Taylor - Theoretic Arithmetic.pdf - Platonic Philosophy

THEORETIC ARITHMETIC
BOOK ONE
CHAPTER I.
On the priority of Arithmetic to the other mathematicd
disciplines.
RITHMETIC is to be learned the first of the
mathematical sciences, because it has the relation
of a principle and mother to all the rest. For it is
prior to all of them, not only because the fabricator
of the universe employed this as the first paradigm
of his distributed intellection, and constituted all things
according to number; but the priority of arithmetic is also
evinced by this, whenever that which is prior by nature is
subverted, that which is posterior is at the same time subverted;
but when that which is posterior perishes, that which is
prior suffers no essential mutation of its former condition.
Thus if you take away animal, the nature of man is immediately
destroyed; but by taking away man, animal will not
perish. And on the contrary, those things are always posterior
which together with themselves introduce something else;
but those have a priority of subsistence, which when they are
enunciated, cointroduce with themselves nothing of a posterior
nature. Thus if you speak of man, you will at the same time
introduce animal; for man is an animal. But if you speak of