De magnete

Description

Thomas Aquinas[12], writing briefly on the loadstone in Chapter VII. of his Physica [lect. 3: "In local motion mover and moved must be together"], touches not amiss on its nature, and with his divine and clear intellect would have published much more, had he been conversant with magnetick experiments.

The Divine Thomas[155] does not differ much from him, when in the [7th book of his Physica lect. 3 no. 903 ¶2] he discusses the reasons of motions. "In another way," he says, "it may be said to attract a thing, because it moves it to itself by altering it in some way, from which alteration it happens that when altered it moves according to its position, and in this manner the loadstone is said to attract iron. For as the parent moves things whether heavy or light, in as far as it gives them a form, by means of which they are moved to their place; so also the loadstone gives a certain quality to the iron, in accordance with which it moves towards it."