 Ramus addressed the challenge of his weak knowledge of mathematics not only by improving his ability but also by grasping its history. It became essential for him not only to distinguish those who in the past had contributed to make mathematics an art but also those who in different ways had tried to undermine it. In his early writings, he seems mostly to have been focused on the natural aspects of mathematics and looked on it as an expression of natural dialectic; but later on he turned his attention more to the practical or useful aspects of mathematics. Goulding has explained this development in detail, outlining how Ramus’ evaluation of Pythagoras evolved over time, until he eventually became more and more like Ramus himself. He even condemned the way Euclid had, in his view, destroyed what was natural in mathematics and instead filled it with subtleties. In the Prooemium mathematicum (1667) and later in Scholae mathematicae, he criticized the theoretical works of the ancient Greek mathematicians on the grounds that they were confusing and led away from the usefulness of the discipline for practitioners. He wanted “an art at once practical and methodical”. As Goulding points out, if the holder of his endowed chair of mathematics was to be in a position to observe the provisions of his will, he would have to be made in Ramus’ own image (Goulding 2010: 35f., 50 and 180).