ample materials amongst 

 the manuscripts in our private and public libraries, we can entertain 

 no doubt ; and we think it a matter of great advantage that these 

 treasures of the science of the middle ages should be investigated 

 by one who is at the same time a mathematician and an antiquary. 

 This combination of tastes and talents in the same mind is a rare 

 occurrence in this country; though on the continent we find occa- 

 sional instances of it, as in the case of Delambre, Libri, Chasles, and 

 a few others. 



We purpose here to state generally the nature of the treatises 

 now brought together by the persevering industry and just dis- 

 crimination of the editor, making as v/e pass along a few remarks 

 upon the historical information contained in some of them. 



I. Johannis de Sacro-Bosco Tract atus de Arte numerandi. 



This is printed from a MS. in the editor's own library, purchased 

 at the sale of the library of the Abbate Canonici of Venice. 



Who Sacro-Bosco was, is by no means determined ; though, upon 

 very slender grounds, he is commonly considered to be a native of 

 Halifax. His work, however, was very popular during the middle 

 ages, and copies of it in MS. are of very frequent occurrence, some- 

 times with, and often without, his name. In the Ashmolean library 

 there is an English translation of it (396,), and the only one of 

 which we have any knowledge. It is singular that it should not 

 have been printed in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, and is only 

 to be accounted for by its being superseded in the public estima- 

 tion by other and better treatises. It is, as an element of history, of 

 considerable interest, particularly in respect to the clumsy in- 

 genuity which runs through it — of which we may instance the rule 

 for progressions (p. 18, 19, Rara.) 



This treatise has often been quoted on account of the following 

 passage : " Hanc igitur scientiam numerandi compendiosam edidit 



