2 1 8 MijcellmeA Curiofa. Vol. II L 



Kow as the Chine fe and Roman Abacus do 

 much agree fave only that they proceed 

 contrary ways , fb doth their way of 

 expreffing Numbers by Letters or Marks, 

 one ftroke or line fignifying one ^ two lines 

 two ; three lines three ; a crois ten ; two 

 crofles twenty; three crofles thirty ;and lb on- 

 wards to a hundred, which they exprelTed by 

 a Iquare Mark, and a crofs with a ftroak ad- 

 ded for a thoufand, as will appear by the 

 Table annexed. And though the Chara- 

 cters are not all the fame ; yet the order and 

 method of one agrees very near with that of 

 the other, efpecially if I may be allowed my 

 luppofition, that the primitive way of Writ- 

 ing and Reading with the Chinefe was Hori- 

 zontal, and like the Greek, and Latin or 

 rofean way. Now that thefe are properly 

 numeral Figures, or Charaders, is manifefl 

 from this, that they have alio word Chara- 

 fters for every Number, and they can (in 

 the fame manner as the Romans could) ex- 

 prefs a Number by their numeral Charafters 

 or Marks, and by their literal or wordCha- 

 rafters ; for as one fingle ftroak fignifies one 

 or the firft, fo does the Charaflier Qn the Plat^ 

 marked with £) fignify the fame thing, that is 

 one or the firft. 



Having thus dilcovered their Characl:ers 

 for Numbers, and their way of Numeration, 

 I was next defirous to underftand fome- 

 thing concerning their Language and Cha- 

 rafter. 



Upon perufing all the Accounts I could 

 meet with in Books, I found very little fa- 

 tisfadion as to what I principally inquired af- 



ter 



