Of theJVondcrs of the Loadjlone. 195

Load-stone is sluggish in pointing rut the pole, whether in * stronger stoverubbed with the North point upon the N rth point of the weaker, can help icat all ; or if we shall rub the South point of the other on the Norch pointos this, wnether the North point rubbed on will be gone and become ti eSou b point, or continue in its former ver: ue ? Where we have not reason todirect us, experience shall prove it For let a Loadstone be of what forces an&pr .perries it may-be, by rubbing it against a Loadstone of leis vertue, it will neverJose any thing, but continues immutable ; and being left at liberty in its boat, itwill rurn yoluaratily to its own pole, and decline the contrary part. And thoughwe cannot find the clause of it, yet it seems not against reason; I fay, that in stonesof the lame kind, the greater stones have the greatest forces ; and when one load-stone si runbed against another, it will leave certain hairs, which are but the bruisedsmall parts of the stone, that stick like hairs, and these are they that lend force to i-ron and other things to attract, and to turn to the pole; but if the stone that is rob-bed and receives it be greater then thole hairs, it can never be that the gte ter ver-tue should be conquered by the less, alwayes the stones being of the lame kind,since che hairs have as it were no proportion to the magnitude of it. And as thehairs toihe stones magnitude arc insensible,so it is impossible that they can wrest cheforce of it to the contrary pole.

Chap. Vsls.

That a Loadfione will draw a Loadfiane i and drive it from it.

I Shall speak of the other operation of ir, which is of its attracting and repelling.

Tbi- is both admirable, and delightsome to behold with our eyes, and to considerin our mind, that the part of one Loadstone should so carefully search cut anotner,allure and attract ir, t enjoy its company, and to foster it in its bosom and again,another should be such an enemy to ir, that they are at mutual discord, lo that pat-ting their contrary ends together, the one will be so contrary to the other, and bate*; it were the force of it, that it will turn the contrary Way : namely, the Northpart of the one doth not indifferently draw any part of every other stone, but a di-stinct and certain part ■, nor doth it drive every part from si, but that part it natural-ly abhors, and cannot endure, as being contrary unro it, The North Dart of the onewill draw the South part o the other, and drive away from si the North part of thelame; and the Sourh part of this is not an enemy to the North part of the other,but co the South part of it. The fame will appear better by an example.

Let there be two stones ACD, and EBF: in the first stone let Abe the North pole, and the point G the South; in the stoneEFBlet the North part be H, the South B: 1 fay, if you put ttieSouth parr G.of the stone CAD, to the South part B, of thestone EFB,it will presently drive it from it. and the fame willhappen if you put the North pole A.to the Njrth pole G. A-gain,if you shew the North point A to the South point H, orthe South point B to the North point A, as being mutually a-greed, it will draw the part to it that is not agasijstjt. The rea-son of it I know; for since that the South part G, had formerlybeen fast to the North part H, when the parts are divided theyalwayes seek to unite again, to preserve the fame body, ^s Phi-losophers fay. But if the South point G had been fast with theSotithnoint B of another stone, B flies off presently, and departs from it; or ifyou shew the North point A, to the North point H, the fame will come to pass.; forthe" retuleone the other, because they did not so stand in their Mine. Here I shallconfute the error of and of his followers, who think that no other Load-stone hath this vertue but the stone of Ethiopia; but it is common to all Loadstones.Also, si is a sign, faith he,of che Ethiopian stone, because that will draw another

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