A Trettife ef B O D I E S. Chap. 2 r. 



ing in lines 

 end, to the 

 19 that part 



ofcheftonc which beginncth from the contrary pole and rcach- 

 eth to the needle. For befides the light which this difcourle gave 

 ussexpcricncc aflurcth us that a loadftone.vvhofe poles lie broad- 

 wayes, not longwayes, the ftene is more imperfect, and draw- 

 eth irorc weakly then if the poles lay longwayes; which would 

 notbeifthefli?ours did ftream from all parts of the ftoncdircft- 

 ly to the pole:for then, howfoevcr the (tone were caft the whole 

 virtue of it would be in the poles. Moreover, if a needle were 

 drawn freely upon the lime meridian from one poleco the other, 

 as foon as it were pafled the equator, ic would leap fuddenly at 

 the very fuft remove of the equator, where it is parallelc with 

 the axis of the loadftone, from bring fb parallele, to make an 

 ansle with the axis greater then a half ri^ht one, to the end that 



^ O *J 



itmight look upon the pole which is fuppofcd to be theoncly 

 attradtivc that draweth the needle: which great change,wrought 

 all at oice, nature never caufeth nor admittcth,but in all actions 

 or moiiDns, ufeth to paffc through all the mediums whenfbever 

 it goeth from oneextreme to another.Befides, there would be no 

 variation of the needles nfpect towards the north end of the 

 Rone : for if every part did (end its virtue immediately to the 

 poles, it were impoffible that any other pare whatfbever fhould 

 be Wronger then the polar part, feeing that the polar part had 

 the virtue even of that particular part, and of all the other parts 

 of the flonc befides, joyned in it iclf. 



This therefore is evident ; that the virtue of the loadftone go- 

 cth from end to end in parallele lines; unleflc it be in fuch ftones 

 as have their po-lar parts narrower then the reft of the body of 

 theflonccforin them the ftream will tend with ibme little decli- 

 nuion towards the pole, as it were by way of refra&ion } be- 

 caufe without the ftonc, the fluours from the pole of the earth 

 docoarft themfelves, and fo do thicken their ftream, to croud 

 into the ftone as (bon as they are fenfible of any emanations 

 from it, that being (as we have faid before) their readieft way 

 to pafle along : and within the ftone. the ftream doth the like ro 

 rrccr the advcnient ftream where it is ftrongcfi and thickefr ; 

 which is, at that narrow part of the ftoncs end, which is moft 

 prominent out. Ai 



