A.D. 1644.—Descartes (René), a prominent French philosopher and mathematician, publishes his “Principia Philosophiæ,” divided into four parts; the first giving an exposition of the principles of all human knowledge, the second treating of the principles of natural things, and the third and fourth parts developing his theory of vortices. His main idea was that a rush of subtle matter passes very rapidly through the earth from the equator towards each pole, being opposed by magnetic substances throughout its passage and that the sun is the centre of a vortex of an ethereal fluid, whose whirling motion produces the revolution of planets about the sun, or around the fixed stars. Moreover, as Noad states it, “the vortex moves with the greatest facility in a particular direction, one of its ends being always turned toward the north.”
One of the most prominent fellow-students of Descartes was Marin Mersenne, who joined the religious Order of “Minimes,” and who, after publishing in 1634 and 1639 “Les Mécaniques de Galilée” and “Nouvelles Découvertes de Galilée,” brought out, during the years 1644 and 1647, his well-known “Cogitata physico-mathematica,” which, Montucla says, contains un océan d’observations de toutes espèces ... and embraces a very interesting treatise on navigation besides many letters from leading scientists of that period not elsewhere to be found.
References.—“La grande Encyclopédie,” Vol. XXIII. pp. 730–731; Larousse, “Dict.,” Vol. XI. p. 94; “Biographie Générale,” Vol. XXXV. pp. 118–123; “The English Cyclopædia,” Vol. IV. p. 206; Alex. Chalmers, “Gen. Biog. Dict.,” London, 1811, Vol. XXII. pp. 81–83; “Biographie Universelle,” Vol. X. pp. 465–473; Whewell, “Hist. of the Ind. Sc.,” Vol. I. pp. 323, 328, 338, 339, 343, 354, 387, 423, 429, 430; Vol. II. p. 220; likewise pp. 320 and 390 of Vol. I. relative to Le Père Marin Mersenne and pp. 391 and 423 concerning the “Traité de Physique” of James Rohault; Playfair’s Fourth Dissertation in the eighth edition of the “Encycl. Britann.”; “Essai théorique ... des connaissances humaines,” par G. Tiberghien, Bruxelles, 1844, Vol. I. pp. 472–495; Dr. W. Windelband, “History of Philosophy,” New York, 1893, pp. 380–381, 391–396; Dr. F. Ueberweg, “History of Philosophy,” New York, 1885, Vol. II. pp. 41–55; Alfred Weber, “History of Philosophy,” translated by Frank Thilly, New York, 1896, pp. 305–323; Ruard Andala, “Descartes in reality the overturner of Spinosism and the architect of experimental Philosophy”; Erasmus Bartholinus, “De Cometis,” Copenhagen, 1664–1665 (“Biog. Univ.”; Weidler, p. 508) Mahaffy, 1880; Houzeau et Lancaster, “Bibl. Gen.,” Vol. II. for Descartes, p. 119, and for Mersenne, p. 204; “Journal des Savants” for Feb. 1826, p. 103, for Feb. 1827, p. 110, also for Aug.-Oct. 1850, Dec. 1860, Jan.-Feb. 1861, Oct.-Nov. 1869, Feb., April and July 1870, Mar.-April 1880, Aug. 1884, April 1898, Feb. 1899.
A.D. 1646.—Browne (Sir Thomas), an eminent English physician and writer, publishes the well-known treatise “Pseudodoxia Epidemica, or Inquiries into Vulgar and Common Errors,” which ran through six editions in twenty-seven years, and upon which his fame is principally established.
With regard to the possibility of such a magnetic telegraph as Strada speaks of he says (Book II. chap. iii.): “The conceit is excellent and, if the effect would follow, somewhat divine; whereby we might communicate like spirits, and confer on earth with Menippus in the moon. And this is pretended from the sympathy of two needles, touched with the same loadstone, and placed in the centre of two abecedary circles or rings, with letters described round about them, one friend keeping one and another keeping the other, and agreeing upon the hour when they will communicate, at what distance of place soever, when one needle shall be removed unto another letter, the other, by wonderful sympathy, will move unto the same.”
As the result of experiment, he found that “though the needles were separated but half a span, when one was moved the other would stand like the pillars of Hercules, and if the earth stand still, have surely no motion at all.... By electrical bodies,” he says, “I understand not such as are metallical, mentioned by Pliny and the ancients; for their electrum was a mixture made of gold, with the addition of a fifth part of silver; a substance now as unknown as true aurichalcum, or Corinthian brass, and set down among things lost by Pancirollus. Nor by electric bodies do I imagine such only as take up shavings, straws and light bodies, amongst which the ancients placed only jet and amber, but such as, conveniently placed unto their objects, attract all bodies palpable whatsoever. I say conveniently placed, that is, in regard of the object, that it be not too ponderous or any way affixed; in regard of the agent, that it be not foul or sullied, but wiped, rubbed and excitated; in regard of both, that they be conveniently distant, and no impediment interposed. I say, all bodies palpable, thereby excluding fire, which indeed it will not attract, nor yet draw through it, for fire consumes its effluxions by which it should attract.”
The different chapters of this second book treat of the loadstone, of bodies magnetical and electrical, of magnetical rocks and attractive mountains, and also make allusion to the cross on the church of St. John in Ariminium, to the reported magnetical suspension of Mahomet’s tomb, etc. etc.
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.