2o8 7b e Conclujion^ 



ftone ! How furprizing its Power of com* 

 municating them to Iron ! — A Piece of this 

 Metal, only by being rubbed on it in a par-* 

 ticular Diredion, becomes in a few Mo- 

 ments attradtive of every other Particle of 

 Iron or Loadftone it comes near; and, if 

 brought in contaft, llrongly adheres tliere- 

 to : though it ftill retains a totdl Indift'crence 

 for Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper, and every 

 Thing befides. At the fame Inftant, it ac* 

 quires, likewife, a Polarity, whereby the 

 two contrary Points thereof (if it be fo fuf- 

 pended as to turn at Liberty in the Air) will 

 conftantly direft themfelves to the different 

 Poles of Heaven, and if difplaced return 

 to them again, and reft no where elfe at 

 Quiet: this too with a certain amazing In- 

 clination, Declination, and Variation, alter- 

 ing in Degree according to the Parts of the 

 World it is carried to. And thefe Proper- 

 ties, though thus fuddenly acquired, remain 

 with it not for a few Days and Weeks only, 

 but for Years and Ages. 



Were fuch Things related to us of fome 

 certain Stone, in a foreign Country, which we 

 could not procure a Sight of, 'tis likely we 

 lliould fufpcd: the Relator was impofing on 

 our Underftanding: and thofe that live un- 

 der the Line probably think the fame of the 

 northern People, when they tell them, that, 

 in their Country, Rivers and Seas are fome- 



times 



