Of the Wonders of the Loads one, 199

the South point of -mother stone,and sticks fast to it,that is the North pointjind thatpoint the North part of another stone willingly joyns with,is the South point. Thefame allo miy be known by the driving off : That point that drives off com it, andrcfufeth the North part of the stone put against it, is the North point ; and the Southpoint, that drives from it the South point. And be that would have the true polemore exactly demonstrated, let him do thus: Put a li tie bit of a Loadstone, not muchgreater or lesser then a Millet-Seed, to the Loadstone; and if it presently draw it at adistance , and when it is drawn, it sticks fast and is hardly taken from it, it is anArgument of the true end whence that force proceeds. You may also draw abouta little bit about that point, to fee if it will draw weakly or strongly, and whetherit will part from that place of it self, or unwillingly. Briefly, That point that draw*with most force, and will hardly let loose what it hath attracted, is the true point ofattraction ; giving you to understand ,

T hat the sole fends tts force to the Circumference.

I have known it so, as from the Centre to the Circumference. And as the lightof a Candle is spread everyway, and enlightens the Chamber • and the fartherit is off from it, the weaker it faine--, and at too great a distance is lost ; and theneerer it is, the more cleerlv ir illuminates: so the force sties forth at that point •and the neerer it is, the more forcibly it attracts ; and the further off, themore faintly • and if it be set too far off, it vanifheth quite , and doth nothing.Wherefore for that we fasti fay of k , and mark it for, we shall call the length of itsforces the compass of its vertues.

Ch a p. XVI.

7 hat the force of drawing and driving off, can be kindred bj no hindrance .

B Ut this is above all wonder, that yon can never wonder so much as youshould, That the force of the stone for attraction and repelling , can be in-cluded in no bounds, can be hindered by nothing, or held back; but it will pene-trate invisibly, and will move and stir those stones that are sympathizing with ic,if they be put to it , and will exercise its forces, as if there were nothing be-tween : but this must be within the compass of its vertue : for if you hangsome Loadstone fitly upon a Table of wood, stone, or metal, or lying equallybalanced, an d you shall put your Loadstone under the Table, and stir it there , thevertue of it will pass from this body like a Spirit penetrating i he solid Table, andmove the stone above it, and stir it as it self is moved; as this moves, so moves that;and when this rests, that doth the fame. But if the Tab'e be made of Loadstoneor Iron, the vertue is hindred, and can do nothing : we shall faew the reasons of itin the ir proper places. Of lo many strange miracles in Nature, there is none morewonderful then this.

Chap. XVII.

Horv to make an Army of Sand to fight before you.

A Nd it is as pleasant as wonderful, that I faewed toeny Friends, who beheldon a plain Table an Army of Sand divided into the Right and Left Wings,fi bring, to the wonder of the Spectators: and many that were ignorant ofthe business, thought it was done by the help of the Devil. I pouned a Load-stone into powder, some very small, some fomthing gross: and I made some of littlebits, that they might better represent Troops of Horse,or Companies of Foot;so I set my Army here and there. The Wings were on the Right and Left, andthe main Body was in the middle, accompanied with Troops of Horse : under asmooth Table T put a very principal Loadstone with my Hand. When this was putthere, the Left Wing marched ; and on the Right Hand, with another stone, the