( ii6 ) 
faintly turn thither ; and if that End is not fuffered to 
remain fo too loner, then the other End, placed neareft 
to the North, will turn thither as the firfl: did. In 
trying this Experiment, I foinetimes found, that when 
the Needle had refted in the Meridian only a few Mi- 
nutes, it gained a perceptible permanent Vertue, fo 
that its other End would not be attradled to the mag- 
netical North, unlefs it was placed conliderably 
nearer thereto than 1 had placed the firfl End ; and 
having fo flood fome Time, lofl again thefaid inchoate 
Permanency, and received Polarity, the contrary Way. 
Once, while I dined, and fat but a little Time after, I 
could not make the End which I left towards the South, 
to fland towards the North, unlefs I placed it very true 
in the Meridian j fo that I was forced to free it again 
from Magnetifin before I could ufe it to repeat the 
fame, or try the following Experiment ^ for the leafl 
Fixednefs of Polarity in the Needle would more or lefs 
obflrud both. 
At the magnetical Eafl or Wefl of the Needle’s Pin, 
fo nice as I could guefs it, I held at a great Diflance, 
either the South Pole of a Loadftone, or lower End 
(which is the South Pole) of an ereded Bar (both of 
them anfwered alike) and gradually approached it 
nearer, in a dired Line, toward the Pin, until it began to 
attrad the Needle, which I obferved was as I expeded 
at the South End : I then changed the Ends of the 
Needle, and gradually approached the South Pole of 
a Magnet as before, and conflantly found it to attrad 
that End which was toward the South , and the 
North Pole of the Magnet, after the fame manner, would 
attrad the North End of the Needle when it had only 
tranfient Vertue. 
I re* 
