f iiio ) 
and a PJaufibfe Praeme to th$ Invention ^ill a better claim 
do appear.) For, ia the ctife of New Inventio?ts^ when they 
come abroad, they commonly take their Names, from 
vvh?nce the Invention idelf is taken. 
And where Inventiofjs creepin by degrees, it muft not be 
thought ftrange, if it be not eafie to fay, who is the Firjl 
Invent er. 
In the prefent cafe 5 He who firft obferved (I know not 
by what Accident) that the Magnet hath a Polarity, or In- 
clination Northward, made thQ. Firji Step towards this Iti» 
vention. This f I. think ) was at firft wont to be (hewed, 
by putting a Magnet into a little Boar, fwimraing on Wa- 
ter, when it was obferved, that this Magnet would of it 
felf fo fteer this little Boat, as that a certain Point in the 
Magnet would ( if not laindered ) turn toward the North. 
■ Which Point was thereupon called the Msi^nets North Pole. 
He that afterward' obferved, that this Verticiry, or Pola- 
rity, was communicable to a piece of Iron or Steel, rubbed 
onaMagnet,added a further ftep toward the bufinefsinhand. 
And he who contrived a way to fet a Needle or piece of 
Steel (fo touched) on a iharp Pin, do as (in the Air) to 
move Horizontally thereon, fo as (ot itfelt) to find out the 
North, and Point toward it, as (before) the Swimming 
Magnet (in its Boat) had done on the Water 5 had now 
difcovered a New. Experiment, in Natural Philofophy, ve- 
ry furprizing. 
But this cannot yet be called Crcnlus Nauticus (or the 
Mariners Compafs^ J till tliey had further contrived a way, 
how-to put a Needle ( thus poifed J into a Boxj with a 
Compafs or Circle round it^ fo divided as to denote the 
Azimuthal Points of the Horizon, (or, as they be now cal- 
led, ih^ Points of the Compafs ) and fo commodioully to 
fix this Box ffo prepared ) to the Ship, as thereby to in- 
ftruft the Mariner (or Steers man) toward whit Point of 
the Compafs the Ship moved 5 that ( by the help of the 
Rudder) he might put it into fuch a courfe, as was pro- 
per 
