X ‘H ) 
Mod Writers, who have treated of the Rife of 
thefe Figures, have thought they came firfl from 
the SP erfians or Indians to the Arabians , and from 
them to the Moors , and fo to the Spaniards , from 
whom the other Europeans received them. This 
was the Opinion of John Gerard VoJJius* % Mr. John 
• Greaves^ , Bifhop Sever ege c , DoCtor Wallis \ and 
many others. And the Arabians themfelves own 
they had them from the Indians , as both Doctor 
Wallis e and Mr. Greaves f have fhewn from their 
Writers. 
But Ifaac Vojjius thought the antient Greeks and 
Romans were acquainted with thefe Figures, and 
that the Arabians took them from the Greeks, , and 
the Indians from the Arabians g. For the Proof of 
this he refers to Tyro and Seneca's Notes h , and the 
Treatife of Boethius T)e Geometria \ But as to 
the'Notes of Tyro and Seneca , they feem to have 
no Affinity with thefe Figures, either in the Number 
or Nature of them ; for they are not limited to 
nine, but are many Times that Number, and all dif- 
ferent in Form. Nor are they fimple Signs of Num- 
bers, but complex Characters of feveral Letters of 
thofe numeral Words which they {land for in the 
Roman Language, like our Short-hands ; and there- 
fore vary in their Shape, as they are defigned to 
exprefs Cardinals, Ordinals, or Adverbs of Number. 
This will appear by the Table of CharaSlers pre- 
fixed to thefe Papers, in which I have given the 
a De Natura Art. lib. III. cap. 8. § 6. b De Sigh’s Arabum 
£c PeiTarum Aftronomicis, p. 2.* when the Form of them may be feen. 
G Arithraer. Chronolog. lib. I. cap. 5. d De Algebra, cap. - 
p. 10. e Ibid. p. 9. f De Siglis Arabum, &c. £ Obferva'. 
ad 'Pomp. Mel. p 64. h Vid. Grur. Infcript. Vol. II. ad fin. 
i Lib. 1 . fub. fia. 
firfl 
