?rule of three? An Earlier but Definitive Statement.

[JAMES BASS]

The Oxford logician, C. L. Dodgson (a/k/a Lewis Carroll), dealt with the
number '3' and 'natural history' (see his Preface to the work cited in
the paragraph below) rather adequately in 1876.  While most readers of
this list are probably more familiar with his "...Treatise on Determinants"
(1867) his exploration of mathematics relative to science took a more
readable form.

In THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK (a species not yet dealt with adequately
on this list) he observes relative to "3" and "truth" near the beginning:

    "Just the place for a Snark! I have said it twice:
       That alone should encourage the crew.
     Just the place for a Snark! I have said it thrice:
        What I tell you three times is true.

Further,  in the fifth  part, 'The Beavers Lesson', he discusses the
role of "3" in science in great detail of which only a part is:

    "Taking Three as the subject to reason about----
        A convenient number to state---
      We add Seven, and Ten, and then multiply out
         By One Thousand diminished by Eight.

    "The result we proceed to divide, as you see,
          By Nine Hundred and Ninety and Two:
      Then subtract Seventeen, and the answer must be
           Exactly and perfectly true.

To which I would add:  Q.E.D.

The verse Carroll added was more telling.

Please read this Email two more times so the matter will be settled.

Thank you,
Jim