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THE LOADSTONE. 319
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Mr.
Boyle (the Honble. Robert, 1662), " those great transactions which make
such a noise in the world, and establish monerchies, or ruine empires,
reach not so many persons with their influence as do the theories of
physiology. To manifest this truth we need but consider what changes in
the face of things have been made by two discoveries, trivial enough ;
the one being but of the inclination of the needle, touched by the
Loadstone, to point toward the pole ; the other being but a casual
discovery of the supposed antipathy between saltpetre and brimstone.
For, without the knowledge of the former, those vast regions of
America, and all the treasures of gold, silver, and precious stones,
and much more precious simples they send us, would have probably
continued undetected. And the latter, giving an occasional rise to the
invention of gunpowder, has quite alter'd the condition of martial
affairs over the world, both by sea and land."
The magnetic iron, of which the Loadstone consists, includes twenty-five per cent of the ferric protoxide.
"
The Loadstone," said Leonardus, 1502, " being carried about one cures
the cramp, and the .gout; likewise it reconciles wives to their
husbands, and husbands to their wives." " It makes a man gracious, and
persuasive, and elegant in his conversation." " Garlick binds up its
virtue. We can give no reason for this, since philosophers are ignorant
of any. Some call it the sacred stone, because of the virtues which the
Great Creator has given to it." Granting it to be true that Garlick
exercises some potential action on the Loadstone, this argues that far
from being altogether inanimate, the stone is subject to volatile
vegetable exhalations ; and it is fair to infer that, " pari passu,"
the stone can
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