A Budget of Paradoxes, Volume I | Page 2

to the reader, and with the alphabetical Index of Names, etc., will,
I trust, obviate all difficulty of reference.
SOPHIA DE MORGAN.
6 MERTON ROAD, PRIMROSE HILL.
* * * * *
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
If Mrs. De Morgan felt called upon to confess her hesitation at taking
upon herself the labor of editing these Paradoxes, much more should
one who was born two generations later, who lives in another land and
who was reared amid different influences, confess to the same feeling
when undertaking to revise this curious medley. But when we consider
the nature of the work, the fact that its present rarity deprives so many
readers of the enjoyment of its delicious satire, and the further fact that
allusions that were commonplace a half century ago are now forgotten,

it is evident that some one should take up the work and perform it con
amore.
Having long been an admirer of De Morgan, having continued his work
in the bibliography of early arithmetics, and having worked in his
library among the books of which he was so fond, it is possible that the
present editor, whatever may be his other shortcomings, may undertake
the labor with as much of sympathy as any one who is in a position to
perform it. With this thought in mind, two definite rules were laid down
at the beginning of the task: (1) That no alteration in the text should be
made, save in slightly modernizing spelling and punctuation and in the
case of manifest typographical errors; (2) That whenever a note
appeared it should show at once its authorship, to the end that the
material of the original edition might appear intact.
In considering, however, the unbroken sequence of items that form the
Budget, it seems clear that readers would be greatly aided if the various
leading topics were separated in some convenient manner. After
considerable thought it was decided to insert brief captions from time
to time that might aid the eye in selecting the larger subjects of the text.
In some parts of the work these could easily be taken from the original
folio heads, but usually they had to be written anew. While, therefore,
the present editor accepts the responsibility for the captions of the
various subdivisions, he has endeavored to insert them in harmony with
the original text.
As to the footnotes, the first edition had only a few, some due to De
Morgan himself and others to Mrs. De Morgan. In the present edition
those due to the former are signed A. De M., and those due to Mrs. De
Morgan appear with her initials, S. E. De M. For all other footnotes the
present editor is responsible. In preparing them the effort has been
made to elucidate the text by supplying such information as the casual
reader might wish as he passes over the pages. Hundreds of names are
referred to in the text that were more or less known in England half a
century ago, but are now forgotten there and were never familiar
elsewhere. Many books that were then current have now passed out of
memory, and much that agitated England in De Morgan's prime seems

now like ancient history. Even with respect to well-known names, a
little information as to dates and publications will often be welcome,
although the editor recognizes that it will quite as often be superfluous.
In order, therefore, to derive the pleasure that should come from
reading the Budget, the reader should have easy access to the
information that the notes are intended to supply. That they furnish too
much here and too little there is to be expected. They are a human
product, and if they fail to serve their purpose in all respects it is hoped
that this failure will not seriously interfere with the reader's pleasure.
In general the present editor has refrained from expressing any opinions
that would strike a discordant note in the reading of the text as De
Morgan left it. The temptation is great to add to the discussion at
various points, but it is a temptation to be resisted. To furnish such
information as shall make the reading more pleasant, rather than to
attempt to improve upon one of the most delicious bits of satire of the
nineteenth century, has been the editor's wish. It would have been an
agreeable task to review the history of circle squaring, of the trisection
problem, and of the duplication of the cube. This, however, would be to
go too far afield. For the benefit of those who wish to investigate the
subject the editor can only refer to such works and articles as the
following: F. Rudio, Archimedes, Huygens, Lambert, Legendre,--mit
einer Uebersicht über die Geschichte des Problemes von der
Quadratur des