2l8 THE INTELLECTUAL RISE IN ELECTRICITY. 



The times had greatly changed from those when the 

 first duty of a philosopher was, at all hazards, to evolve a 

 theory whereto the facts might fit themselves as best they 

 could. Norman's Respective point is not theoretical. It 

 has a physical location along a certain line. The needle 

 plainly points to it, but does not move to it bodily. Ergo, 

 the virtue is in the needle not in the point and has been 

 derived from the stone where u God in his Omnipotent 

 providence hath appointed it so to bee." 



Yet, even here, he is not quite content with the finality 

 of his conclusion. Even if he cannot say why the virtue 

 is in the stone, he can picture to himself something of its 

 attributes for, if it u could by any means be made visible 

 to the Eye of man it would be found in a Sphericall form 

 extendinge round about the Stone in great Compasse and 

 the dead bodie of the Stone in the middle thereof: whose 

 center is the center of his aforesaid Virtue." 



Thus the conception of the magnetic field of force 

 begins to take shape. Peregrinus has found its tendency 

 to turn the needle in line with the poles and to draw the 

 needle point down ; the horizontal and vertical com- 

 ponents. Norman finds and measures the inclination. 

 The variation of the compass is already known. He com- 

 bines the two, "for seeing it is certain that though in 

 severall Horizons the compasse hath severall Variations : 

 yet in any one Horizon, the needle Respecteth alwayes 

 one onlie point without alteration as by travaile is truely 

 prooved." And then he describes the virtue which comes 

 from the lodestone and which directs the needle as a 

 "Circular and invisible Vertue piercing all thinges and 

 stayed by nothing be it Wall, Boorde, Glasse or anything 

 whatsoever." 



No one can read Norman's narrative of his experiments 

 and theories without being impressed with his frank an- 

 ticipation of objections to them. He adheres to the belief 

 that the stone owes its virtue to nothing but its own in- 

 herent quality, and yet he is mystified over the capacity 



