In some cases, however, the "explication," instead of dispelling the
darkness, only renders it more visible, as when, _e.g._, we are told
that "_cathetobasall_ is said of the concordances of loxogonosphericall
moods, in the datas of the perpendicular and the base, for finding out
of the maine quæsitum." "_Inversionall_," we are told, "is said of the
concordances of those moods which agree in the manner of their
inversion; that is, in placing the second and fourth termes of the
analogy, together with their indowments, in the roomes of the first and
third, and contrariwise." Probably only those who are able to follow the
statement that "_oppoverticall_ is said of those moods which have a
catheteuretick concordance in their datas of the same cathetopposites
and verticall angles," will be qualified to give an intelligent assent
to the statement that "_sindiforall_ is said of those moods the fourth
terme of whose analogie is onely illatitious to the maine
quæsitum."[166]
Besides the Epistle of Dedication to the author's mother, there are two
Epistles and some Latin verses addressed to the reader. The former of
these last-mentioned Epistles is signed by Sir Thomas, and consists of a
glowing tribute of respect to Napier, the inventor of logarithms. "To
write of Trigonometry," he says, "and not make mention of the
illustrious Lord Neper[167] of Marchiston, the inventer of Logarithms,
were to be unmindfull of him that is our daily benefactor; these
artificiall numbers by him first excogitated and perfected, being of
such incomparable use,[168] that by them we may operate more in one day,
and with lesse danger of errour, then [than] can be done without them in
the space of a whole week; a secret which would have beene so precious
to antiquity that Pythagoras, all the seven wise men of Greece,
Archimedes, Socrates, Plato, Euclid, and Aristotle, had, if coævals,
joyntly adored him, and unanimously concurred to the deifying of the
revealer of so great a mystery." He concludes with the splendid sentence
that Napier's "immortall fame, in spite of time, will out-last all ages,
and look eternity in the face."[169]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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