HISTORY OF DISCOVERY RELATIVE TO MAGNETISM. 287 



vailed in every part of tlae world respecting the phenomenon of its attraction 

 of iron. In those cases where the roots of the languages have no analogy- 

 whatever, the ideas expressed by the terms are often identical. In some, in- 

 deed, the attraction itself is alone expressed ; but in the majority of cases the 

 mot'ire of attraction is embodied with it — a supposed affection for the iron — a 

 love for it is expressed. It is the same in the European and Asiatic languages ; 

 and as the magnet is found in all, or nearly all, the countries of the Old World, 

 we can only suppose that it arose in most cases in every language independently 

 of any other. Nor is this peculiarity wholly confined to the names amongst 

 nations of the most poetic temperament, since even the Chinese have the same 

 idea in their TJtsu-cJnj (the common name) or Jovestone. What may appear 

 most surprising is, that the name of the magnet seldom occurs in the older 

 poetry of any country ; but probably this arose from the unpoetic subject, 

 namely, that of iron, with which it was coupled. In the'jjoetry of later times, 

 however, allusion to the magnet often occurs, and in several beautiful passages, 

 of our own it would be easy to point it out, both in expressing love and con- 

 stancy — the former by its attractive, and the latter by its direct power. No 

 phrase, indeed, is moxe familiar than to call the object of affection " the magnet." 



From all the records which refer to the subject, we must conclude that the 

 ancients had at an early period a knowledge of some of the more obvious 

 phenomena of magnetism, and that they possessed magnets of considerable lift- 

 ing power. They appear also to have been acquainted with the means of in- 

 creasing the attractive power of the loadstone by the application to its poles of 

 what is called an armature, that is, by applying pieces of soft iron to the parts 

 of the stone which exhibited the greatest attraction, and which, as we shall here- 

 after see, are called its poles. Thus, Claudenus, in his work entitled Magnes, 

 states that the wonderful stone gains power by contact Avith iron, and loses it 

 again by the separation of this metal. 



The same author describes a performance in a temple in Avhich a statue of 

 Venus, cut from a magnet, lifted an iron statue of Mars into the air. Lucian, 

 in his work on the Syrian goddess, mentions a similar performance, in which a 

 statue of Apollo was lifted before his ey^es by^ the priests without being touched, 

 and remained suspended in the air. Pliny also relates that Dinocrates, an 

 architect of Ptolemy Philadelphus, commenced to build a temple at Alexandria, 

 in honor of Arsinoe, sister of the King, of which the vault was to be built of 

 magnets, so that an iron statue of the former might be suspended in the air. 

 This temple, hoAvever, was not finished because both Ptolemy and his archi- 

 tect died before it could be completed. 



According to Cedreuus and Augustine, a similar performance Avas actually 

 exhibited in a temple of antiquity. The former asserts that the statue of an 

 ancient god Avas held suspended by magnetic power in the serapium at 

 Alexandria, and the latt(^r, Avithout mentioning any particular temple, states 

 that the suspension was such as to cause the people to believe that the statue 

 AVas soaring in the air. Matheolus, a commentator of Galeuus, relates a similar 

 story of the coffin of Mahomet, Avhich is said to soar in the air in a sanctuary 

 built of magnetic stones. 



These statements,' though probably founded on a limited knoAA'ledge of mag- 

 netic phenomena, are uoav known to be fabulous, since, after a full investigation 

 of the subject, we are certain that it is impossible to suspend in mid air, Avilhout 

 contact, a piece of iron by means of magnetism. The magnetic power diminishes 

 very rapidly with the distance from the poles, and, in order that the iron should 

 be suspended, it must be placed at the exact point in space at Avhich the at- 

 traction of the magnet upwards Avould be equal to the force of gravity ddwn- 

 Avards ; bi\t if it could be placed in this position, it Avould not retain it for a 

 moment, since the slightest jar or the least breath of air Avould disturb the 

 equilibrium, and the iron would immediately fall to the floor, or spriug up into 



