Page:The Whetstone of Witte.djvu/10

 manne, yea and the noble substaunce of the soule. Of whiche thei professe to knowe no moare, then thei cā by the benifite of nomber attaine. Furthermore, for knowledge and certaintie in any other thynge, that mannes witte can reche vnto, there is noe possibilitie without nomber. It is confessed amongeste all men, that knowe what learnyng meaneth, that beside the Mathematicalle artes, there is noe vnfallible knoweledge, excepte it bee borowed of them. And emongeste them, it is sufficiently knowen, and well declared by Nicomachus, and diuerse other writers, that Arithmetike is the fountaine of all the other, and their ground and bonde, as he calleth it. If any man will saie, that Diuinitie, Lawe, and Physike, maie be had without it: or that thei take litle aide therby. Although I haue before this tyme aunswered thereto, yet not I saie again:

that in Diuinitie there are greate hidde secretes in nombers. So that diuerse excellente Diuines, haue written whole Bookes of the misteries of nombers. And some of their Bookes intituled: The Diuinitie of Nombers. But what Christen manne is ignoraunte, that betwene Trinitie and vnitie, doeth consiste the full grounde of al Diuninitie. Wherefore I neade not to allege the other hollie and sacred Nombers. Saue that .7. will not permitte me to passe it with silence. In whiche is contained, not onely the secretes of the creation of all thynges: and the consummation of the whole worlde againe, with the state of eternitie: But also by it is the Sabbothes reste, and therby the full life and conuersation of godlie persones, represented and insinuate.

In Lawe twoe kyndes of Iustice are the sommeof the studie: Iustice Distributiue, and Iustice Commutatiue, whiche termes I use, as beste knowen in that arte: But what is any of thē bothe without Nomber? I haue said in an other place (as I learned of that noble Philosopher Aristotell)