And 6 by the weddynge fynger only crooked: and this you may marke in
these a certayne order. But now 7, 8, and 9, are expressed w{i}t{h} the
bowynge of the same fyngers as are 1, 2, and 3, but after an other
fourme.
[Sidenote: 7]
For 7 is declared by the bowynge of the lytell fynger, as is 1, saue
that for 1 the fynger is clasped in, harde {and} [*135a] rounde, but for
to expresse 7, you shall bowe the myddle ioynte of the lytell fynger
only, and holde the other ioyntes streyght.
_S._ Yf you wyll geue me leue to expresse it after my rude maner, thus I
vnderstand your meanyng: that 1 is expressed by crookynge in the lyttell
fynger lyke the head of a bysshoppes bagle: and 7 is declared by the
same fynger bowed lyke a gybbet.
_M._ So I perceaue, you vnderstande it.
[Sidenote: 8]
Then to expresse 8, you shall bowe after the same maner both the lyttell
fynger and the rynge fynger.
[Sidenote: 9, 10]
And yf you bowe lyke wayes with them the myddle fynger, then doth it
betoken 9.
Now to expresse 10, you shall bowe your fore fynger rounde, and set the
ende of it on the hyghest ioynte of the thombe.
[Sidenote: 20]
And for to expresse 20, you must set your fyngers streyght, and the ende
of your thombe to the partitio{n} of the [*135b] fore moste and myddle
fynger.
[Sidenote: 30]
30 is represented by the ioynynge together of y^e headdes of the
foremost fynger and the thombe.
[Sidenote: 40]
40 is declared by settynge of the thombe crossewayes on the foremost
fynger.
[Sidenote: 50]
50 is signified by ryght stretchyng forth of the fyngers ioyntly, and
applyenge of the thombes ende to the partition of the myddle fynger
{and} the rynge fynger, or weddynge fynger.
[Sidenote: 60]
60 is formed by bendynge of the thombe croked and crossynge it with the
fore fynger.
[Sidenote: 70]
70 is expressed by the bowynge of the foremost fynger, and settynge the
ende of the thombe between the 2 foremost or hyghest ioyntes of it.
[Sidenote: 80]
80 is expressed by settynge of the foremost fynger crossewayes on the
thombe, so that 80 dyffereth thus fro{m} 40, that for 80 the forefynger
is set crosse on the thombe, and for 40 the thombe is set crosse ouer
y^e forefinger.
[Sidenote: 90]
[*136a] 90 is signified, by bendynge the fore fynger, and settyng the
ende of it in the innermost ioynte of y^e thombe, that is euen at the
foote of it. And thus are all the no{m}bers ended vnder 100.
[Sidenote: 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 23]
_S._ In dede these be all the nombers fro{m} 1 to 10, {and} then all the
tenthes within 100, but this teacyed me not how to expresse 11, 12, 13,
{et}c. 21, 22, 23, {et}c. and such lyke.
_M._ You can lytell vnderstande, yf you can not do that without
teachynge: what is 11? is it not 10 and 1? then expresse 10 as you were
taught, and 1 also, and that is 11: and for 12 expresse 10 and 2: for 23
set 20 and 3: and so for 68 you muste make 60 and there to 8: and so of
all other sortes.
[Sidenote: 100]
But now yf you wolde represente 100 other any nomber aboue it, you muste
do that with the ryghte hande, after this maner. [You must expresse 100
in the ryght hand, with the lytell fynger so bowed as you dyd expresse 1
in the left hand.
[Sidenote: 200]
[*136b] And as you expressed 2 in the lefte hande, the same fasshyon in
the ryght hande doth declare 200.
[Sidenote: 300]
The fourme of 3 in the ryght hand standeth for 300.
[Sidenote: 400]
The fourme of 4, for 400.
[Sidenote: 500]
Lykewayes the fourme of 5, for 500.
[Sidenote: 600]
The fourme of 6, for 600. And to be shorte: loke how you did expresse
single vnities and tenthes in the lefte hande, so must you expresse
vnities {and} tenthes of hundredes, in the ryghte hande.
[Sidenote: 900]
_S._ I vnderstande you thus: that yf I wold represent 900, I must so
fourme the fyngers of my ryghte hande, as I shuld do in my left hand to
expresse 9,
[Sidenote: 1000]
And as in my lefte hand I expressed 10, so in my ryght hande must I
expresse 1000.
And so the fourme of euery tenthe in the lefte hande serueth to expresse
lyke no{m}ber of thousa{n}des,
[Sidenote: 4000]
so y^e fourme of 40 standeth for 4000.
[Sidenote: 8000]
The fourme of 80 for 8000.
[Sidenote: 9000]
[*137a]
And the fourme of 90 (whiche is
the greatest) for 9000, and aboue that
I can not expresse any nomber. _M._
No not with one fynger: how be it,
w{i}t{h} dyuers fyngers you maye expresse
9999, and all at one tyme, and that lac
keth but 1 of 10000. So that vnder
10000 you may by your fyngers ex-
presse any summe. And this shal suf-
fyce for Numeration on the fyngers.
And as for Addition, Subtraction,
Multiplicatio{n}, and Diuision (which
yet were neuer taught by any man as
farre as I do knowe) I wyll enstruct
you after the treatyse of fractions.
And now for this tyme fare well,
and loke that you cease not to
practyse that you haue lear
ned. _S._ Syr, with moste
harty mynde I thanke
you, bothe for your
good learnyng, {and}
also your good
cou{ns}el, which
(god wyllyng) I truste to folow.
Finis.
FOOTNOTES (Accomptynge by counters
_and_ The arte of nombrynge by the hande):
[1: 1342 in original.]
[2: 168 in original.]
[3: Bracket ([) denotes new paragraph in original.]