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And by this difcourfc we difcovcr likewifc another errour of 10. 

 them th imagine the loadftone hath a fphere of acVrvhy round g^g^a 

 about it. equall on all fides ; that is, perfectly (nhericall, ifche -J Pjjfl'y 

 flone be fphcricall.Which clearly is a miflaken fpccttfcumu : for .j^ 1 ^ 

 nature having fo ordered all her agents that where the flrengrh flone bsfeefc. 

 is oreateft,thcrc the adion muft (generally fpwUng) extend it 

 felffurtheft off- and it being acknowledged that the loadftone 

 hath ereateft ftrength in its poles and leal* in the equator ; it 

 muft of neceffity follow, that it worketh further by irs poles, 

 then by its equator. And confcqnemly, it is importable chat us 

 fpherc ofaftivity ftiouM be perfedly fphcricall. 



Nor doth Gabeos his experience move us to_conceirc the load 

 ftone hath a neater ftrength to retain an iron la:d upon it by n 

 equator,thcnby its poles : for to juflifie his atfemon, beftottW 

 have tried it in an iron wyre that were <o fnort as the poles 

 could not have any notable operation upon the ends of it ; fince 

 otherwife,the force of retaining it will be attributed to the poies 

 (according to what we have above deli vercd)& not to the equator 



Theeiohth pofuion is.that the intention of nature in all t.,e 

 operation's of the loadftone.is to make an union betwixt the at- 

 traaive and the attraaed bodies. Which is evident out of the 

 flicking of them together: as alfo out of the violence wherewith ^E*,";^ 

 iron cometh to a loadftonejwhich when it is drawn by a power- bj*j 

 full on- is fo^reat, that through the force of the Wow hitting traac d bodies, 

 the ftone.it v&l rebound back again, and then fall again to the 

 done: and in like manner a needle upon a pmne, if a loadttone 

 be fet near it, turnr.h with fo great a force towards the pole c 

 the ftone, that it goeth beyond it, and coming backsgain, the 

 celerity wherewith it moveth msketh it retire it felf too far on 

 the ether fide; and fo by nrmv undulations, at the bft it cometh 

 to reft direaiy oppofiteto tlie pole. Likewife, by the declmati- 

 on-by means of which, the iron to the Hone, or the ftone to the 

 C3rh%nroacheth in fiich a dr^ofition as is mofr convenient to 

 joynthedue ends together. And laflly, oct of the flying away 

 ofche contrary ends from one another : which clearly is to no 

 other nurpofe,but that the due ends may come together. And m 

 orncrall.thcrc is no doubt but ones going ro another, is i nftiti 

 ted by the order of nature for their coming together, & ror then 

 being together, -whit* is but a F etfe7erance of their earning _to- 



i 1 tie 



.gctlct. 



The intention 

 ?% 

 of the load- 



