+A Treatise on the Numeration of Algorism.+
[_From a MS. of the 14th Century._]
To alle suche even nombrys the most have cifrys as to ten. twenty.
thirtty. an hundred. an thousand and suche other. but ye schal
vnderstonde that a cifre tokeneth nothinge but he maketh other the more
significatyf that comith after hym. Also ye schal vnderstonde that in
nombrys composyt and in alle other nombrys that ben of diverse figurys
ye schal begynne in the ritht syde and to rekene backwarde and so he
schal be wryte as thus--1000. the sifre in the ritht side was first
wryte and yit he tokeneth nothinge to the secunde no the thridde but
thei maken that figure of 1 the more signyficatyf that comith after hem
by as moche as he born oute of his first place where he schuld yf he
stode ther tokene but one. And there he stondith nowe in the ferye place
he tokeneth a thousand as by this rewle. In the first place he tokeneth
but hymself. In the secunde place he tokeneth ten times hymself. In the
thridde place he tokeneth an hundred tymes himself. In the ferye he
tokeneth a thousand tymes himself. In the fyftye place he tokeneth ten
thousand tymes himself. In the sexte place he tokeneth an hundred
thousand tymes hymself. In the seveth place he tokeneth ten hundred
thousand tymes hymself, &c. And ye schal vnderstond that this worde
nombre is partyd into thre partyes. Somme is callyd nombre of digitys
for alle ben digitys that ben withine ten as ix, viii, vii, vi, v, iv,
iii, ii, i. Articules ben alle thei that mow be devyded into nombrys of
ten as xx, xxx, xl, and suche other. Composittys be alle nombrys that
ben componyd of a digyt and of an articule as fourtene fyftene thrittene
and suche other. Fourtene is componyd of four that is a digyt and of ten
that is an articule. Fyftene is componyd of fyve that is a digyt and of
ten that is an articule and so of others . . . . . . But as to this
rewle. In the firste place he tokeneth but himself that is to say he
tokeneth but that and no more. If that he stonde in the secunde place he
tokeneth ten tymes himself as this figure 2 here 21. this is oon and
twenty. This figure 2 stondith in the secunde place and therfor he
tokeneth ten tymes himself and ten tymes 2 is twenty and so forye of
every figure and he stonde after another toward the lest syde he schal
tokene ten tymes as moche more as he schuld token and he stode in that
place ther that the figure afore him stondeth: lo an example as thus
9634. This figure of foure that hath this schape 4 tokeneth but himself
for he stondeth in the first place. The figure of thre that hath this
schape 3 tokeneth ten tyme himself for he stondeth in the secunde place
and that is thritti. The figure of sexe that hath this schape 6 tokeneth
ten tyme more than he schuld and he stode in the place yer the figure of
thre stondeth for ther he schuld tokene but sexty. And now he tokeneth
ten tymes that is sexe hundrid. The figure of nyne that hath this schape
9 tokeneth ten tymes more than he schulde and he stode in the place ther
the figure of 6 stondeth inne for thanne he schuld tokene but nyne
hundryd. And in the place that he stondeth inne nowe he tokeneth nine
thousand. Alle the hole nombre of these foure figurys. Nine thousand
sexe hundrid and foure and thritti.