Page:The Whetstone of Witte.djvu/81

 more odiouse, for the newe inuention (as thei maie thinke) then nede full to the practise of thearte: yet shal you see in theim a naturall sequele, and orderly propagation.

For all those nombers are considered, in one of. 2. formes firste. That is to saie, other thei bee taken as nombers absolute, without any cōsideration of multiplication. And so thei maie be named nombers onely, without name of relation. Or els thei bee considered as nombers multiplied, and that can be but in. 3. varieties.

If thei be multiplied but ones, then doe thei make a line of nombers, or a liniarie nomber. And that nōber hath onely lengthe, without bredthe, or depthe: And therfore maie be the roote to a Square, or a Cube. But is of it self, in that consideration, nother Square nor Cube.

Secondarily, it maie bee multiplied twise, the one nomber stādyng for the lengthe, and the other for the bredthe: and so is it a Square nomber, and therfore a flat nomber.

Thirdly, it maie bee multiplied thrise, and therby gette lengthe, bredthe, and depthe: wherby it is made a sounde nomber. And bicause the sides bee equalle, it is specially a Cube or Cubike nomber.

Now can there be no fowerth waie, that any multiplication maie increase: for there are no more dimētions in nature.

But if any manne doe multiple the fourthe tyme, then must he accoumpte that he maketh a line of Cubes and the fifth multiplication maketh a Square, in whiche euery vnitie is a Cube: So the sixte multiplication maketh a Cube of cubes, accoumptyng euery lesser Cube for an vnitie. And there is a staie again.

Wherfore if any man multiplie the seuenth time, he retourneth againe to the firste nature of nombers