Mtfcellanea Curio fa. 



prefent Value of Money payable after fo many 

 Years, will give a Series of Numbers, the Sum 

 of which will (hew the Value of the Annuity 

 fought. However, for each Number of this 

 Series, two Logarithms for a fingle Life, three 

 for two Lives, and four for three Lives, mud 

 neeeflarily be added together. If you think the 

 Matter, under the Uncertainties I have men- 

 tioned, to deferve it, I mail fhortly give you 

 fuch a Tab!e of Logarithms, as I (peak of, and 

 an Example or two of the ufe thereof : But by 

 Vulgar Arithmetick, the Labour of thefe Num- 

 bers were immenfe ; and nothing will more re- 

 commend the ufeful Invention of Logarithms 

 to all Lovers of Numbers, than the advantage 

 of Difpatch in this and fuch like Computa- 

 tions. 



Befides the Ufes mentioned, it may perhaps 

 not be an unacceptable thing to infer from 

 the fame Tables, how unjuftJy we repine at 

 the fhortnefs of our Lives, and think our (elves 

 wronged if we attain not old Age ; whereas it 

 appears hereby, that the one half of thofe that 

 are born are dead in Seventeen Years time, 

 1138 being in that time reduced to 616 . So 

 that inftead of murmuring at what we call an 

 untimely Death, we ought with Patience and 

 Unconcern to fubmit to that Diflblution which 

 is the neceffary Condition of our perifhable 

 Materials, and of our nice and frail Structure 

 and Compofition : And to account it as a 

 Bleffing that we have furvived, perhaps by ma- 

 ny Years, that Period of Life, whereat the one 

 half of the whole Race of Mankind does nQt 

 arrive- 



