PREFACE.

While I was engaged in these matters, Halm Karl Felix Halm (1809–1882), mentioned on the previous page as Friedlein's mentor. asked me whether I would be willing to undertake the necessary labor to edit the mathematical works of Boethius. He did not merely challenge me—who was already willing—but also assisted me by sending the very best manuscripts codices A "codex" is a manuscript book, as opposed to a scroll. In 19th-century philology, comparing different codices was essential to reconstruct an original text. he could find. I used, therefore, the most excellent manuscripts preserved at Munich original: "Monachii", to which were added the Bamberg original: "Bambergenses" manuscripts of no less importance, and a book from Erlangen original: "Erlangensis" which is equaled only by one other manuscript from Chartres original: "Carnutensis". For this, I must express my greatest thanks to Halm himself and to those most refined and kind gentlemen: Föringer and Thomas in Munich, Stenglein in Bamberg, and Autenrieth in Erlangen. Outstanding service was also rendered to me by Prince Boncompagni Prince Baldassarre Boncompagni (1821–1894) was a wealthy Italian historian of mathematics who funded massive bibliographic projects and shared his private library with scholars.. Through his immense liberality, which is worthy of my highest praise, it was made possible for me not only to use the manuscripts in his own collection and those found in other Roman libraries, but also to be kept informed about the manuscripts guarded at Naples, Florence, and Verona.

Equipped in this way, I dared to approach the task, perhaps reflecting too little on "what my shoulders could bear" This is a classical allusion to Horace’s Ars Poetica, advising writers to choose a subject equal to their strength.. However, I did not want to miss the opportunity to exert my strength. I have now completed what I set out to do. Both works of Boethius—the one he composed on arithmetic and the one on music—were most recently published among us at Basel in the year 1570. Nearly three centuries later, I now bring them forth again, with the addition of the short work on geometry. Concerning these, a few points should be noted.

I have taken the title of the second work of Boethius from the fourth chapter of Book I of The Fundamentals of Music original: "de inst. mus." (De institutione musica) (page 192, verse 19):
in the books which we have written concerning the fundamentals of arithmetic, original: "in libris, quos de arithmetica institutione conscripsimus,"