MATHEMATICS, the science of quantity; ora science that considers magnitudes either as compu-table or measurable. The word in its original, μάθημα, signifies discipline,or science in the general; and seems to have been ap-plied to the doctrine of quantity, either by way ofeminence, or because, this having the start of all othersciences, the rest took their common name therefrom,See SCIENCE. For the origin of the mathematics, Josephus datesit before the flood, and makes the sons of Seth obser-vers of the course and order of the heavenly bodies: headds, that, to perpetuate their discoveries, and securethem from the injuries either of a deluge or a conflag-ration, they had them engraved on two pillars, theone of stone, the other of brick; the former of whichhe says was standing in Syria in his days. See ASTRO-NOMY. The first who cultivated mathematics after the flood were the Assyrians and Chaldeans; from whom, thesame Josephus adds, they were carried by Abraham tothe Egyptians; who proved such notable proficient,that Aristotle makes no scruple to fix the first rise ofmathematics among them. From Egypt, 584 yearsbefore Christ, they passed into Greece through thehands of Thales; who having learned geometry of theEgyptian priests, taught it in his own country. Af-ter Thales, comes Pythagoras; who, among othermathematical arts, paid a particular regard to arith-metic; fetching the greatest part of his philosophyfrom numbers: he was the first, as Laertius tells us,who abstracted geometry from matter; and to him weowe the doctrine of incommensurable magnitude, andthe five regular bodies, besides the first principles ofmusic and astronomy. Pythagoras was seconded byAnaxagoras, Cnopides, Brito, Antipho, and Hip-pocrates of Seio; who all applied themselves particu-larly to the quadrature of the circle, the duplicationof the cube, &c. but the last with most success: thislast is also mentioned by Proclus, as the first who com-piled elements of mathematics. Democritus excelled in mathematics as well as phy-sics; though none of his works in either kind are ex-tant, the destruction of which some authors lay atAristotle's door. The next in order is Plato, who notonly improved geometry, but introduced it into phy-sics, and so laid the foundation of a solid philosophy.Out of his school proceeded a crowd of mathemati-cians. Proclus mentions 13 of note; among whomwas Leodamus, who improved the analysis first in-vented by Plato; Theætetus, who wrote elements; andArchimedes, who has the credit of being the first whoapplied mathematics to use in life. These weresucceeded by Neocles and Theon, the last of whomcontributed to the elements. Eudoxus excelled inarithmetic and geometry, and was the first founderof a system of astronomy. Menechmus invented theconic sections, and Theudius and Hermotimus im-proved the elements. For Aristotle, his works are so stored with mathe-matics, that Blaucanus compiled a whole book ofthem: out of his school came Eudemus and Theo-phrastus; the first of whom wrote of numbers, geo-metry, and invisible lines; the latter, a mathematicalhistory. To Aristeus, Lidorus, and Hypsicles, weowe the books of solids; which, with the other booksof elements, were improved, collected, and metho-dized by Euclid, who died 284 years before Christ. An hundred years after Euclid, came Eratosthenesand Archimedes. Contemporary with the latter wasConon, a geometrician and astronomer. Soon aftercame Apollonius Perganus; whose conics are still ex-tant. To him are likewise ascribed the 14th and 15thbooks of Euclid, which are said to have been contrac-ted