201 Natural Magic k. ‘ Bool ^ y ,

diligence. You shall find it thus: cither hang up the iron, or balance it onaTa-ble, that it may presently leap to be embraced from them : then carry your Load-stone round about it - and when you fee the iron tremble, and run toward the Load-stone, touching it, that is the very point of attraction, and the beams of its vertueare sent round about from that point: wherefore, the farther from that point theIron is, the more faintly and weakly will it move; for the more forcible vertue nestsin the Centre, as in its Throne.

Chap. XXIII.

That the same Loadstone that drawsstoth on thee outs Ar) point drive off the iron,

T Hat no man might be deceived, thinking the Loadstone that draws iron, to bedifferent from that stone that drives it off; I tell him of it beforehand, and Ishall by experiments dissipate this cloud. Pliny faith, the Loadstone that draws ironto it, is not the fame with that which drives iron from it. And again, In the fameEthiopia, there is a mountain that produceth the stone Theamedes, that drives offiron, and rejecteth it. Pliny not knowing this, erred exceedingly,thinking that theywere two stones that bad these contrary operations , whereas it is but one and thefame stone, that by sympathy and similitude, draws the willing iron'to it; but withthe opposite part, by antipathy of Natures, it drives it off. And you may be easilyassured of this: sot let iron be balanced equally, and let one end of the Loadstonedraw it, if you turn the other end to it, it will flyback, and turn to the contrarypart: these points run in a right line through the middle of the stone. Yet observethis, that the iron which is drawn by one point of the Loadstone, or is within thecompass of its vertue for a while, obtains presently this vertue t that what is drawnby the one end of it, will be driven off by the other. You shall know these differ-ences of attraction more clearly by the following experiment.

Chap. XXIV.

Hew iron will he made leap upon a Table , no Loadstone being seen.

B Y reason of this consent and discord of the Loadstone, I use to make pretty sportto make my friends merry. For casting the iron on the Table, and not puttingany Loadstone neer it, that the spectators can fee,the iron will seem to move itself:which is very pleasant to behold. I do it thus: divide a needle in the middle, castone half of it upon the Table, but first rub the head of it with one end of the Load-stone. Put your hand with the Loadstone privately under the Table, and there wherethe head of the needle Iyeth , the Loadstone will stick, and the needle will presentlystand upright: and standing so, to the wonder of the beholders, will walk over theTable, and follow the motion of the hand that guides it: when it hath gone thus awhile , presently turn the stone upside down, and put the contrary part of the Load-stone to the needle, aud (which is strange^the needle will turn about: and if it wenton the head before,it will now go on the point; and draw your hand which way youwill, the needle will follow it: and if you turn the stone three or four times, puttingsometimes the south point, sometimes the north point of the stone to it, the needlewill turn as often,and sometimes stand onthehead, sometimes on the point upright,or walk so as you please; and sometime it will go with that part it stood upon,some-times it will stand on the part it went. I can present my friends with the fame sight,in a more strange manner: for if you put the two pieces of a needle upon a paper orTable, whereof one hath touched the north point, the other the south point ofthestone, I can so place two stones, that one of the needles shall go upon the head, theother upon the point; and sometimes one shall turn, then both atnnce, or they shalldance orderly, and move when any musickisplayd on. And this is a pretty sight tostrew your friends,that cannot but admire it.

Chap.