Chap. 21. A TrtAttfe if B O D I E S. *5 1 



there is no reifbn to defpair of finding out; would but men care- 

 fully apply themfelves to that work, upon folid principles and 

 with diligent experiences. 



Butbccaufcthis matter hath been very long, and fcatteringly u. 

 difTufed in many feverall branches ; peradventure it will not be J 

 difpleafing to the Reader to fee the whole nature of the load- i oa dftone 

 (lone dimmed up in (horr. Let him then caft his eyes upon one 

 efre& of it, that is very eafieto be tricd,and is acknowledged by 

 all writers ; though we hare not as yet mentioned it. And it is, 

 that a knife drawn from the pole of a loadftone towards the e- 

 quator,if you hold the point towards the pole, it gaineth a re- 

 fpe& to one of the poles : but contrariwife, if :hc point of the 

 knife be held towards the equator, and be thruft the fame way 

 it was drawn before fthat is,towards the equator) it gaineth a 

 refpeft towards the contrary pole. 



It is evidentoutof this cxpcrience,that the virtue of the load- 

 ftone is communicated by way of ftreams ; and that in it, there 

 are two contrary ftrcams: for otherwife the motion ofthe knife 

 this way or that way could not change the efficacity ofthe famo 

 parts ofthe loadftone. It is likewise evident, thatthefe contrary 

 ftreams do come from the contrary ends ofthe loadftone. As al- 

 fo that the virtues ofthe both are in every part ofthe ftone.Lik- 

 wife that one loadftone muft of neceflity turn certain parts of 

 it {elf, to certain parts of another loadftone ; nay that it muft 

 go and j'oyn to it, according to the laws of attraction which we 

 have above delivered : and confcquently, that they muft turn 

 their difagrceing parts away from one another; and fo one load. 

 ftoncfeemto fly from another, if they be fb applied that their 

 difagreeing parts be kept ftill next to one another : for in this 

 cafe, the difagreeing and the agreeing parts ofthe fame load- 

 ftone., being in the fame ftraight line-,one loadftone (eekingto 

 draw his agreeing part near to that part of the other loaaftonc 

 which agreeth with him, muft of neccflicy turn away his difa> 

 greeing parts to give way unto his agreeing part to approach 

 nearer. 



And thus you fee that the flying from one another of two 

 ends of two loadftones, which arc both of the fame denomina- 

 tion ( as for example, the two fouth ends,or the two north 

 ends) doth not proceed from a pretended antipathy between 



thofe 



