Bibliographical history of electricity & magnetism, chronologically arranged
History
Bibliographical history of electricity & magnetism, chronologically arranged
Electricity -- History; Electricity -- History -- Bibliography; Magnetism -- History; Magnetism -- History -- Bibliography; Science, Medieval
At pp. 64, 81 and 87 of Chap. II he says: “Neither is it onely true,
what Gilbertus first observed, that irons refrigerated North and
South acquire a directive faculty; but if they be cooled upright and
perpendicularly, they will also obtain the same.... Now this kind
of practice, Libavius, Gilbertus and lately Swickardus, condemn, as
vain and altogether unuseful; because a loadstone in powder hath no
attractive power; for, in that form, it omits the polarity and loseth
those parts which are the rule of attraction.... Glasse attracts but
weakely though cleere, some slick stones and thick glasses attract
indifferently; Arsenic not at all; Saltes generally but weakely, as Sal
Gemma, Allum and also Talke, nor very discoverably by any frication;
but, if gently warmed at the fire and wiped with a dry cloth, they will
better develop their Electricities.”
At Chapter XVII of the seventh book of the above-mentioned treatise,
Browne makes allusion to “the story of Frier Bacon that made a Brazen
Head to speak these words: “_Time is_....”
REFERENCES.--“Library of Literary Criticism,” Chas. Wells
Moulton, Vol. II. p. 339–345; “Fortnightly Review,” for Oct.
1905, pp. 616–626, “Sir Thomas Browne and his Family”; Edmund
Gosse, in the “English Men of Letters Series”; Browne’s “Letter”
inserted in the “Biographia Britannica,” also his entire works,
recognized as an encyclopædia of contemporary knowledge, and
which were published in four octavo volumes by Simon Wilkins,
F.S.A., London, 1836.
=A.D. 1653.=--In the third edition of “The Jewell House of Arte and
Nature,” by Sir Hugh Plat, originally published in 1594, and wrongly
attributed in Weston’s “Catalogue” to Gabriel Plattes, is to be found
the following allusion to the loadstone: “And though the adamant be the
hardest of all stones, yet is it softened with Goa’s blood and there
is a special antipathy between that and the loadstone, which is of the
colour of rusty iron, and hath an admirable vertue not onely to draw
iron to it self, but also to make any iron upon which it is rubbed to
draw iron also, it is written notwithstanding that being rubbed with
the juyce of Garlick, it loseth that vertue and cannot then draw iron,
as likewise if a Diamond be layed close unto it.”
This “special antipathy” of garlick, and of the diamond--whether or not
the latter be softened with Goa’s (goat’s) blood--is treated of very
fully by many other authors, notably:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account