Section 46

Chap. X. The greater the Loadfione the greater is the force of it,
ANd yon muft know, that the bigger Loadftone will caft forth its force at a far- ther diftance, and bnndifh it, and attract the oppofite Loadftone with more violence, and draw it to it , and that in the lame fort of ft one ; as if aLoadrtone be a pound weight, and another Loadftone be a good diftance fiom it, it will pre- fently leap, and meet the other that draws ir. If we cut off half that flone, the force of it will decay, and be dull as if it were dead, and the vigor of it is taken away by the proportion of the part taken from it. If any man will not believe ir, , let a ftone be fetcht for trial; fora part being taken away, part of thevertue is loft alfo : join the part taken away as it was, and the force will be reftored , and be- come more lively, and will be as powerful is formerly, that it will leap at a Load- ftone that meets it at a great diftance, and prefently embrace it. This argumenc confirmut, that the greater the ftone is, the greater force it hath, even in the fame fort of ftones: for I have feen divers Loadftoncs, brought from divers parts of the
world
. Of the Wonders of the Loadftone. ipy
worM , to have divers properties. I faw at Rome, a Loadftone weighed ad Ounce, rhat drew two Ounces of Iron, and held it fo faft as it drew, that it could l'carce be pulled from ir. I have feen others of forty Pound weight, that were fo feeble, that they would fcarce ftir an Ounce. But that I may the more oblige the curiofuy of S. udents in this nutter, I (hall teach in the following Chapters, how the Venue of the Sione may be tried and equally balanced.
Chap. XI.
That the force of this Stone mllpa[s into other Stones, that fometimesyoH may fee as it
were a rope of Stones.
T He Stone with us is commended for another property ; for when it hath taken hold of another Stone , it not only holds that fait, but it fends into the Body of it an effluxion of its forces j and that having got m )rc forces, draws another, and gives it the like faculty : the third made to partake of the fame vertue, draws others that are necr or far off, and cafts forth and brandifheth the fame vertue j and this draws another: and fo, by a reciprocal ejaculation, by the fame force it is held , by the fame it holds others ; and from each of them to the other, are their darts Hying, as it were endowed with the vertu? of them • and if you lift them up on high, they leem to harg in links like a Chain , that they will not eafily be drawn one from the other ; that we muft needs wonder exceedingly , how that internal and invifible fotre can run from ore to the other, and pifs through them : and the more vertue it hath, to the more it doth communicate it. Yet I thought fi: to forewarn you that you faii not in your trial , that the Stones muft lUck the one to the other by the parts that agree, and not by contrary parts ; for fo would not one impart his venues to another , but bv the meeting with an oppofite part , would be held back, and ccafc frcm doing its Office ; n3tncly,that the North point of the one,muft ttick to the South point of the other , as I faid ; and not contrarily : for the South point ap- plied to the South, and the North point to the North point, i'- contrary , and the fa- culty will faint and decay at the prelence of its Ad verfary. Nor yet will we omit to remember thofe that are curious to try this, that the Stones muft fucceflively be pro- p ircionable, that the great one muft draw a iefs, and a little one muft draw one lefs then it felf : for fo they will hang the f after, and not be fo carily pulled afuuder.
Chap. XII. that in the Loadftone that hairjnefs is contufed.
HEnce comes that hairinefs of little Hairs, that we mentioned before, that nicks lb taft to the Stone, that it can hardly be pulled off : for when one is rubbed againft the other , or is beaten off with a light blow of the Hammer, thofe fmili pieces being rubbed one againft another, do not fall to the Earth by their own wtight , but are held up by the force of the Stone : and that one may ftick fait to the other , turning its friendly countenauce to it , it can by no other means ccmaeodiouflv faften to its fympaihizing part, nor be joyned with it, but like a Hair or imill Ttuced ; and if ycu rub one ^tone long againft another, that heap of Sand Wlil lo augment, that it will appear all hairy, or ike the down on a wans chin^or as.it wc? hdet round with a heap of pricks. Nor is this to be parted witnout admiration, That ir any man puts another Loadftone to it, or neer it, that is greater then ir,and more powerful ; tbey will appear prefently to turn about, and to dire parts to the like parts in the ^tone that is put neer them, and to ftrive tocome to it ; and if the y cannot do it,for want of ftrcngth, they will fall to the ground.
CHAP.
!?8
Natural Magick,
$oo{j.
Chap. XTII.
The attractive part u more violent then the part that drives off'.
muft tell the Reader of mother thing before- hand, that having laid the frun- daticn of what we fhall fay , we may proceed to greater matters. The part that at'. rafts, draw s more vehemently j and hat which drives away , doth it more faintlv i namely, the part oppofire to it : for if the South part or the Stone, » i k to the North part of the other, it will draw at greater diHance and mere force : hur ccn- trarily, it y South, and the North parts to the North parts, the natural force is made dull, and as though it were teeble and weak, it lofeth its force, that it cannot fo well perform its Office; and if they be not very ncer,thc f man defires to try, let him hang them up with threads, or balance them no a pin, or put them in Boats , and he fhall finde thcii readinefs to draw , and their feeblcneis and flaggifhnefs to drive eft rrom them.
THe parts we fpeak of, if they be joyned friendly together, they wi'l a were , enter a league, and help one the other, and will gain more force and vertne. But if they be contrary, they are at fuch oppofition by their N ture, and fuch lectet hatred there is between them , that being put toge- ther by their diiagreeing points, as if their Adverfary were prefent, they will ceafe from all their attraction, and lole all their force. As , if yon have Loadttones in your hands , that have the oppofite parts united , the North and South together j if another fione be put to them, neither of thefe ftones will move or get the Victory ; for they n ither draw to, nor drive fr .m ; e- fpecially, if both their force? be equal. But if one be Wronger then another , the hone that is put to ir,will move and ftir,and will either come forward or go back- ward. But if yon take up his contrary Companion , he will either be drawn after, or will flie from it willingly ; for it wiJ either go along with the part it agrees with , or will go from that part it is contrary to : by which Reafon you may knew, that one hinders the other. We may alio by another Experi- ment, be made more certain of the fame thing : If you draw one Loadltone with another, and let it hang in the Air ; if to the place where they joyn, you apply the contrary force of another Loadllone ; by this meeting with their E- nemy , both their forces will fail and faint: and if the fame be of a great force, the Hone that drew will let the other go , and falls from it. And alio , not without mirth and admiration , you (ball fee a Chain of many pieces of Load- ftoncs hanging together ; and if you app y the contrary fide to the third or fourth ftone, the Chain is prelently broken, and the part falls off , and will not hang faft : but the other parts , whirher the force of it comes not , will yet ftick fall together in a Link, uniefs you put the end of the contrary pare to them.
\7"\^E may know by another and more certain way then that I fet down before, which are the vertical points in the Loadftone, which turn to the North, which to the South ; and efpecially , that point that fends forth the attractive ver- tue, will be discovered. Thus : That point that mod vehemently draws unto it
the
C HAP, XIV.
The contrary parts of the Stones are contrary one to another »
Chap. XV.
How to know the Polar points in the Loadftone.
Of the Wonders of the Load/lone. ipp
the Sonth point of another ftone,and flicks faft to ir,thac is the North poinrjand that point the North part of another ftone willingly joyns with,is theSourh point. The fame alio may be known by the driving off : That point that drives off -rom it , and refufeth the North part of the ftone put againft it, is the Norch point ; and the South point, that drives from it the South point. And he that would have the true pole more exa&iy demonftratcd, let him do thus : Put a little bit of a Loadlione, not much greater or letter Men a Millet-Seed, to the Loadftone ; and if it prefently draw it at a durance , and when it is drawn , it Hicks fait and is hardly taken from it , it is an Argument of the true end whence that force proceeds. You may alfo draw about a little bit about that point, to fee if it will draw weakly or ftrongly , and whether it will part from that pUce of it fclf, or unwillingly. Briefly, That point that draws with molt force, and will hardly let loofe what it hath attra#ed, is the true point of attraction ; giving you to underftand ,
7 hat the Pole fends its force to the Circumference*
I have known it fo , as from the Centre to the Circumference. And as the light of a Candle is fpread every way , and enlightens the Chamber ; and the farther it is off from it , the weaker it fhioe?, and at too great a dittance is left ; and the neerer it is , the more cleerly it illuminates : fo the force flies forth at that point ; and the neerer it is, the more forcibly it attracts ; and the further off, the more faintly : and if it be fet too far off, it vantfheth quite, and doth nothing. Wherefore for that we flv 11 fay of it , and mark it for, we (hall call the length of its forces the compafs of its venues,
C H A P. XVI.
7 bat the force of drawing and driving off, can be kindred bj no hindrance,
BUt this is above all wonder , that yon can never wonder fo much as yon «hould, That the force of the ftone for attra&ion and repelling , can be in- cluded in no bounds, can be hindered by nothing, or held back; but it willpene- tmc invifibly , and will move and ftir thofe ftones that arc f> moathizing with ic, if they be put to it , and will exercife its forces , as if there were nothing be- tween : but this nraft be within the compais of its vertue : for if yon hang fome Loadstone fitly upon a Table of wood , ftone, or metal, or lying equally balanced , and you (hall put your Loadftone under the Table, and ftir it there , the vertue of it will pafs from this body like a Spirit penetrating the folid Table, and move the ftone above it, and ftir it as it fclf is moved ; as this moves, fo moves that ; and when this refts, that doth the fame. But if the Table be made of Loadftone or Iron, the vertue is hindred,and can do nothing : we (hall (hew the reafons of it in -their proper places. Of fo many ftrange miracles in Nature, there is none more wonderful then this.
Ch a p. XVII. Horv to make an Army of Sand to fight before) oft.
ANd it is as pleafant as wonderful , that I (hewed to my Friends , who bebeldt on a plain Table an Army of Sand divided into the Right and Left Wings, fighting , to the wonder of the Spectators : and many that were ignorant of the buhnefs , thought it was done by the help of the Devil. I ponned a Load- ftone into powder, fome very (mail, fome fomthing grofs : and I made feme of little bitsj that they might better reprefent Troops of Horfe,or Companies of Foot : and fo I fet my Army here and there. The Wings were on the Right and Left , and the main Body was in the middle, accompanied with Troops of Horfc : under a fmooth Table I put a very principal Loadftone with my Hand. When this was put chere , the Left Wing marched j and on the Right Hand , with another ftone , the
200 Natural Magick* 2?G0^ j.
Ri'.ht Wing marched : when they drew ceet together , and were more neer the Loadi'oac , the Sands trembled • and by degre:s,they leemed like thofc that take up rheir Spears ; and when the Loadtioce was laid down t they laid down their Spears, as if they were ready to fight, and did threaten to kill and flay: and the better the Loadftone was, the higher would thefe hair? I re ch forth thetn- fclves : and as I moved my Hands by little and little, fo the Army marched on : and when the ftones came neer to one the other , they feemed to fight , and inn onewithin the other j fo the other Wings and Troops came on, and fhew- ed the form of a Battle ; and you might fee them fomerimes retreat , fome- times march forward; fometimes to conquer , and fometimcs to be corquered ; fometimes to lift up their Spears , and lay them down again , as the Load- ftone was put neer to them , or farther off ; and the more force there was to fend forth every way. But this is the greater wonder , becaufe what is done on a plain Board , may be done hanging in the Air, that you mav iee them like the Antipodes in Bactel : for ftretcbing out a Paper, or fetting a Ta- ble alofr, the Loadrloncs moved above the Table , will do the fame thing we fpeak of , and fhew it to the bpe&stors. But if one that is ingenious do the bufinefs, he will do more and greater Feats then we can write of.
Chap. XVIIT. The Situation makes tkeVertnes of the Stone contrary.
TT cannot want wonder , *s it doth reafon , That the poficion fhould fhew the Vertucs contrary to all that we have faid : for the ftene put abo e the Table will do one thing , and another thing if it be put under the Table : for if you fit the ftone by equally poifing it to make it move freely , or put it into a Boat , and put a ftone above it, it will attract it, or reje£t ir, as we faid before : but if you put it under the ftone , it will work comrarily ; • for that pare that drew above, will drive eff beneath j and that will draw beneath, that drove off above : that is, if you place the ftone above and beneath in a perpen- dicular. By which Experiments, one may fee cleerly , That the fuuaticn will work contrary operations , and change the forces of it by turns. Wherefore in the operations of it, you muft chiefly mark the pofition, if you put the Loaftonc a- bove or beneath.
Chap. XTX. How the attractive force of the Loadftone may be weighed.
^^Ecan alfo meafure that attra&ing or expelling vertue of the Lcadfter.e, or poifc it in a balance : which will be of no fmall corlequen.ee in rhe following confiderations ; and efpecially , for a perpetual motion , and to matte Ircn hang pendulous in the Air, when the true and certain attra&ive Venue is fcund cut from the Circumference to the Centre. . The Art is this : Put a piece of a Load- ftone into a balance, and" in the other fcale as much weight, cf k me ether matter, that the fcale may hang equal : then we apply a piece of Iron lying on a T*b!e,thac fr naay ftidk to the Loadftone that is hi the fcale: and that they tray flick fa ft by their ffiepdly points, vou fhall by degrees caft feme fand into the othei fcale , .and that fo loog, t ill the fcale and iron part j fo by weighing the weight of the fand, we have the Vertue of the Loadftone we fought to finde. Wc may alfo put the iron into the fcale, and lay the Loadftone on the table.