8. "Eight," like "six," has changed but little. In medieval times there are a few variants of interest as follows:[[601]]
In the sixteenth century, however, there was manifested a tendency to write it
9. "Nine" has not varied as much as most of the others. Among the medieval forms are the following:[[603]]
0. The shape of the zero also had a varied history. The following are common medieval forms:[[604]]
The explanation of the place value was a serious matter to most of the early writers. If they had been using an abacus constructed like the Russian chotü, and had placed this before all learners of the positional system, there would have been little trouble. But the medieval