546 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



of the Church to corroborate the faith, to wit : St. Augustine, Gregory, 

 Hieronymus, and St. Ambrose. 



" Five is a number of great convenience and utility ; for, first, the 

 Creator created five simple bodies, to wit : the sky, fire, air, water, and 

 earth. And never have more of regular bodies that have equal bases 

 been found. Then, for our use, the Creator has given us five natural 

 senses, to wit : sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. And five fin- 

 gers on the hand, and five toes on the foot. And to redeem us has 

 suffered five wounds on the cross, and in all the surface of the earth 

 there are five zones, according to Sacrobosco in his sphere. 



" Six is the first and most vrorthy of the perfect numbers. Because 

 in its composition three aliquot parts put together make their whole : 

 as 3, 2, and 1, which are its -J, its \, and its -J-. Which put together 

 amount to 6, which is their whole. There is another perfection, be- 

 cause it is a circular number. For, in making a circle, with a compass, 

 the circumference of the circle contains just six times the span of the 

 compass ; as when one should put one of the feet of the said compass 

 on the circumference of the said circle, and should turn the said com- 

 pass to six times on the said circumference. At the sixth time the 

 said foot of the compass would return to its first point. And because 

 it returns always in itself. Et semperidem ipse est (and it is always 

 the same). There is also another perfection, because there are six 

 transcendent principles, to wit : one, good, true, thing, something, 

 and being. And for these great perfections and dignities, the Cre- 

 ator regards it in his works, for he created everything in six days. 

 Therefore ought it to be named the very perfect among the perfect 

 numbers. So has St. Augustine said in the thirtieth chapter of the 

 second book *De Civitate DeV 



" Seven is a number of great prerogative and singularity, as St. 

 Augustine says in the thirty-first chapter of the aforesaid book. Be- 

 cause of its composition which is triple, for first it is composed of 1 

 and of 6, which are of so great perfection as is said above. Or of 3 

 and 4, which are of so great dignity and estimation. Or of 2 and 5, 

 which are of so great utility and commodity. And because in its com- 

 position it contains so many numbers worthy, perfect, and of great 

 excellence. God, the Creator, regards it in his most admirable works. 

 For he has created seven planets, seven metals, seven colors, and 

 seven tastes. And when he had created everything in six days, he 

 rested on the seventh, which is a thing of great mystery. There are, 

 therefore, seven days in the week. There are seven principal virtues, 

 to wit : three divine, and four cardinal. There are seven other virtues 

 against the seven mortal sins. There are seven works of bodily mercy 

 and seven works of spiritual mercy. There are seven sacraments. 

 There are seven orders in the holy church. There are seven ages of 

 man. There are seven windows through which the ordinary senses 

 are exercised : the two eyes, the two ears, the two nostrils, and the 



