Note 238 — BOOK III
Reading edition
Gow, speaking of the Greek ἀριθμητική, says: “Its aim was entirely different from that of the ordinary calculator, and it was natural that the philosopher who sought in numbers to find the plan on which the creator worked, should begin to regard with contempt the merchant who wanted only to know how many sardines at ten for an obol he could buy for a talent.” Gow, op. cit., p. 72.