s
Rheticus, but also Boetius that wittye clarke did set forth some
whole books of Euclide, without any demonstration or any other
declaration at al. But & if I shal hereafter perceaue that it
maie be a thankefull trauaile to sette foorth the propositions
of geometrie with demonstrations, I will not refuse to dooe it,
and that with sundry varietees of demonstrations, bothe
pleasaunt and profitable also. And then will I in like maner
prepare to sette foorth the other bookes, whiche now are lefte
vnprinted, by occasion not so muche of the charges in cuttyng of
the figures, as for other iuste hynderances, whiche I truste
hereafter shall bee remedied. In the meane season if any man
muse why I haue sette the Conclusions beefore the Teoremes,
seynge many of the Theoremes seeme to include the cause of some
of the conclusions, and therfore oughte to haue gone before
them, as the cause goeth before the effecte. Here vnto I saie,
that although the cause doo go beefore the effect in order of
nature, yet in order of teachyng the effect must be fyrst
declared, and than the cause therof shewed, for so that men best
vnderstand things First to lerne that such thinges ar to be
wrought, and secondarily what thei ar, and what thei do import,
and than thirdly what is the cause therof. An other cause why y^t
the theoremes be put after the conclusions is this, whan I wrote
these first connclusions (which was .iiiij. yeres passed)
I thought not then to haue added any theoremes, but next vnto
y^e conclusions to haue taught the order how to haue applied them
to work, for drawing of plottes & such like vses. But afterward
considering the great commoditie y^t thei serue for, and the light
that thei do geue to all sortes of practise geometricall, besyde
other more notable benefites, whiche shall be declared more
specially in a place conuenient, I thoughte beste to geue you
some taste of theym, and the pleasaunt contemplation of suche
geometrical propositions, which might serue diuerselye in other
bookes for the demonstrations and proofes of all Geometricall
woorkes. And in theim, as well as in the propositions, I haue
drawen in the Linearie examples many tymes more lynes, than be
spoken of in the explication of them, whiche is doone to this
intent, that yf any manne lyst to learne the demonstrations by
harte, (as somme learned men haue iudged beste to doo) those
same men should find the Linearye exaumples to serue for this
purpose, and to wante