TO THE READER.

The author continues, adding:

"It would be desirable for one to visit with care the libraries that may conceal these precious remains of antiquity. If the sciences, in the state they are in today, have nothing to gain from them, the history of astronomy would certainly find many useful pieces of information there."

Montucla Jean-Étienne Montucla, author of Histoire des mathématiques speaks thus of the astronomical part of Theon’s work:

"It is regrettable that no one has ever thought of publishing this part, which would likely instruct us in many curious facts. Moreover, since Theon was an observer (we shall show this to be false, or at least highly doubtful), perhaps one might find in it various observations useful to modern astronomy."

Our current edition will prove that of Montucla’s hopes, while not both were fulfilled, the former was certainly true.

Ideler Christian Ludwig Ideler, German astronomer and chronologist speaks of the same subject as follows:

"According to Bullialdus, Theon of Smyrna also said similar things in his Astronomy to those of Simplicius regarding the theory of spheres. It is to be regretted that this writing has not yet been printed, and that the work of Eudemus has been lost."

It is truly strange that a work held in such high regard by learned men should be so little known, specifically that Milanese codex,