164 ON THE: EARLY 



©n one side ffi- i ',is 9 s Algebra, Chap, i, a, 75* &cv with' the authors §&? 

 refers to;- x the other side, the French Bncyciobedfa- Art. Aigehre r , 



Application, inte by D'Alember-t, and' Analyse -by De Gasti-leqnv- 



See also Moi eh , Though' Bha'scara -Acha'ry'a^ who- is compara^-- 

 tively a modei'i wmer, could not have' been one' of the' authors whom 

 Diophantus is said to have quoted, it is by no- means improbable thatc 

 some Alexandrian merchant, trading* to India, might have learned 'a little. 

 Algebra from the Bramins, and ins true ted '"'some -of his countrymen ; or 

 Diophantus might have learned from- Indians- at Alexandria. If there 

 is doubt of the Diophantine Algebra being of Greek origin, it is worthy of 

 remark that its author had opportunity of communicating with person^ 

 from whom he might have drawn materials for his work, and whohi 

 there is evidence of his having, actually cited. 1 It is objected that Bom- 

 belli is the only person who has taken notice of DiOphantus' reference 

 to Indian authors, and that no such' reference is now to be found in hrs 

 work. But the authority of Bom belli-, : on this ^ point, cannot he overset, - 

 till it is ascertained that the manuscript of the ■Vatican," which he par- 

 ticularizes, does not contain; the citations. One would think that Bom- 

 belli's assertion must have had' some foundation, that it is not a mere- 

 fabrication'. Though it does >not appear that any 'Santcrii Works on this 

 science, of greater antiquity than the Bfj,aGaniia,"hz\'e yet been dis- 

 covered, we are not to conclude, therefore, that there are none ; for the 

 author of the. Bija Ganita expressly says:, his 1 work is extracted from 

 three copious treatises. These books have not been found'; we know 

 nothing of their contents nor their dates. The following was the result 

 of a general comparison of the Bija Ganita with Diophantus.* : ' " TKe 



* From " observations," &c. above referred to. 



