10 JOHN NAPIER'S WERKEN. 



Een onverwelkbaren roem evenwel verwierf Napier zich pas door 

 zijn Wonderbaren Canon der Logarithmen : als den „King of Num- 

 bers" nam het dankbare nageslacht hem op onder de Heroën der 

 Wetenschap. 



De inspanning, aan de samenstelling van den Canon Logarith- 

 mornm verbonden, schijnt Napier's gezondheid ondermijnd te heb- 

 ben. Nauwelijks drie jaren na de voltooiing, den 4 den April 1617, 

 overleed hij *) ; zijn stoffelijk overschot werd in de sedert vernieuwde 



eines broad, are ane fall. Lastly, sex eines alwayis, that is to say, sex eines lang, and 

 sex elnes broad, maids ane fall To tbis fall the little ruid, or ruid of warke, or of 

 buirdes, or of maisone or skiait warke, is equal, quhilk is maist properly the ruid, as 

 after followis. 



Secondly, how mony kindes of raids are in vse? Answer. Twa, quhair-of the ane is 

 proper, the vther improper. The ruid properly, is ane superficiall fall, and conteinis 

 tbrettie sex squair elnes: Ane squair elne, being the bounties of ane elne in breadth, 

 and ane elne in length, squarely inclused. The vther vulgare and improper ruide of 

 lande, conteinis fourtie of thir former ruides, or superficiall fallis, and is the quarter 

 of ane aiker of lande, because fou re of thir ruides makis ane aiker as saide is. 



Thridly, be qubat rule may the just measure of ane aiker in length and breadth be 

 vnder stand? It is answered, Multiply be Arithmetical! multiplication, the number of 

 the falies that ar in the length of the land, be the number of fallis that are in 

 the bredth thereof: Euerie aucht-score fallis of the number produced, and resulting of 

 the said multiplication, is ane aiker: and therefore aucht-score fallis of length, and ane 

 fall of bredth, makis ane aiker: and foure-score fallis of length, and twa fallis of bredth, 

 makis ane aiker. Item fourtie fallis of length, and foure fallis in bredth makis ane aiker. 

 Alswa twentie fallis in length, and aucht fallis in bredth, makis ane aiker. Lastly, ten 

 fallis in bredth, and sextene fallis in length makis ane aiker. 



Fourth', seing there is ane kinde of measuring of land be Rod, and raip: qubat is 

 the forme thereof? And gif there be ony maa forms; how are they called? and qubat 

 is the forme and maner of the samin? It is answered. There be knawin to expert 

 Mathématiciens, mony and diners waves to mette land, all agreand togidder in ane, bot 

 of' the vulgar people there is bot ane forme of metting vsed and vnderstand, to wit, be 

 rod and raip, that is to say, be ane rod or gade of sex elnes lang: Or be ane string 

 or coard, of sex elnes lang, stented betwixt twa staues. The coarde being ane schaft 

 length abone the pykes, or nether endes of the staues. The said rod or raip, or either 

 of them, is called ane fall: to wit, the lineall fall foresaid. With these fallis, ilke 

 square piece of lande, is met ouer the middis, qubat fallis and elnes it lies of length, 

 and thereafter is met eroccouer the middis, qubat fallis and elnes it lies of bredth. 

 T hereafter the fallis and elnes of the length on the ane pairt, and the fallis and elnes 

 of the bredth, on the vther pairt, arc multiplied togidder, and the producte schawisthe 

 number of the aikers, ruides, clues, quhilk the said piece of land conteinis. As for 

 example, gif the piece of land be 51. fal, three elnis of length, and 10. fallis 2. elnis 



of bredth: multiply 51. fallis .'!. elnis. or 51—. fallis to be 10. fallis 2. elnis: Orbe 



10.,. fallis; The product will amount to '>'■'>-.-. fallis: Or 532. fallis, 6. elnis: quhair- 

 of i ii.-r \ auchl score fallis ar ane aiker. Swa 532. fallis 6. elnis, arc three aikers and 

 ane quarter, 1^. fallis, and (>. elnis of met land." 



'} Soma vindt men 1 < » 1 * » en L618 als Napier's sterfjaar opgegeven, wiens testament 

 evenwel spreekt van „the rycht bonorahill Jon Naipper of Merchinstoun. . . quhadeceisl 

 upon the fourt day of A.ppryle the yeir of God i ,M vi c and sevinteine yeiris". 



