The above-named work of Van Helmont was “translated, illustrated and ampliated,” in 1650 by Dr. Walter Charleton, physician in ordinary to King Charles I, under the name of “A Ternary of Paradoxes.” From its interesting contents, we make the following extracts: _Page 10._ “A loadstone placed upon a small trencher of wood, floating on water, does instantly in one determinate point _australize_, and in the other _septentrionate_ ... all which various and admirable effects of the loadstone, thou maiest, if thy judgement relish them, finde made good by multiplyed observations, by William Gilbert, not many yeers past, a physician in London, in his book, ‘De Magnete’: of which subject no man ever writ more judiciously or experimentally: and by whose industry the variation of the compasse may be restored....” _Page 12._ “There is a book imprinted at Franekera, in the year 1611, by Vldericus Dominicus Balck, of the _Lamp of Life_. In which you shall finde, out of Paracelsus, the true magneticall cure of most diseases, as of the Dropsie, Gout, Jaundice, etc.” _Page 15._ “Doth not the needle of the Mariner’s Compasse, through a firme glasse, closely sealed up with melted soder (in which there can be no pore or crany discovered) steer it self to the Artick pole? ... wherefore the same numericall _accident_ streaming in one continued _radius_ from the loadstone into the _aer_, passes through the glasse, and perhaps goes as farre as to touch the pole it self....” _Page 38._ “Wherefore the loadstone owes its polarity to a natural inhærent faculty, flowing from its owne seminall entity, and not to any forreigne alliciency, or attractive influx transmitted from the north star. But that otherwise the loadstone may, by its own instinct, be elevated towards the Zenith, we have upon ocular demonstration found it true, by a certain instrument invented by Guilielme Guilbert (the glory of which excellent invention Ludovicus Fonseca hath lately endeavoured to ravish) ... which by the spontaneous elevation of the loadstone in a brasse ring suspended by a thread or small wier, shews not only the latitude but also the altitude of the pole, in all places of the earth.” Page 39. “... the loadstone is endued with a _domestick pilot, a directive faculty_, which guides it to some determinate place, but is not at all attracted by the pole.”