Page:Ante-Nicene Christian Library Vol 6.djvu/92

86 ing to the numbers, no doubt, Ajax is victorious, but history hands down the name of Ulysses as the conqueror. Achilles and Hector [may be adduced as examples], Achilles, according to the rule of the number nine, makes four monads; Hector one: Achilles gains the victory. Again, Achilles and Asteropæus [are instances]. Achilles makes four monads, Asteropæus three: Achilles conquers. Again, Menelaus and Euphorbus [may be adduced as examples]. Menelaus has nine monads, Euphorbus eight: Menelaus gains the victory.

Some, however, according to the rule of the number seven, employ the vowels only, but others distinguish by themselves the vowels, and by themselves the semi-vowels, and by themselves the mutes; and, having formed three orders, they take the roots by themselves of the vowels, and by themselves of the semi-vowels, and by themselves of the mutes, and they compare each apart. Others, however, do not employ even these customary numbers, but different ones: for instance, as an example, they do not wish to allow that the letter p has as a root 8 monads, but 5, and that the [letter] x [si] has as a root four monads; and turning in every direction, they discover nothing sound. When, however, they contend about the second [letter], from each name they take away the first letter; but when they contend about the third [letter], they take away two letters of each name, and calculating the rest, compare them.

I think that there has been clearly expounded the mind of arithmeticians, who, by means of numbers and of names, suppose that they interpret life. Now I perceive that these, enjoying leisure, and being trained in calculation, have been desirous that, through the art delivered to them from childhood, they, acquiring celebrity, should be styled prophets.