PREFACE.

From this source, it seems likely that the title was also derived, as it is read in the Bamberg manuscript original: "codice Bamb." referring to a manuscript held in Bamberg. HI. N. 13 (d) before the index of titles for Book II of the Principles of Arithmetic inst. arithm. Abbreviation for "De Institutione Arithmetica," Boethius's influential textbook on the properties of numbers. (p. 72, line 9, variant reading). Nor does it seem to me an objection that Boethius, in the fortieth chapter of Book II of the Principles of Arithmetic (p. 137, line 7), says that he is finishing his "arithmetic introduction."

I believed that the title of the other work is made clear both by the tenth chapter of Book III of the Principles of Music inst. mus. Abbreviation for "De Institutione Musica," the standard music theory textbook of the Middle Ages. (p. 283, line 9): that which we have begun in the principles of music original: "id, quod institutione musicae adorsi sumus", as well as by the sixteenth chapter of the same Book III (p. 300, line 2): what remains for the principles of music original: "quod superest musicae institutioni" and the seventh chapter of Book V (p. 358, line 2): those things which we arranged in the second book of this institution and further below (line 9) must be sought from the second and fourth books of this musical institution. From these, the phrasing used by those who fashioned the titles and composed their indexes seems to have arisen, such as (for example, p. 225, line 16) A book on music, that is, the harmonic institution.

As for those books which Boethius is said to have written on geometry, to investigate their true title would be nothing other than a waste of effort and time. It is already established among learned men that those books—which many manuscripts provide in addition to the two found in the most excellent Erlangen and Chartres original: "Carnutensi" manuscripts—are by no means to be attributed to Boethius⁵). Indeed, I do not even contend that these two books themselves were composed by Boethius, as Cantor Moritz Cantor (1829–1920), a German historian of mathematics who was a contemporary of Friedlein. in particular argues against it. The matter is still before the judge original: "Sub iudice adhuc lis est," a Latin legal idiom meaning the dispute is still undecided., which...

⁵) Cantor, Mathematical Contributions original: "Mathem. Beiträge". pp. 196 — 197.