Page:The Whetstone of Witte.djvu/90

 you shall nede their aied, whiche shall be continually in vse of searchyng for other greater rootes.

Now for greater nombers, this is the order.

1. First set doune the nomber as it is. Then sette a pricke vnder euery odde place, I meane the firste, the thirde, the fifte, the seuenth, and so forthe: and so shall euery price haue. 2. nombers, excepte the laste, whiche some tymes hath but one.

2. Secondarily, marke the nombers that belong vnto the laste pricke, toward the lefte hande: And whether he haue belongyng to it one nomber, or twoo, look what the roote maie be of that nomber, if it bee square. And that roote sette by a croked line, as you place the quotiente in diuision: & cancell all that square nomber, belongyng to that pricke.

3. But and if the nomber belongyng to that pricke, bee not a Square nomber, then take the roote of the greatest square, whiche is contained in it, and place the roote as I saied before. And the square of it shall you abate from the nomber, that belongeth to that laste pricke, and let the rest be set ouer those nombers cancelled, as you doe in diuision. And so haue you ended your worke for that pricke.

Scholar. This moche is easie inough, if I vnderstande you rightly.

Master. Then proue it in a nomber, or twoo. And first worke with this nomber. 5152900.

Scholar. I muste marke euery odde place with a pricke, thus.

$$\underset{\cdot}{5}1\underset{\cdot}{5}2\underset{\cdot}{9}0\underset{\cdot}{0}$$

And here I perceiue that vnto the first pricke, there belongeth 2 Cyphers onely, and to eche of the other. 2. prickes folowyng, there are appointed. 2. figures. But the fourthe pricke hath but one nomber, and that is. 5.

Now according to the second rule, I seke the roote of 5. (for bicause there belongeth no more nombers to