STORY OF ALGEBRA, 



185 



frave either translations from the Sanscrit of the Bija Ganita and Lila- 

 wati, or perfect accounts from the originals ; and that other ancient Hindu 

 books of Algebra will be found, and made known to the world. But as 

 there is no immediate prospect of these desiderata being realized, the 

 translations into Persian will be found well deserving of attention. Only 

 let them be examined without prejudice. 



There are principles which will safely lead to a distinction of what is 

 interpolated from what is original ; and it is the neglect of these princi- 

 ples, and not any fair examination of the translations, that may lead to 

 error. 



Y 2 



