( ?i8 ) 
Timents, amongH; other Thoughts the above-mentioned 
came into my Mind, That Iron, not having any fixed Po- 
larity at all, might (if it moved tenderly enough) con- 
form its Ends to the magnetical Meridian ; which at 
length put me on making fuch Needles as aredefcribed 
ill the Beginning, of which either Sort anfwered my 
Expectations abovementioned. Afterwards I touched 
•one of the firfi: Sort of Needles (defcribed Pracogn. 
jth-i whofe Length was x I Inches, and Weight and 
6>,ij) on a Piece of tranfient Iron (made for Ar- 
mour of a Magnet) which meafured in Inches each 
Side of the broad plated Part about 1 1 , the parallelo- 
piped Part in Length x, and in Breadth (equal to its 
lliicknefs) x. So its whole Length was full 3 Inches 
and 8. Its Weight 7f(^was5iij 31). This held with 
its Length direded in the magnetical Line, gave the 
faid Needle Vertue enough to viorate about four times 
in one Minute. I held the Needle, while touching, 
in an horizontal Situation, with its North End direded 
towards the North, and placing its Middle about the 
Top of the Iron, drew it along Southward: Likewife 
placing its Middle about the Bottom of the faid Iron, 
I drew it Northward, that the South End might be 
touched as well as the North. I afterwards touched 
it my new Way (hereafter mentioned) with the faid 
Piece of Armour, and a fmall Piece of tranfient Iron, 
which made it vibrate about fix times, and I believe 
it would have made more Vibrations, had the Needle 
been hardened Steel. 
Having no other than a fmall Loadflone of a very 
irregular Shape, I was loath to diminifli it enough to 
bring it into a tolerable Figure to receive Armour, 
but did only grind a little Place plain at each Pole, 
where 
