56, awarded a
silver medal of the first class to M. Joseph Lacomme for his discovery of
the true ratio of diameter to circumference in a circle. He subsequently
received three other medals from other societies. While writing this I have
his likeness before me, with his medals on his breast, which stands as a
frontispiece to a short biography of this extraordinary man, for which I am
indebted to the gentleman who did me the honor to publish a French
translation of the pamphlet I distributed at the meeting of the British
Association for the Advancement of Science, at Oxford, in
1860."--_Correspondent_, May 3, 1866.

My inquiries show that the story of the medals is not incredible. There are
at Paris little private societies which have not so much claim to be
exponents of scientific opinion as our own Mechanics' Institutes. Some of
them were intended to give a false lustre: as the "Institut Historique,"
the members of which are "Membre de l'Institut Historique." That M. Lacomme
should have got four medals from societies of this class is very possible:
that he should have received one from any society at Paris which has the
least claim to give one is as yet simply incredible.

NICOLAUS OF CUSA'S ATTEMPT.

Nicolai de Cusa Opera Omnia. Venice, 1514. 3 vols. folio.

The real title is "Haec accurata recognitio trium voluminum operum clariss.
P. Nicolai Cusae ... proxime sequens pagina monstrat."[44] Cardinal Cusa,
who died in 1464, is one of the earliest modern attempters. His quadrature
is found in the second volume, and is now quite unreadable.

{48} In these early days every quadrator found a geometrical opponent, who
finished him. Regimontanus[45] did this office for the Cardinal.

HENRY CORNELIUS AGRIPPA.

De Occulta Philosophia libri III. By Henry Cornelius Agrippa. Lyons,
1550, 8vo.

De incertitudine et vanitate scientiarum. By the same. Cologne, 1531,
8vo.

The first editions of these works were of 1530, as well as I can make out;
but the first was in progress in 1510.[46] In the second work Agrippa
repents of having wasted time on the magic of the first; but all those who
actually deal with demons are destined to eternal fire with Jamnes and
Mambres and Simon Magus. This means, as is the fact, that his occult
philosophy did not actually enter upon _black_ magic, but confined itself
to the power of the stars, of numbers, etc. The fourth book, which appeared
after the death of Agripp