Chap. n. A TrtAtiJt tf B O D I E S. 231 



is fenfibly le{Ter,according as it is further from the couched part. 

 Again, the longer an iron is in touching, the greater vertueii 

 getteth, and the more conftant. And both an iron and a load- 

 Hone may lolc their vertue, by long lying out of their due or- ^ 

 dcr and fituation, either to the earth or to another loadftone. 



Befides, if a loadftone do touch a long iron in the middle of 

 it, he difrufeth his vertue equally towards both ends; and if it be 

 a round plate, hcdiffufcth his vertue equally to all fides. 



An$l laftly, the vertue of a loadftone, as alfo of an iron 

 touched, is loft by burning it in the fire. All which fymptomcs 

 agreeing exactly with the rules of bodies, do make h undenia- 

 ble that the vertue of the loadftone is a reall and folid body. 



Aga'mft this pofition, Cabeus bjeiteth that little atoines 2- 

 would not be able to penetrate all forts of bodies; as we fee the okjeaiom *. 

 vcrtue of the loadftone doth. And urgeth, that although they merpofiao* 

 fhould be allowed to do fb, yet they could not be imagined to an 'wed. 

 penetrate thick and folid bodies fbfuddenly, as they would do 

 thin ones; and would certainly (hew then fome figne of facility 

 or difficulty of pafling, in the interpofition and in the taking 

 away of bodies put between the loadftone and the body it works 

 upon. Secondly, he obje&eth that atomes being little bodies, 

 they cannot mqve in an inftant ; as the working of the Joad- 

 #one feemeth to do. And laftly.that the loadftone by fuch abun- 

 dance of continuall evaporations, would quickly be confumed. 



To thefirftwe anfwer; That atomes whofe nature it is to 

 pierce iron, cannot reafbnably be fufpe6ted of inability to pene- 

 trate any other bodyrand that atoines can penetrate iron, is evi- 

 dent in the melting of it by fire. And indeed this objection co- 

 meth now too late, after we have fo largely declared the divifi- 

 bility of quantity, and the fubtilty of nature in reducing all 

 things into extreme fmall parts: for this difficulty hath no other 

 avow, then the tardity of our imaginations in fubsilizing fuffi- 

 ciently thequantitatiye parts that iflue out of the loadftone. 



As for any tardity that may be expected by the interpofition 

 of a thick or denfe body; there is no appearance of fuch,fince we 

 fee light pafle through thick glafles without giving any figne of 

 meeting with the leaft opposition in its paflagc , (as we havca- 

 bove declared at large:) and magneticall emanations have the 

 advantage of light in this, that they arc not obliged to ftiaight 

 lincs> as light is. P 4 Laft- 



