[ The firste common sentence.]
What so euer things be equal to one other thinge, those same bee equall betwene them selues.
Examples therof you may take both in greatnes and also in numbre. First (though it pertaine not proprely to geometry, but to helpe the vnderstandinge of the rules, whiche may bee wrought by bothe artes) thus may you perceaue. If the summe of monnye in my purse, and the mony in your purse be equall eche of them to the mony that any other man hathe, then must needes your mony and mine be equall togyther. Likewise, if anye ij. quantities, as A. and B, be equal to an other, as vnto C, then muste nedes A. and B. be equall eche to other, as A. equall to B, and B. equall to A, whiche thinge the better to perceaue, tourne these quantities into numbre, so shall A. and B. make sixteene, and C. as many. As you may perceaue by multipliyng the numbre of their sides togither.
[ The seconde common sentence.]
And if you adde equall portions to thinges that be equall, what so amounteth of them
shall be equall.
Example, Yf you and I haue like summes of mony, and then receaue eche of vs like summes more, then our summes wil be like styll. Also if A. and B. (as in the former example) bee equall, then by adding an equal portion to them both, as to ech of them, the quarter of A. (that is foure) they will be equall still.