Bentley, William, 1759-1819. Papers of William Bentley, 1783-1815: an inventory. Letter from James Winthrop to William Bentley, 1787 December 26. HUG 1203.5 Box 1, Harvard University Archives.

Cambridge 26 {December} 1787.

{Reverend} Sir,

Last {August} I gave the Academy a solution of the problem requiring the Duplication of the Cube, which you will find stated in the Dictionary of Arts & Sciences. The difficulty consisted on finding two mean proportionals between two given extremes. Having surmounted that difficulty in my former paper, I have prepared another for the next meeting, to shew how any required series of proportionals may be ascertained geometrically when the extremes are limited. I am not wrong I believe in mentioning this subject to you, as you have now been long eno' in the study to begin to relish it.

Yours affectionately James Winthrop

{Reverend} {William} Bentley-

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James Winthrop 26 {December} 1787.

Reverend {William} Bentley

Salem

{honored} by {Doctor} Read