AS PRACTISED BY THE ARABS. 141 



laborious, but shall only observe with respect to the last of them, that we 

 may hence form some judgment how much the old Arithmeticians must 

 have been perplexed and retarded by the labour of long multiplication. 

 We, who enjoy the benefits of the great discovery of Logarithms, can 

 now scarcely form an estimate of the difficulties with which they had to 

 contend from this want, and the facilities which we enjoy from their use. 

 While, therefore, the Arabian method of extraction may inspire us with 

 more gratitude to Lord Napier, we must not too hastily condemn it as 

 uselessly laborious, till we can show that, without a knowledge of his 

 discovery we could have more happily succeeded in the facilitating and 

 abbreviation of calculation. Should, after all these considerations, the 

 intention of the Arabian operation be thought of little value, and the labour 

 employed to accomplish it misused, yet the artful contrivances by which 

 it is attained, and the skilful adaptation for this purpose of the simple 

 principle of the variation of the signification of symbols from the variation 

 of their situation, must, I think, in justice, always cause the Pulpit 

 Diagram to be considered a deserving monument of Arabic ingenuity. 



47.) It now remains, according to the originally proposed arrange- 

 ment— 



IV. That I should give the extract from the original Ayoun-ul-Hisab, 

 containing the above Rule, accompanied by a translation, and then offer 

 some explanatory Remarks. 



48.) And the extract is as follows : 



C_> L..J i ^ _}-.£ C_> 1^1 J \ j£[z ( Ike 





