Additional Remarks on Ihe

among the papers of his friend and executor Dr. Lort, has proved they were not difcovered by Gerbert, nor ufed in Spain, nor intro- duced before the time of bifhop Grofletefte, who died in 1353, af- ter John Bafmg, the archdeacon of Leicefter brought them from Greece between 1235 and i24o[Vj." The paffage in Matt. Paris's hiftory, cited by Mr. North, with his comment, ought to have a fuller inquiry, becaufe, from a mif- interpretation of it, he feems to have attributed to the archdeacon of Leicefter the introduction of Arabic numerals into England. It is as follows. " Hie magifter Johannes figuras Grseeorum numerales et earum notitiam et fignificationes in Angliam portavit, et familiaribus fuis declaravit, per quas figuras etiam literas reprefentantur. De quibus figuris hoc maxime admirandum quod unica figura quilibet nu- merus reprefentatur : quod non eft in Latino vel in Algorifmo [//]." It being exprefsly mentioned that John de Bafmg imported into this country the Greek numerals, is it not an overftrained critical amendment to afl'ert that the characters were not Greek, but In- dian numerals, and new named by fome uncertain continuator of the hiftory, becaufe they patted from India through Greece to Eng- land ? Such a fundamental alteration will be deemed lefs juftifia- ble, if it be confidered, that the perfon in queftion was the moft eminent Greek fcholar of his age ; that he travelled into Greece and abided at Athens, for the purpofe of improving himfelf in the Greek language. That when he returned home he brought with him feveral Greek MSS ; that he fpirited youths to the ftudy of the Geeek language ; and that for the ufe of the ftudious he tranf- latcd into Latin an edition of a Greek grammar. Nor from the re- lation we have of him does it appear that he extended his travels be- yond Athens, or that he was converfant in the eaftern literature and [c] Archaeologia, V. X. p. 375. [*/] p. ;2i, Edit. Watts. fciences