Those ignes fatuii of the philologist are made to perform the duty of supporting an hypothesis which would never have existed but for their own treacherous suggestions.

Here is one of the most attractive of them: Between the Latin words _novus_, new, and _novem_, nine, there exists a resemblance so close that it may well be more than accidental.

Nine is, then, the _new_ number; that is, the first number on a new count, of which 8 must originally have been the base.

Pursuing this thought by investigation into different languages, the same resemblance is found there.

Hence the theory is strengthened by corroborative evidence.