To alle suche even nombrys the most have cifrys as to ten. twenty. thirtty. an hundred. an thousand and suche other. but ye schal vnderstonde that a cifre tokeneth nothinge but he maketh other the more significatyf that comith after hym. Also ye schal vnderstonde that in nombrys composyt and in alle other nombrys that ben of diverse figurys ye schal begynne in the ritht syde and to rekene backwarde and so he schal be wryte as thus—1000. the sifre in the ritht side was first wryte and yit he tokeneth nothinge to the secunde no the thridde but thei maken that figure of 1 the more signyficatyf that comith after hem by as moche as he born oute of his first place where he schuld yf he stode ther tokene but one. And there he stondith nowe in the [ferye] place he tokeneth a thousand as by this rewle. In the first place he tokeneth but hymself. In the secunde place he tokeneth ten times hymself. In the thridde place he tokeneth an hundred tymes himself. In the ferye he tokeneth a thousand tymes himself. In the [fyftye] place he tokeneth ten thousand tymes himself. In the sexte place he tokeneth an hundred thousand tymes hymself. In the seveth place he tokeneth ten hundred thousand tymes hymself, &c. And ye schal vnderstond that this worde nombre is partyd into thre partyes. Somme is callyd nombre of digitys for alle ben digitys that ben withine ten as ix, viii, vii, vi, v, iv, iii, ii, i. Articules ben alle thei that mow be devyded into nombrys of ten as xx, xxx, xl, and suche other. Composittys be alle nombrys that ben componyd of a digyt and of an articule as fourtene fyftene thrittene and suche other. Fourtene is componyd of four that is a digyt and of ten that is an articule. Fyftene is componyd of fyve that is a digyt and of ten that is an articule and so of others . . . . . . But as to this rewle. In the firste place he tokeneth but himself that is to say he tokeneth but that and no more. If that he stonde in the secunde place he tokeneth ten tymes himself as this figure 2 here 21. this is oon and twenty. This figure 2 stondith in the secunde place and therfor he tokeneth ten tymes himself and ten tymes 2 is twenty and so [forye] of every figure and he stonde after another toward the [lest] syde he schal tokene ten tymes as moche more as he schuld token and he stode in that place ther that the figure afore him stondeth: lo an example as thus 9634. This figure of foure that hath this schape 4 tokeneth but himself for he stondeth in the first place. The figure of thre that hath this schape 3 tokeneth ten tyme himself for he stondeth in the secunde place and that is thritti. The figure of sexe that hath this schape 6 tokeneth ten tyme more than he schuld and he stode in the place yer the figure of thre stondeth for ther he schuld tokene but sexty. And now he tokeneth ten tymes that is sexe hundrid. The figure of nyne that hath this schape 9 tokeneth ten tymes more than he schulde and he stode in the place ther the figure of 6 stondeth inne for thanne he schuld tokene but nyne hundryd. And in the place that he stondeth inne nowe he tokeneth nine thousand. Alle the hole nombre of these foure figurys. Nine thousand sexe hundrid and foure and thritti.
[APPENDIX II.]
[From a B.M. MS., 8 C. iv., with additions from 12 E. 1 & Eg. 2622.]
Hec algorismus ars presens dicitur[1]; in qua
Talibus Indorum[2] fruimur his quinque figuris.
0. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
Prima significat unum: duo vero secunda:
Tercia significat tria: sic procede sinistre