Dialogue. III.
367
Globe is Load-stone; but onely to shew that no reason could be given why one should be more unwilling to grant that it is of Load-stone,Our Globe would have been called stone, in stead of Earth, if that name had been giuen it in the beginning. than of some other matter. And if you will but seriously consider, you shall find that it is not improbable, that one sole, pure, and arbitrary name, hath moved men to think that it consists of Earth; and that is their having made use commonly from the beginning of this word Earth, as well to signifie that matter which is plowed and sowed, as to name this our Globe. The denomination of which if it had been taken from stone, as that it might as well have been taken from that as from the Earth; the saying that its primary substance was stone, would doubtlesse have found no scruple or opposition in any man. And is so much the more probable, in that I verily believe, that if one could but pare off the scurf of this great Globe, taking away but one full thousand or two thousand yards; and afterwards seperate the Stones from the Earth, the accumulation of the stones would be very much biger than that of the fertile Mould. But as for the reasons which concludently prove de facto, that is our Globe is a Magnet, I have mentioned none of them, nor is this a time to alledg them, and the rather, for that to your benefit you may read them in Gilbert; onely to encourage you to the perusal of them, I will set before you, in a similitude of my own,The method of Gilbert in his Philosophy. the method that he observed in his Philosophy. I know you understand very well how much the knowledg of the accidents is subservient to the investigation of the substance and essence of things; therefore I desire that you would take pains to informe your self well of many accidents and properties that are found in the Magnet,Many properties in the Magnet. and in no other stone, or body; as for instance of attracting Iron, of conferring upon it by its sole presence the same virtue, of communicating likewise to it the property of looking towards the Poles, as it also doth it self; and moreover endeavour to know by trial, that it containeth in it a virtue of conferring upon the magnetick needle not onely the direction under a Meridian towards the Poles, with an Horizontal motion, (a property a long time ago known) but a new found accident, of declining (being ballanced under the Meridian before marked upon a little spherical Magnet) of declining I say to determinate marks more or lesse, according as that needle is held nearer or farther from the Pole, till that upon the Pole it self it erecteth perpendicularly, whereas in the middle parts it is parallel to the Axis. Furthermore procure a proof to be made, whether the virtue of attracting Iron, residing much more vigorously about the Poles, than about the middle parts, this force be not notably more vigorous in one Pole than in the other, and that in all pieces of Magnet; the
stronger
