inuersione vt in
septenarij, numeri nota, nostrae notae, quibus hodie utimur: ab his sola
differunt elegantia, vt apparet."

See also Bayer, _Historia regni Graecorum Bactriani_, St. Petersburg, 1788,
pp. 129-130, quoted by Martin, _Recherches nouvelles_, etc., loc. cit.

[119] P. D. Huet, _Demonstratio evangelica_, Paris, 1769, note to p. 139 on
p. 647: "Ab Arabibus vel ab Indis inventas esse, non vulgus eruditorum
modo, sed doctissimi quique ad hanc diem arbitrati sunt. Ego vero falsum id
esse, merosque esse Graecorum characteres aio; a librariis Graecae linguae
ignaris interpolatos, et diuturna scribendi consuetudine corruptos. Nam
primum 1 apex fuit, seu virgula, nota [Greek: monados]. 2, est ipsum [beta]
extremis suis truncatum. [gamma], si in sinistram partem inclinaveris &
cauda mutilaveris & sinistrum cornu sinistrorsum flexeris, fiet 3. Res ipsa
loquitur 4 ipsissimum esse [Delta], cujus crus sinistrum erigitur [Greek:
kata katheton], & infra basim descendit; basis vero ipsa ultra crus
producta eminet. Vides quam 5 simile sit [Greek: toi] [epsilon]; infimo
tantum semicirculo, qui sinistrorsum patebat, dextrorsum converso. [Greek:
episemon bau] quod ita notabatur [digamma], rotundato ventre, pede
detracto, peperit [Greek: to] 6. Ex [Zeta] basi sua mutilato, ortum est
[Greek: to] 7. Si [Eta] inflexis introrsum apicibus in rotundiorem &
commodiorem formam mutaveris, exurget [Greek: to] 8. At 9 ipsissimum est
[alt theta]."

I. Weidler, _Spicilegium observationum ad historiam notarum numeralium_,
Wittenberg, 1755, derives them from the Hebrew letters; Dom Augustin
Calmet, "Recherches sur l'origine des chiffres d'arithmetique," _Memoires
pour l'histoire des sciences et des beaux arts_, Trevoux, 1707 (pp.
1620-1635, with two plates), derives the current symbols from the Romans,
stating that they are relics of the ancient "Notae Tironianae." These
"notes" were part of a system of shorthand invented, or at least perfected,
by Tiro, a slave who was freed by Cicero. L. A. Sedillot, "Sur l'origine de
nos chiffres," _Atti dell' Accademia pontificia dei nuovi Lincei_, Vol.
XVIII, 1864-1865, pp. 316-322, derives the Arabic forms from the Roman
numerals.

[120] Athanasius Kircher, _Arithmologia sive De abditis Numerorum,
mysterijs qua origo, antiquitas & fabrica Numerorum exponitur_, Rome, 1665.

[121] See Suter, _Die Mathematiker und Astronomen der Araber_, p. 100.

[122] "Et hi numeri sunt numeri Indiani, a Brachmanis In