, which preceded it, Viète gave Euclidean constructions to demonstrate relationships between proportional lines, and showed that they corresponded to quadratic, or sometimes quartic, equations. This, however, gave him only a limited range of constructions, or equations, insufficient for the requirements of the analytic art by which he meant to leave no problem unsolved (
<foreign xml:lang="lat">nulla non problema solvere</foreign>
) by offering constructions that went beyond the limitations of ruler and compass. Thus the first statement of the book is: </s>
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A quovis puncto ad duas quavis lineas rectam ducere,
interceptam ab iis præfinito possibili quocumque intersegmento.</s>
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To draw a straight from any point to any two straight lines,
the intercept between them being any possible predefined distance.</s>
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Such constructions are sometimes knownn as
Si duae lineae rectae a puncto extra circulum eductae ipsum secent,
pars autem exterior primae fit proportionalis inter partem exteriorem secundae & partem interiorem ejusdem:
erit quoque pars exterior secundae proportionalis inter partem exteriorem primae & partem interiorem </s>
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If two straight lines drawn from a point outside a circle cut it in such a way that
the external part of the first is a proportional between the external and internal parts of the second,
the external part of the second will be a proportional between the external and internal parts of the </s>
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Propositio IV.
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Si duae lineae rectae a puncto extra circulum eductae ipsum secent
quod autem fit sub partibus exterioribus eductarum, aequale fit ei quod fit sub intertioribus:
exteriores partes permutatim sumptae, erunt continue proportionales inter partes </s>
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If two straight lines drawn from a point outside a circle cut it,
and moreover the product of the external parts is equal to that of the internal parts,
the external parts taken in turn will be continued proportionals between the internal </s>
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There is also a reference to Euclid,