[ 83 ] 
were the fame, as in the firfl: Edition printed at 
Venice in 1492. He thinks therefore, that they 
might be the fame, as in the Original of Boethius $ 
and endeavours to fhew, that they were then ufed 
in much the fame Manner, as the Arabian Figures 
now are, in Sums of Multiplication and Divifion. 
And from thence he concludes, that fuch Characters 
muft have been known in Europe , as early as the 
Beginning of the fixth Century ; fince Boethius was 
put to Death by Theodoricus King of the Goths , in 
the Year y24. As to the Objection, which may be 
made to this Opinion, from the Silence of Writers 
concerning it for feveral Ages after Boethius he 
obferves, that the fame has happened in other Inftanccs 
of a like Nature. Tho’ he fuppofes, that both the 
Characters themfelves, and the Ufe of them, was a 
Secret at that time, known only to Philofophers and 
Men of Learning, and not introduced into the com- 
mon Affairs of Life } and that the firft Invention of 
them was owing to the Eaftern Nations, from whence 
they came to the Greeks , among whom the Pytha- 
goreans were particularly remarkable for concealing 
their Knowledge from the Vulgar, and imparting it 
only to their Followers. 
For the Illuftration of his Difcourfe, the Author 
has prefixed to it a Table of numeral Characters, 
taken from Writers of different Ages and Countries ; 
together with the Helmdon ^Date , in the Explication 
of which he follows Dr. Wallis: but he offers no- 
thing further, fo far as I could obferve, in relation 
to the common Ufe of them, more early than what 
I have remarked in my former Papers. With this 
learned CDiJJ'ertation , he tranfmitted likcwife to 
Dr. 
