254 N()VI T M ORGANUM. 



tonne, mobile, sive |)roinj)tnni ad inotnni. At plurima 

 inveninntur hixtinitift 1 dirortii inter ipsas. Aer eniin 

 tennis est et habilis ad inotuin, non ealidns ant Inci- 

 dns : lima lucida, absqiie calore : a&amp;lt;|iia t ervens, ealida 

 absqne Ininine : inotus acns ferrea&amp;gt; super versorinm, 

 pornix et apilis, et tamen in corpore fYi^jdo, denso, 

 opaco : et eoniplura id pfenns. 



Similiter, sint natnra- impiisita natnra eorj)orea et 

 actio natnralis 28 . Videtnr enini non inveniri actio na- 

 tnralis, nisi subsistens in aliqno corjiore. Attamen 

 ]ossit tortasse e^se ciiva lianc rcm hixtitntiu nonnnlla 

 divortii. Ma est aotio magnetica. per (piain fernnn 

 ftTtiir ad ma&amp;lt;rnetem, jravia ad plobiun terra-. Addi 

 etiam possint alia* nonnnlla opcrat iones ad distans. 

 Actio ^i&amp;lt;|iiideni hnjusinodi ct in tempore fit. per mo 

 menta, non in pnncto temporis; et in loco, per gradns 

 et spatia. Kst itaijiie alicjuod momentum temporis, et 

 aliqnod intervallum loci, in (piibus jsta virtus sive actio 

 ha.Tet in medio inter duo iila corpora, (pia&amp;gt; motnm 

 cient. Reducitur itacpie contemj)latio ad hoc; ntrnm 

 ilia corpora, (jua 1 snnt termini inotus, dis|&amp;gt;onant vel 

 alterent cor|&amp;gt;ora media, ut per successionem et tactuni 



K This is an example of no yrcnt rrted. We are, in fact, ignorant 



value. Bacon s use of the Trims of the real link between cause and 



Virtus and Act in is very va^nir. rlKvt in physical operations. Vet 



The point on which he means to this instance, with its illustrations, 



insist is that there must he an ex- shews that Bacon had got upon the 



ertion of force which is neither in track of the difficult questions of 



the Iron nor in the Magnet, hut the transmission of Magnetism, 



between both ; and that this, being Heat, Light, &c. from body to 



sensibly inappreciable, is incorpo- body, whose phenomena are yet but 



real. This conclusion is an assump- im perfectly, perhaps not at all, nnder- 



tion, and perhaps not a correct stood. His probiem here is must 



one. In all probability the attractive all operations in Nature be carried 



force of gravity (which corresponds on by action in corporeal bodies ; 



to it) is physical and corporeal ; or are not some things (like Light) 



though we may not be able to ex- transmitted through an incorporeal 



plain exactly what it is or how ex- medium ? 



