The Path-Way to Knowledge, Containing the First Principles of Geometry

The Path-Way to Knowledg, Containing the First Principles of Geometrie

Doubt not gentle reader, but as my argument is straunge and vnacquainted with the vulgare toungue, so shall I of many men be straungly talked of, and as straungly iudged. Some men will saye peraduenture, Imighte haue better imployed my tyme in some pleasaunte historye, comprisinge matter of chiualrye. Some other wolde more haue preised my trauaile, if I hadde spente the like time in some morall matter, other in deciding some controuersy of religion. And yet some men (as I iudg) will not mislike this kind of mater, but then will they wishe that I had vsed a more certaine order in placinge bothe the Propositions and Theoremes, and also a more exacter proofe of eche of theim bothe, by demonstrations mathematicall. Some also will mislike my shortenes and simple plainesse, as other of other affections diuersely shall espye somwhat that they shall thinke blame worthy, and shal misse somewhat, that thei wold with to haue bene here vsed, so that euerie manne shall giue his verdicte of me according to his phantasie, vnto whome ioinctly, Imake this my firste answere: that as they ar many and in opinions verie diuers, so were it scarse possible to please them all with anie one argumente, of what kinde so euer it were. And for my seconde aunswere, Isaye thus. That if annye one argumente mighte please them all, then should thei be thankfull vnto me for this kind of matter. For nother is there anie matter more straunge in the englishe tungue, then this whereof neuer booke was written before now, in that tungue, and therefore oughte to delite all them, that desire to vnderstand strange matters, as most men commonlie doo. And againe the practise is so pleasaunt in vsinge, and so profitable in appliynge, that who so euer dothe [a.ii.v] delite in anie of bothe, ought not of right to mislike this arte. And if any manne shall like the arte welle for it selfe, but shall mislyke the fourme that I haue vsed in teachyng of it, to hym I shall saie, Firste, that I dooe wishe with hym that some other man, whiche coulde better haue doone it, hadde shewed his good will, and vsed his diligence in suche sorte, that I myght haue bene therby occasioned iustely to haue left of my laboure, or after my trauaile to haue suppressed my bookes. But sithe no manne hath yet attempted the like, as far as I canne learne, Itruste all suche as bee not exercised in the studie of Geometrye, shall finde greate ease and furtheraunce by this simple, plaine, and easie forme of writinge. And shall perceaue the exacte woorkes of Theon, and others that write on Euclide, agreat deale the soner, by this blunte delineacion afore hande to them taughte. For I dare presuppose of them, that thing which I haue sette in my selfe, and haue marked in others, that is to saye, that it is not easie for a man that shall trauaile in a straunge arte, to vnderstand at the beginninge bothe the thing that is taught and also the iuste reason whie it is so. And by experience of teachinge I haue tried it to bee true, for whenne I haue taughte the proposition, as it is imported in meaninge, and annexed the demonstration with all, Ididde perceaue that it was a greate trouble and a painefull vexacion of mynde to the learner, to comprehend bothe those thinges at ones. And therfore did I proue firste to make them to vnderstande the sence of the propositions, and then afterward did they conceaue the demonstrations muche soner, when they hadde the sentence of the propositions first ingrafted in their mindes. This thinge caused me in bothe these bookes to omitte the demonstrations, and to vse onlye a plaine forme of declaration, which might best serue for the firste introduction. Whiche example hath beene vsed by other learned menne before nowe, for not only Georgius Ioachimus Rheticus, but also Boetius that wittye clarke did set forth some whole books of Euclide, without any demonstration or any a.iij. other declarati at al. But & if I shal hereafter perceaue that it maie be a thankefull trauaile to sette foorth the propositions of geometrie with demonstrations, Iwill not refuse to dooe it, and that with sundry varietees of demonstrations, bothe pleasaunt and profitable also. And then will I in like maner prepare to sette foorth the other bookes, whiche now are lefte vnprinted, by occasion not so muche of the charges in cuttyng of the figures, as for other iuste hynderances, whiche I truste hereafter shall bee remedied. In the meane season if any man muse why I haue sette the Conclusions beefore the Teoremes, seynge many of the Theoremes seeme to include the cause of some of the conclusions, and therfore oughte to haue gone before them, as the cause goeth before the effecte. Here vnto I saie, that although the cause doo go beefore the effect in order of nature, yet in order of teachyng the effect must be fyrst declared, and than the cause therof shewed, for so that men best vnderstd things First to lerne that such thinges ar to be wrought, and secondarily what thei ar, and what thei do import, and th thirdly what is the cause therof. An other cause why yt the theoremes be put after the cclusions is this, wh I wrote these first cnclusions (which was .iiiij. yeres passed) Ithought not then to haue added any theoremes, but next vnto ye cclusis to haue taught the order how to haue applied th to work, for drawing of plottes & such like vses. But afterward csidering the great cmoditie yt thei serue for, and the light that thei do geue to all sortes of practise geometricall, besyde other more notable benefites, whiche shall be declared more specially in a place conuenient, Ithoughte beste to geue you some taste of theym, and the pleasaunt contemplation of suche geometrical propositions, which might serue diuerselye in other bookes for the demonstrations and proofes of all Geometricall woorkes. And in theim, as well as in the propositions, Ihaue drawen in the Linearie examples many tymes more lynes, than be spoken of in the explication of them, whiche is doone to this intent, that yf any manne lyst to learne the demonstrations by harte, (as somme [a.iii.v] learned men haue iudged beste to doo) those same men should find the Linearye exaumples to serue for this purpose, and to wante no thyng needefull to the iuste proofe, whereby this booke may bee wel approued to be more complete then many men wolde suppose it. And thus for this tyme I wyll make an ende without any larger declaration of the commoditiees of this arte, or any farther answeryng to that may bee obiected agaynst my handelyng of it, wyllyng them that myslike it, not to medle with it: and vnto those that will not disdaine the studie of it, Ipromise all suche aide as I shall be able to shewe for their farther procedyng both in the same, and in all other commoditees that thereof maie ensue. And for their incouragement I haue here annexed the names and brefe argumentes of suche bookes, as I intende (God willyng) shortly to sette forth, if I shall perceaue that my paynes maie profyte other, as my desyre is. The seconde part of Arithmetike, teachyng the workyng by fractions, with extraction of rootes both square and cubike: And declaryng the rule of allegation, with sundrye plesaunt exaumples in metalles and other thynges. Also the rule of false position, with dyuers examples not onely vulgar, but some appertaynyng to the rule of Algeber, applied vnto quantitees partly rationall, and partly surde. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 33093
Author: Record, Robert
Release Date: Jul 5, 2010
Format: eBook
Language: English