"This Problem is usually propounded in this manner, viz. fifteen _Christians_ and fifteen _Turks_ being at Sea in one and the same Ship in a terrible Storm, & the Pilot declaring a necessity of casting the one half of those Persons into the Sea, that the rest might be saved; they all agreed that the persons to be cast away should be set out by lot after this manner, viz. the thirty persons should be placed in a round form like a _Ring_, and then beginning to count at one of the Passengers, and proceeding circularly, every ninth person should be cast into the Sea, until of the thirty persons there remained only fifteen. The question is, how those thirty persons ought to be placed, that the lot might infallibly fall upon the fifteen _Turks_ & not upon any of the fifteen _Christians_? For the more easie remembering of the rule to resolve this question shall presuppose the five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, to signifie five numbers to wit, (a) one, (e) two, (i) three, (o) four, and (u) five; then will the rule it self be briefly comprehended in these two following verses:-- From numbers, aid and art Never will fame depart. In which verses you are principally to observe the vowels, with their correspondent numbers before assigned, and then beginning with the _Christians_ the vowel _o_ (in _from_) signifieth that four _Christians_ are to be placed together; next unto them, the vowel _u_ (in _num_) signifieth that five _Turks_ are to be placed. In like manner _e_ (in _bers_) denoteth 2 _Christians_, _a_ (in _aid_) 1 _Turk_, _i_ (in _aid_) 3 _Christians_, _a_ (in _and_) 1 _Turk_, _a_ (in _art_) 1 _Christian_, _e_ (in _ne_) 2 _Turks_, _e_ (in _ver_) 2 _Christians_, _i_ (in _will_) 3 _Turks_, _a_ (in _fame_) 1 _Christian_, _e_ (in _fame_) 2 _Turks_, _e_ (in _de_) 2 _Christians_, _a_ (in _part_) 1 _Turk_. "The invention of the said Rule and such like, dependeth upon the subsequent demonstration, viz. if the number of persons be thirty, let thirty figures or cyphers be placed circularly or else in a right line as you see:-- ooooooooooooooo." I trust the little Winslows and their neighbors understood this sum, and its explanation, and that the Christians were all saved, and the Turks were all drowned.