Some other ways of Secret Writing.

1.IF you take fome Salalmonack, beaten to Powder, and steeped in Vinegar, and write what you please therewith upon White Paper, letting it be thorough dry, and nothing will be difcerned, but hold the Paper a little while against the Fire, and you fhall fee all that was written, as black as if it had been written with InkIf you write with the Juice of Limon it will do the fame.

II. Take good Roach-Allumb, and boyl (or diffolve) it in fair Water till it be very strong, then write therewith upon Venice; or (thin Paper) what you please, fo that when it is thorough dry, nothing will be feen: But take the written Paper, and draw it through a Bason of fair Water, till it be thoroughly wet, and then what you writ will appear as if it were written with White upon the wet Paper.

III. If you write with Urine, Milk, or fuch other Glutinous Moifture, and when it is dry, throw fine Afkes or Duft thereupon, rubbing softly upon the Writing, the Words or Letters will appear-----Alfo if you write upon the Back of your Hand (or any part of your Body) with Urine, take fome Paper and burn it, and with the Ashes of the Paper rub the Writing over, and it will be very legible upon your Hand or Body.

2

RECREATIONS

Magnetical.

CHAP. I.

Of the Magnet or Load-ftone; And of Experiments performed thereby.

I'

I. Of the Name.

T is called Load-ftone, or a Leading Stone, eft enim Lapis cujus ducto naute curfum inftituunt: In the Germain Tongue it is called Seil-Steen In Low-Dutch, Segel-Stein: i. e. Lapis Navigationes. Magnet-Stein: In French Aimánt: In Spanish Tmán: In Italian, Magneté, Magnefa: In Latin Magnes, Magnefius: In Greek μxyvis μayvйris, à Magnete Inventore. But Lucretius writeth that its name is Derived from the Countrey Magnesa:

The Greeks do call it Magnes from the Place;

For that the Magnets Land it did Embrace.

Plato faith, fome call it Lapis Heraclius, from the Name of Heraclea, a City of Lydia, where it was firft difcovered; and upon the fame account the Touch-ftone is called Lapis Lydia. Theophraftes calleth it Herculeum for the fame Reafon; and others take it from Hercules: Nicander and Pliny, think it fo called from one Magnes, a Shepherd; for it is reported that he found it by chance, his Hob nail'd Shooes and Crook, fticking faft to it, as he was feeding his Flock in Indea. Others call it Siderites, which in Greek fignifies Iron. By us it is called Load-ftone, alluding to the Two Stars in the Tail of the Celestial Bear, called Helice and Cynofma, which were ancientiy called the Load-ftars, or Leading-Stars ; and this Stone performing the Office of thofe Stars, taketh its Name of Lead, or Load-ftone.

II. VVhere thefe Stones are found, and of their Colour, Weight and Force.

They are found in divers parts of the World, and most commonly in Iron- Mynes: Of them there are divers forts, differing one from another in Colour, Weight, and Force in attraction; but all of them agree in Property.

1. The best of thefe Stones come out of Eaft India, from the Coafts of China and Belgana. They are of an Iron, or Sanguine Colour, Maffy and Weighty. Some of them will attract, or lift up not much above their own weight, but others (well Capt and ordered) will take up five, ten, and fome twenty times their own weight, and thefe (being but rarely found) are fold for their weight in Silver in India, where they grow.

2. There are fome found in Arabia, and the Red Sea, which grow broad and flat, like a Paving-Tile. They are of a Reddish Coloar, and are not fo weighty as thofe which grow in China, but their Vertue near as good, and will continue long upon a Needle touched on them.

3. Some of thefe Stones are found in the Levant, in the Inland called Elba, near Parta Feraro, and are there called Calamita Preta, or Black Magnets; Thele have no great Force, neither doth the Vertue they infufe laft long.

4. There are others of a White Colour, and fpungy, like an Honey-Comb, found In High Albany; they are lighter, but their Vertue is ftronger than the Black ones before spoken of.

5. Of thefe Stones fome are found at Long-found, in the Iron-Mines in Norway, their Colour Black, mixed with Grey, but of an indifferent Force.

6. Some there are found in the Mines of Carraca, and Cantabria, in Spain; Others in Bohemia; and fome in the Weft of England.

CHAP. II.

That the whole Globe of the Earth bath true Magnetical Vertue; Proved by Experiment.

1. Take any Piece of solid Earth, that hath fome toughness to hold together, and will abide the Fire (as Brick, or Tobaccopipe-Clay) fashion it in fuch fort that it be uniformly extended towards both ends (the Oval Figure will be very fit for this purpose) put it into a Charcole Fire, increafing the Heat by little and little, and with often blowing make it thoroughly red hot; Let it remain fo for half an hour or more, that all fuperfluous moisture, and adverfe qualities may thereby be confumed and feparated from it: Then take it forth, and let it cool of it felt, being laid upon a Meridian-line first drawn upon a Free-Stone elevated according

F 2

to

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to the Latitude of the place: And then it is certain, that this piece of Earth thus ordered, will fenfibly fhew you that it hath true Magnetical Vertue. For one end of a Magnetical Needle will covet towards one end of this prepared Mass of Earth, and fly from the other: And that End which cooled toward the South, will draw the true North End of the Needle; and that end which cooled towards the North, will draw the true South end of the Needle. And for a farther infallible argument, do thus: Mark (with a piece of Chalk, or the like) what end of the Mafs drew the North end of the Needle, and put it into the Fire again; and when it hath been glowing hot half a quarter of an hour, take it out and cool it,, being placed with that marked end towards the North; and that end now will draw the South end of the Needle, and the North end of the Needle will fhun it, which before approached unto it.

That Magnetical Vertue may be infused into a Needle, without the help of a Load-Stone.

IR Ron being a Mineral of the Earth, and having a Sympathetical Quality with the Loadstone, acquiring this Verticity from the Magnetism of the Earth; as in Bars of Windows which have been of long continuance : Take fucha Bar, and file both the ends thereof very fmooth; then take a fmall Needle, and touch it thereupon, the South end of the Needle upon the North (or upper) end of the Bar, and the North end of the Needle upon the South (or lower)end of the Bar: Such a Needle you will find to have refpect, and conform it self to the magnetical Meridian of the Earth.

I.

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Of the Attractive Virtue of the Loadstone.

you apply a piece of Iron to either of the Poles of a Load ftone, it will here hold it, and at a distance will also draw, or attract a fmall piece of Iron, according to the Vigor or Indebility of the Stone. 2. Whatsoever strength a Stone hath, it may be artificially improved to be greater, by applying two fmooth and bright pieces of Iron to cither Pole of the Stone, unto which Irons, the Stone will immediately impart its Vigour; And the Stone by this means will become far more vigorous than it was before these Irons were applied to its Poles, and bound thereto by Brass Hoops or Bands, which is called Capping of a Loadflone.

3. A Piece of Steel having received strength from the Stone, that will alfo attract another piece of Steel to it, in proportion as the Virtue the firft piece hath received from the Stone. For if you touch a Knife (being clean) upon the Stone, that Knife shall take up a Key, or other bright piece of Iron of two Ounces weight: And that within the Sphere of the Stones activity, fhall deliver the virtue into another piece of Iron, caufing the two pieces of Iron to hang one to another.

CHAP. V.

Of the Sympathetical and Antipathetical Property of the Load-Stone.

1.

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Hen a Needle is touched upon a Load Stone, the North and South ends of this Needle will apply themselves to the Poles from whence they received their Magnetical Life, viz. the North end of the Needle to the North end of the Stone, and the South end of the Needle to the South end of the Stone; which denotes their mutual Sympathy:

2. But putting the North end of the Stone, to the South end of the Needle, when it hangs upon a Pin, the South end of the Needle will immediately fly away; and if you put the South end of the Stone, to the North end of the Needle, it will there discover the Antipathetical Nature; for it will fly away from it.

3. But a contrary Operation there is yet in the two Needles to that of the Stone: For if one of the Needles being hung upon a Pin, if you apply the North end of the other Needle, to the North end of that upon the Pin, it fhall immediately fly away, which denotes a contrary operation in the Needle, to that of the Stone; and the South end of the one, will come to the North end of the other.

4. The fame Property of Sympathetical Coition, and Antipathetical Repulfion, may be alfo difcovered by two Load ftones, floating in two little Boats in a Bafon of Water, the two Poles of either Stone being difpofed parallel to the Horizon: And if you put the two South-Poles together, they fhall avoid the contact of one another by a natural Antipathy; But if the North-Pole of one, be direct to the South-Pole of the other, they will immediately manifeft their natural Sympathy one to another, and will cleave together by a strong attraction.

5. This is alfo evident between the great Magnet the Earth, and a Load-ftone; For if you put a Load-ftone in a firing, and hang it up in the Air; or to float in the Water in a Wooden-Dish, and putting the North end of the Small- Magnet, towards the North of the Great Magnet the Earth, it fhall immediately change its Pofition, and turn its North Pole towards the South Pole of the Great Magnet.

CHAP.