The Complete Works of Archimedes, Vol. 2

The Paris codices 2360 (B) and 2361 (C) were copied from the ancient codex of Valla, as I demonstrated in Quaest. Arch. p. 124 ff., and I shall summarize the reasons in this place. In the Paris codex B, at the end of fol. 120, the scribe noted this:

"These were copied from that most ancient exemplar which, having formerly been the property of Giorgio Valla, later became the property of that most illustrious prince Alberto Pio of Carpi. That exemplar, as we have said, was most ancient and possessed the greatest and immeasurable lack of clarity due to errors, so that countless passages could not be clarified in any way. And concerning the transcriptions, with many other errors existing, these underlying signs were the most frequent—that is, X instead of K and vice versa, Θ instead of B and vice versa, H instead of N and vice versa, A instead of Λ and vice versa, Z instead of Ξ and vice versa.

There were also in the same exemplar certain peculiar signs for the sake of brevity in writing, such as these: ω^π for περ. ῀ for οις; for example, τ^῀ for τοῖς. ^ς for ης; for example, ἑ^῀ for τῆς. ῑ^῀ for καὶ; otherwise ς for και. ἣ^ι for ἴσαι; ἣ^ο for ἴσος; ἣ^ν for ἴσον, and others likewise. ἣ^ς for ἴσας; ἣ^ι for ἴσον.
◠ for ων; for example, τ^῀ for τῶν. ζ for ουν. ˙/. for εστιν. ϑ for εσται; ϑ ϑ for εσται.
∫ for αι; for example, ῑ^῀ for καὶ; φερεσϑ^αι for φερεσϑαι. ˙//. for εισιν. ˙. for ειναι; or thus ᵪ for ειναι. Λ for ιν and ην; as: ἔχουσῑ^῀ for ἔχουσιν; and τ̅ for τὴν. ᾿ for ον; as ῑ^῀ for τον. u for ως; for example, π^῀ for πως. ∠ for αν; μου^σ^ for μοῦσαν; ./ for ας; ἔ^ for τας; ° for ος; for example, ου^ for οὗτος. ˘ for ου; for example, τ^῀ for του. But most frequent of all were these: Σ for προς; Σκείσϑωσαν for προσκείσϑωσαν. ౪ for οὕτως; γ^† for γὰρ, γ^≠ for γίνεται. ε for αρα. ω for εστω; and ω^῀ for ἔστωσαν. δ^ for ὅτι; δ^ for ὅτι; δ^ for ὅτι. The whole thing happened to be without accents except in a few cases for the sake of distinction."

Thus, codex B was copied from Valla's codex. Furthermore, in codex C, we find this short preface of Georges d'Armagnac:

"Let it not offend you, studious reader, that this Author..."