68 



no.tation was fully understood by the writer of the manu- 

 script. It may be added, that there follows, immediately after 

 the documents just mentioned, a table of the twelve signs of 

 the zodiac, with their different astrological influences, viz. : 

 Aries = good ; Taurus = evil ; Gemini = evil ; Leo = evil ; 

 Virgo = evil; Libra zi good; Sagittarius = good; Capricor- 

 nus = evil ; Aquarius = good. The others are said to neu- 

 tralize their influences. 



"In the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of 

 London,* Dr. Ward has given an account of a date in Arabic 

 numerals found on a stone in Ireland, which he considered 

 to belong to the twelfth century. Professor Peacock, how- 

 ever, in his History of Arithmetic, has ably confuted this 

 conjecture. 



" The Liber Niger of Christ Church, Dublin, is said to 

 contain ' a curious treatise on arithmetic, exhibiting the 

 state of that science before the introduction of Arabic nu- 

 merals.'t I much question the accuracy of this statement, 

 and should be rather inclined to think, that it is merely an 

 account of the numbers of algorism, so common in manuscripts 

 of this class. The same volume also contains, a transcript 

 of the French poetical treatise entitled 'Imago Mundi,' one 

 of the most curious unpublished scientific tracts of the middle 

 ages. This latter treatise is now in the progress of publica- 

 tion, by the Historical Society of Science. 



" But by far the most curious document that I have met 

 with relating to the early science of Ireland, is a manuscript 

 in the possession of C. Wright, Esq., of Cambridge, who 

 has kindly allowed me to make use of it, and has also fur- 

 nished me with a translation of the greater part, which has 

 been of great assistance to me. This MS. consists of six 

 folio leaves on vellum, slightly injured by damp, apparently 



• For the yearl745, p. 283. 



t Report on the Public Records of Ireland, p. 307. 



