The welspring of sciences, which teacheth the perfecte worke and practise of arithmeticke both in vvhole numbers & fractions, with such easie and compendious instruction into the saide art, as hath not heretofore been by any set out nor laboured, : Beautified vvith most necessary rules and questions, not onely profitable for marchauntes, but also for all artificers, as in the table doth plainely appere..

Aunswere.

Seing that the fyrste and the se∣conde marchaunts must haue 750. li. for their parts of the gaine. Then the thirde man must haue the rest of the thousande pound which is 250. li.

And therefore say by the rule of thre, if 250. of gaine, become of 500. li. of principall: of howe much shall come 350. li. of gaine? which the fyrst man taketh, multiplye and diuide and you shall finde 700. li. So muche did the first man laye in: then say if 250. li. of gaine be come of 500. li. principall, of howe much will come 400. li. which is the gaine y^t the seconde mā taketh. Multiply and diuide, & you shal finde 800. li. For so much were y^e 20. peeces of cloth layde into company.

10. Three Marchaunts haue gai∣ned 100. li. the fyrst muste haue the ½, the seconde must haue ⅓: And y^e third must haue ¼. I demaund how much euerye man must haue of the gaine? Aunswere, Reduce ½, ⅓, ¼, into a cōmon denominatiō, after the order of the second reduction in fractions, & you shall finde 12/24, for the ½: 8/24, for the ⅓: and 6/24, for the ¼: Then take 12 for y^e first mans laying in, 8. for y^e se∣cond

mannes laying in: and 6 for the thirde mannes laying in. The which three numbers being added together shall be your common diuisor, which do make 26. Then multiply 100 by 12, for the firste man, by 8 for the second man, and by 6 for the third man. And diuide euery multiplication by 26. So shall you finde 46 li. 2/13 for the fyrste mannes part of the gaine. 30. li. 10/13 for the second mannes parte: and 23 li. 1/13, for the third mannes parte.

11. Two marchaunts haue gayned 100 li. the firste muste haue ½ and 5 li. more: the second must haue ⅓ and 4 li more: I demaunde how muche eche of them shall haue? Aunswere, From 100 abate 5 and 4. so ther wil remayn 91. then take the ½ of 100. li. which is 50 li. for the first mans laying in: Like∣wyse, take ⅓ of 100 li. for the seconde mans laying in, which is 33 li. ⅓. Then adde 50 li. and 33 li. ⅓ togither, and you shall haue 83 li. ⅓ for youre com∣mon

diuisor, then multiply 91. pound by 50. and diuide by 83. ⅓: and thereof cōmeth 54. pound, ⅗ vnto the which number adde 5, and all is 59. li. ⅗ for y^e first mans part. Likewyse multiplye. 91. by 33. ⅓: and diuide by 83. ⅓, & you shal finde 36. li. ⅖ vnto the which adde 4: and you shal haue fourty pound, ⅖ for the seconde mans part.

12. Twoo Marchauntes haue gai∣ned a hundred pound, the first muste haue the ½ lesse by 4. poūd, the second must haue ⅓: lesse by 2. pounde. I de∣maund how much eche of them shall haue? Aunswere, Adde 4. & 2. w^t 100. & they make 106. Then take as before is saide 50. pounde, for the first man, & 33. ⅓ for the seconde, adde them bothe togither, and they be 83. which shalbe your diuisor. Then multiplie 106. by 50. and diuide the product by 83. ⅓, so thereof commeth 63. li. ⅗. From the which abate the foure pounde lesse y^t the fyrst mā taketh, and then is there remaining 59. pound, ⅗ for hys parte.

Likewise multiplie 106. by 33. ⅓ and diuide by 83 ⅓ & you shall finde 42. li. ⅖: from the which abate 2. li. lesse and there remaineth 40. pounde, ⅖ for the seconde mans part.