To the Reader.

Upon this Plan Mr. Maclausin com-■posed asyjlc/n of Algebra, soon after his beingchosen Professor of Mathematicks in the Uni-versity 0/’'Edinburgh ; which he, thenceforth,made use of in his ordinary Course of LeBures,and -was occasionally improving to the Perfec-tion he intended it should have, before he com-mitted it to the Press. And the best Copies ofhis Manuscript having been transmitted to thePub lifer, it was easy, by comparing them, toejlablifh a correct and genuine Text. Pherewere, besides, several detached Papers, some ofwhich were quite finished, and wanted only tobe inserted in their proper places. In a fewothers, the Demonstrations were so concisely ex-pressed, and couched in Algebraical charac-ters, that it was necessary to write them out atmore length, to make them of a piece with therejl. And this is the only liberty the Publisherhas allowed himself to take-, excepting a fewinconsiderable additions, that seemed necessary torender the Book more complete within itself,and to save the trouble of consulting otherswho have written on the fame Subject.

Phe Rules concerning the Impossible rootsof liquations, our Author had very fully consi-dered, as appearsfrom his Manuscript papers :but as he had no where reduced any thing onthat Subject to a better form, than what was

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