nd
cold, some special, effective, and predominant properties, strengthening,
directing, and moving the globe itself through its whole mass and its very
deepest vitals; nor did they ever inquire whether there were any such. For
this reason the crowd of philosophizers, in order to discover the reasons
of the magnetical motions, called up causes lying remote and far away. And
one man seems to me beyond all others worthy of censure, Martin Cortes,
who, since there was no cause which could satisfy him in the whole of
nature, dreamed that there was a point of magnetical attraction beyond the
heavens, which attracted iron. Peter Peregrinus thinks that the direction
arises from the poles of the sky. Cardan thought that the turning of iron
was caused by a star in the tail of the Great Bear; Bessard, the Frenchman,
opines that a magnetick turns toward the pole of the zodiack. Marsilius
Ficinus will have it that the loadstone follows its own Arctick pole; but
that iron follows the loadstone, straws amber; whilst this perhaps follows
the Antarctick pole--a most foolish dream. Others have recourse to I know
not what magnetick rocks and mountains. Thus it is always customary with
mortals, that they despise things near home, whilst foreign and distant
things are dear and prized. But we study the earth itself and observe in it
the cause of so great an effect. The earth, as the common mother, has these
causes inclosed in her innermost parts; in accordance with her rule, {117}
position, condition, verticity, poles, aequator, horizons, meridians,
centre, circumference, diameter, and the nature of the whole interior of
her substance, must all magnetical motions be discussed. The earth has been
ordered by the highest Artificer and by nature in such a way that it should
have parts dissimilar in position, bounds of the whole and complete body,
ennobled by certain functions, by which it might itself remain in a
definite direction. For just as a loadstone, when it is floated on water in
a suitable vessel, or is hung by slender threads in the air, by its
implanted verticity conforms its poles to the poles of the common mother in
accordance with magnetick laws; so if the earth were to deviate from its
natural direction and its true position in the universe, or if its poles
were to be drawn aside (if this were possible) toward the sun-rising or the
sun-setting or toward any other points whatsoever in the visible firmament,
they would return again to