VI PREFACE. 



IX. Carmen de Algorismo. — A MS. of the Massa 

 Compoti in the British Museum (Harl. 3902), by Alexander 

 de Villa Dei, possesses an introduction to the work by some 

 other author: it is there stated that the same author com- 

 posed Doctrinale et Algorismum Metric um. M. Chasles 

 informs me that a MS. of this tract in the French King's 

 Library (7420. A.) has the following colophon at the end : 

 Explicit Algorismus editus a ' Magistro Alexandro de 

 Villa Dei. This is, I think, quite sufficient to prove him 

 to be the author. 



MSS. of it are very numerous : I will mention a few 

 for guidance. MSS. Bib. Reg. 8 C. iv. 12 E. i. Cot. Vitell. 

 A. i. (first chapter). Trin. Coll. Cant, O. v. 4. ii. 45. i. 31. 

 S. Joh. F. 18. Publ. Mm. iii. 11. (2310). Ii. i. 13. 

 (1690.) i. 15. (1692). Bodl. 57. Fairf. 27. Digb. 15. 

 22. 81. 97. 9& 104. 190. Bodl. 4to. D. 21. Jur. 



Fragments MSS. Sloan. 513. 1620. 2397.— Many copies 

 of it occur in the Catalogue of the Library of the Dover 

 Monastery (MS. Bodl. 920.) made in 1389.— Fid. Monast. 

 iv. p. 532. 



MS. Digb. 104, has Ambrosinus for Algorismus in the first 

 line. MS. Sloan. 513, has the following colophon — 



" Explicit tractatus algorismi turn satis breve et bono commento 

 secundum Saxton. 



Qui scripsit carmen sit benedictus. Amen ! 

 Nomen scriptoris Galfridus plenus Amoris." 

 Whose name is here latinized I know not, but I am not 

 inclined to give much credit to it. 



XII. The Preface to an Almanac for 1430. — It was 

 pointed out to me by Professor De Morgan, that some por- 

 tions of this are evidently plagiarized from Chaucer's preface 

 to his tract on the Astrolabe. 



35, Alfred Place, London, Jan. 1st, 1840. 



