Page:The Construction of the Wonderful Canon of Logarithms.djvu/111

NOTES. 87 silence, For I await the judgement and criticism of the learned on this before unadvisedly publishing the others and exposing them to the detraction of the envious.

It has now, therefore, been sufficiently shown that there are Logarithms, what they are, and of what use they are: for by their help without the trouble of multiplication, division, or extraction of roots we have both demonstrated clearly and shown by examples in both kinds of Trigonometry that the arithmetical solution of every Geometrical question may be very readily obtained. Thus you have, as promised, the wonderful Canon of Logarithms with its very full application, and should I understand by your communications that this is likely to please the more learned of you, I may be encouraged also to publish the method of constructing the table. Meanwhile profit by this little work, and render all praise and glory to God the chief among workers and the helper of all good works.

Since the calculation of this table, which ought to have been accomplished by the labour and assistance of many computors, has been completed by the strength and industry of one alone, it will not be surprising if many errors have crept into it, These, therefore, whether arising from weariness on the part of the computor or carelessness on the part of the printer, let the reader kindly pardon, for at one time weak health, at another attention to more important affairs, hindered me from devoting to them the needful care, But if I perceive that this invention is likely to find favour with the learned, I will perhaps in a short time (with God’s help) give the theory and method either of improving the canon as it stands, or of computing it anew in an improved form, so that by the assistance of a greater number of computors it may ultimately appear in a more polished and accurate shape than was possible by the work of a single individual.

Nothing is perfect at birth.

Bvt because the addition and subtraction of these former numbers [logs. of $$\scriptstyle\frac{1}{10}$$ and its powers] may seeme somewhat painfull, I intend (if it shall please God