Produced by Louise Hope, Jon Ingram, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. [Transcriber’s Note: This e-text includes characters that require UTF-8 (Unicode) file encoding: ã ẽ ĩ õ ũ (vowels with overline, shown here as tilde) ἐίπερ γὰρ ἀδικεῖμ χρὴ (Greek, mainly in the Introduction) If any of these characters do not display properly--in particular, if the diacritic does not appear directly above the letter--or if the apostrophes and quotation marks in this paragraph appear as garbage, make sure your text reader’s “character set” or “file encoding” is set to Unicode (UTF-8). You may also need to change the default font. As a last resort, use the ASCII version of the file instead. Unless otherwise noted, spelling, punctuation and capitalization are unchanged. Details are given at the end of the e-text, along with transliterations of all Greek words and phrases. Superscripts are shown with a caret ^, adding {braces} where necessary for clarity. _Terminology:_ right line = straight line gemow (line) = parallel [gemew = twin] square = quadrilateral (also spelled squire, squyre) also = angle square as described under hexagons (“siseangles”) likeiamme = parallelogram [iam(me) = jamb = limb, side] longsquare = rectangle touch line = tangent cantle = segment of a circle [cantle = slice] ] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The pathway to KNOWLEDG, CONTAI- NING THE FIRST PRIN- ciples of Geometrie, as they may moste aptly be applied vn- to practice, bothe for vse of instrumentes Geome- tricall, and astrono- micall and also for proiection of plattes in euerye kinde, and therfore much ne- cessary for all sortes of men. Geometries verdicte All fresshe fine wittes by me are filed, All grosse dull wittes wishe me exiled: Thoughe no mannes witte reiect will I, Yet as they be, I wyll them trye. The argumentes of the foure bookes The first booke declareth the definitions of the termes and names vsed in Geometry, with certaine of the chiefe grounds whereon the arte is founded. And then teacheth those conclusions, which may serue diuersely in al workes Geometricall. The second booke doth sette forth the Theoremes, (whiche maye be called approued truthes) seruinge for the due knowledge and sure proofe of all conclusions and workes in Geometrye. The third booke intreateth of diuers formes, and sondry protractions thereto belonging, with the vse of certain conclusions. The fourth booke teacheth the right order of measuringe all platte formes, and bodies also, by reson Geometricall. TO THE GENTLE READER.