Page:The Construction of the Wonderful Canon of Logarithms.djvu/108



spelling in ordinary use at the present time is Napier. The older spellings are various—for example, Napeir, Nepair, Nepeir, Neper, Nepper, Naper, Napare, Naipper. Several of these spellings are known to have been used by our author.

I adopt the modern spelling, which is that used by his biographers, and also in the 1645 edition of ‘A Plaine Discovery.’

If, however, the claim of present usage be set aside, a strong case might be made out for Napeir, as this was the spelling adopted in ‘A Plaine Discovery,’ the only book published by Napier in English. In this work is a letter signed “John Napeir” dedicating the book to James VI., and as this letter is a solemn address to the King, we may infer that the signature would be in the most approved form. The work was first issued in 1593, and the same spelling was retained in the subsequent editions during the author's lifetime, as well as in the French editions which were revised by him. In the 1645 edition, as mentioned above, the modern spelling was introduced.

The form Nepair is used in Wright’s translation of the Descriptio, published in 1616, but too much stress must not be laid on this, as very slight importance was attached to the spelling of names; thus although Briggs contributed a preface, his name is spelt in three different ways,—Brigs, Brigges, and Briggs.

In the works published in Latin the form Neperus is invariably used. On