TRANSLATOR S INTRODUCTION, xxix 



it appeared as Appendix to the Tentamen, 

 1832.&quot; 



The profound mathematical ability of Bol- 

 yai Janos showed itself physically not only in 

 his handling of the violin, where he was a 

 master, but also of arms, where he was unap 

 proachable. 



It was this skill, combined with his haughty 

 temper, which caused his being retired as Cap 

 tain on June 16th, 1833, though it saved him 

 from the fate of a kindred spirit, the lamented 

 Galois, killed in a duel when only 19. Bolyai, 

 when in garrison with cavalry officers, was 

 provoked by thirteen of them and accepted all 

 their challenges on condition that he be per 

 mitted after each duel to play a bit on his 

 violin. He came out victor from his thirteen 

 duels, leaving his thirteen adversaries on the 

 square. 



He projected a universal language for 

 speech as we have it for music and for mathe 

 matics. 



He left parts of a book entitled: Principia 

 doctrinae novae quantitatum imaginariarum 

 perfectae uniceque satisfacientis, aliaeque dis- 

 quisitiones analyticae et analy tico - geome- 

 tricae cardinales gravissimaeque; auctore 



