_The .liij. Theoreme._ If a pointe bee marked without a circle, and from it diuerse lines drawen crosse the circle, to the circumference on the other side, so that one of them passe by the centre, then that line whiche passeth by the centre shall be the loongest of them all that crosse the circle. And of the other lines those are longest, that be nexte vnto it that passeth by the centre. And those ar shortest, that be farthest distant from it. But among those partes of those lines, whiche ende in the outewarde circumference, that is most shortest, whiche is parte of the line that passeth by the centre, and amongeste the othere eche, of thẽ, the nerer they are vnto it, the shorter they are, and the farther from it, the longer they be. And amongest them all there can not be more then .ij. of any one lẽgth, and they two muste be on the two contrarie sides of the shortest line. _Example._ [Illustration] Take the circle to be A.B.C, and the point assigned without it to be D. Now say I, that if there be drawen sundrie lines from D, and crosse the circle, endyng in the circumference on the cõtrary side, as here you see, D.A, D.E, D.F, and D.B, then of all these lines the longest must needes be D.A, which goeth by the centre of the circle, and the nexte vnto it, that is D.E, is the longest amongest the rest. And contrarie waies, D.B, is the shorteste, because it is farthest distaunt from D.A. And so maie you iudge of D.F, because it is nerer vnto D.A, then is D.B, therefore is it longer then D.B. And likewaies because it is farther of from D.A, then is D.E, therfore is it shorter then D.E. Now for those partes of the lines whiche bee withoute the circle (as you see) D.C, is the shortest. because it is the parte of that line which passeth by the centre, And D.K, is next to it in distance, and therefore also in shortnes, so D.G, is farthest from it in distance, and therfore is the longest of them. Now D.H, beyng nerer then D.G, is also shorter then it, and beynge farther of, then D.K, is longer then it. So that for this parte of the theoreme (as I think) you do plainly perceaue the truthe thereof, so the residue hathe no difficulte. For seing that the nearer any line is to D.C, (which ioyneth with the diameter) the shorter it is and the farther of from it, the longer it is. And seyng two lynes can not be of like distaunce beinge bothe on one side, therefore if they shal be of one lengthe, and consequently of one distaunce, they must needes bee on contrary sides of the saide line D.C. And so appeareth the meaning of the whole Theoreme.