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William Gilbert - De Magnete, De Mundo and selected extracts

Homepage . Albert Einstein . Isaac Newton . Rene Descartes . William Gilbert .......... Gilbert's De Magnete ......... General Image Theory

William Gilbert's 'De Magnete' was written in 1583 when there was little if any science and anything half scientific risked imprisonment or execution, so its publication was delayed until 1600 and many copies were sold with riskier parts like Book 6 cut out. Its two english translations were not done till about 300 years later, and even the translators admitted were very problematic. Some carefully selected extracts from the P.Fleury Mottelay translation can be read below - and more will be on here soon.

Gilbert's 'active matter' physics with its robot atoms emitting and responding to signals is very unlike other physics theories - and Newton successfully used its basics so maybe it is still not quite dead. (but it was bare-bones, and needing some addition)

William Gilbert's 'De Magnete' - P.Fleury Mottelay translation extracts.

That attractions are responses to signals and are not any form of pushing. (Book 2.2 pp.89-92)

And that amber does not attract the air is thus proved : take a very slender wax candle giving a very small clear flame ; bring a broad flat piece of amber or jet, carefully prepared and rubbed thoroughly, within a couple of fingers' distance from it ; now an amber that will attract bodies from a considerable radius will cause no motion in the flame, though such motion would be inevitable if the air were moving, for the flame would follow the current of air. The amber attracts from as far as the effluvia are sent out; but as the body comes nearer the amber its motion is quickened, the forces pulling it being stronger, as is the case also in magnetic bodies, and in all natural motion ; and the motion is not due to rarefaction of the air or to an action of the air impelling the body to take the vacated place ; for in that case the body would be pulled but not held, since, at first, approaching bodies would even be repelled just as the air itself would be: yet in fact the air is not in the least repelled even at the instant that the rubbed amber is brought near after very rapid friction. An effluvium is exhaled by the amber ....... A breath, then, proceeding from a body that is a concretion of moisture or aqueous fluid, reaches the body that is to be attracted, and as soon as it is reached it is united to the attracting electric; and a body in touch with another body by the peculiar radiation of effluvia makes of the two one: united, the two come into most intimate harmony, and that is what is meant by attraction. This unity is, according to Pythagoras, the principle, through participation, in which a thing is said to be one. For as no action can be performed by matter save by contact, these electric bodies do not appear to touch, but of necessity something is given out from the one to the other to come into close contact therewith, and be a cause of incitation to it.

and later (Book 2.2 pp.96-97)

The effluvia spread in all directions...... hold and take up straws, chaff, twigs, till their force is spent or vanishes; and then these small bodies, being set free again, are attracted by the earth itself and fall to the ground. The difference (distinction) between electric and magnetic bodies is this: all magnetic bodies come together by their joint forces (mutual strength); electric bodies attract the electric only, and the body attracted undergoes no modification through its own native force, but is drawn freely under impulsion in the ratio of its matter (composition). Bodies are attracted to electrics in a right line toward the centre of electricity: a loadstone approaches another loadstone on a line perpendicular to the circumference only at the poles, elsewhere obliquely and transversely, and adheres at the same angles. The electric motion is the motion of coacervation of matter ; the magnetic is that of arrangement and order. The matter of the earth's globe is brought together and held together by itself electrically. The earth's globe is directed and revolves magnetically; it both coheres and, to the end it may be solid, is in its interior fast joined.

Magnetism is by speed of light or faster signals. (Book 2.7 pp.123-124)

The magnetic force is given out in all directions around the body; around the terrella it is given out spherically; around loadstones of other shapes unevenly and less regularly. But the sphere of influence does not persist, nor is the force that is diffused through the air permanent or essential; the loadstone simply excites magnetic bodies situate at convenient distance. And as light - so opticians tell us - arrives instantly in the same way, with far greater instantaneousness, the magnetic energy is present within the limits of its forces; and because its act is far more subtile than light, and it does not accord with non-magnetic bodies, it has no relations with air, water, or other non-magnetic body; neither does it act on magnetic bodies by means of forces that rush upon them with any motion whatever, but being present solicits bodies that are in amicable relations to itself. And as a light impinges on whatever confronts it, so does the loadstone impinge upon a magnetic body and excites it. And as light does not remain in the atmosphere above the vapors and effluvia nor is reflected back by those spaces, so the magnetic ray is caught neither in air nor in water. The forms of things are in an instant taken in by the eye or by glasses; so does the magnetic force seize magnetic bodies. In the absence of light bodies and reflecting bodies, the forms of objects are neither apprehended nor reflected ; so, too, in the absence of magnetic objects neither is the magnetic force imbibed nor is it again given back to the magnetic body. But herein does the magnetic energy surpass light, - that it is not hindered by any dense or opaque body, but goes out freely and diffuses its force every whither.

Magnetism and gravity involve signals that are more penetrating than electric charge signals. (Book 2.16 pp.135-136)

On the other hand, in all the bodies that have a material cause of attraction (eg. amber, jet, sulphur) action is hindered by interposition of a body (as paper, leaves, glass etc.). and the way is obstructed and blocked so that that which is exhaled cannot reach the light body that is to be attracted. But coition and movement of the earth and the loadstone, though corporeal hinderances be interposed, are shown also in the efficiencies of other chief bodies that possess the primary form. The moon, more than the rest of the heavenly bodies, is in accord with the inner parts of the earth because of her nearness and her likeness of form. The moon causes the movement of the waters and the tides of ocean ; makes the seashore to be covered and again exposed twice between the time she passes a given point of the heavens and reaches it again in the earth's daily rotation : this movement of the waters is produced and the seas rise and fall no less when the moon is below the horizon and in the nethermost heavens, than when she is high above the horizon. Thus the whole mass of the earth, when the moon is beneath the earth, does not prevent the action of the moon; and thus in certain positions of the heavens, when the moon is beneath the horizon, the seas nearest to our countries are moved, and, being stirred by the lunar power (though not struck by rays nor illumined by light), they rise, approach with great impetus, and recede. Of the reason of this we will treat elsewhere : suffice it here just to have touched the threshold of the question. Hence, here on earth, naught can be held aloof from the magnetic control of the earth and the loadstone, and all magnetic bodies are brought into orderly array by the supreme terrene form, and loadstone and iron sympathize with loadstone though solid bodies stand between.

Magnetism involves signals similar to light. (Book 5.11 pp307)

As in many other demonstrations, so in this most indisputable diagram of the forces magnetical effused by the form, we grasp the true efficient cause. And this (the form), though it is subject to none of our senses and is therefore less perceptible to the intellect, now appears manifest and visible before our very eyes through this formal act, which proceeds from it as light proceeds from a source of light.

Bodies respond to magnetic signals automatically and not by temperament (Book 2.3 pp.102)

For of what use can temperament be in magnetic movements that are calculable, definite, constant, comparable to the movements of the stars

Bodies need no senses or thoughts to respond to signals (Book 5.12 pp.311-312)

The human soul uses reason, sees many things, investigates many more ; but, however well equipped, it gets light and the beginnings of knowledge from the outer senses, as from beyond a barrier - hence the very many ignorances and foolishnesses whereby our judgments and our life-actions are confused, so that few or none do rightly and duly order their acts. But the earth's magnetic force and the formate soul or animate form of the globes, that are without senses, but without error and without the injuries of ills and diseases, exert an unending action, quick, definite, constant, directive, motive, imperant, harmonious, through the whole mass of matter .... Yet these movements in nature's founts are not produced by thoughts or reasonings or conjectures, like human acts, which are contingent, imperfect, and indeterminate, but connate in them are reason, knowledge, science, judgement, whence proceed acts positive and definite from the very foundations and beginnings of the world

Planets rotate and orbit in response to signals (Book 6.4 pp.333-334)

The earth therefore rotates, and by a certain law of necessity, and by an energy that is innate, manifest, conspicuous, revolves in a circle toward the sun; through this motion it shares in the solar energies and influences; and its verticity holds it in this motion lest it stray into every region of the sky. The sun (chief inciter of action in nature), as he causes the planets to advance in their courses, so, too, doth bring about this revolution of the globe by sending forth the energies of his spheres - his light being effused .... So the earth seeks and seeks the sun again, turns from him, follows him, by her wondrous magnetical energy. ..... And such are the movements in the rest of the planets, the motion and light of other bodies especially urging. .... Thus each of the moving globes has circular motion, either in a great circular orbit or on its own axis or in both ways.

Bodies mutually attract in proportion to their mass (De Mundo....)

"The force which emanates from the moon reaches to the earth, and, in like manner, the magnetic virtue of the earth pervades the region of the moon: both correspond and conspire by the joint action of both, according to a proportion and conformity of motions, but the earth has more effect in consequence of its superior mass ; the earth attracts and repels the moon, and the moon, within certain limits, the earth ; not so as to make the bodies come together, as magnetic bodies do, but so that they may go on in a continuous course."

You can read the full original Latin 1651 De Mundo online, through the excellent Max Plank Institute and ECHO (European Cultural Heritage Online) - Gilbert's De Mundo.

Translating Gilbert's 'De Magnete' and 'De Mundo'.

At school myself having English as a first language and moving to concentrating on science, the other languages that I was taught were Gaelic, French, Scientific German, Scientific Russian, Scientific Greek and Scientific Latin.

Translating fiction literature must prioritise an attempt to conserve writing style as well as meaning, and for old literature this will often involve conserving the flavour of the period in which that fiction literature was written.

But translating an original scientific work has to prioritise conserving its science meaning, so that writing style and period flavour must be a very secondary concern.

The few late translations of Gilbert's two Latin works to date have unfortunately been done more like translations of fiction literature, losing much of its science meaning. Even their titles are poorly translated as in De Magnete's physiologia being translated as 'philosophy' or 'physiology' when it should translate as 'natural science'.

Gilbert noted in its preface that he was assigning new specific scientific meanings to some words, and one of the chief words of his science is the word 'effluvia'. The only use of the word effluvia in science today is as meaning 'waste emissions', but Gilbert certainly never used it with that meaning. It is generally not translated, but in translating Gilbert's science effluvia does need to be translated as 'signal emissions' since natural magnetic, electric and gravitational signal emissions is clearly what Gilbert uses effluvia to signify in his physics.

Translations of Gilbert also do not seem to consistantly translate his 'magnetic' and 'magnetical' correctly, it seeming that magnetum and magnetis are 'magnetic' while magneticum, magneticis and magnetica(e) are 'magnetical'. The only recorded English known of Gilbert is one letter to William Barlow that included calling Johannes Sagredo "a great magnetical man" though Sagredo was just a great patron of Galileo and his gravity motion science studies. While his use of 'magnetic' is simple as involving actual magnetism, his use of 'magnetical' seem to cover a broad range of meaning from magnetism-related to magnetic-like to include magnetism, electricity and gravity at least to maybe physical-science-like or Gilbert-theory-like.

Gilbert coined the science term Electricity which stuck in physics and so needs no translation, but some of his terms like 'coition' have not stuck and so have no physics meaning now but still are not translated. Gilbert's coacervationis gets translated as the meaningless 'coacervation' when it should be 'aggregation', and his coition should be 'mutual aggregation'. Gilbert is almost impossible to study for any modern physics student or physicist, and does really need some good science translation.

(Gilbert used some philosophy words of his time problematically, like maybe form, anima and spirit, sometimes maybe as new science terms but sometimes maybe with their philosophy meanings, so translation of some terms in Gilbert's works must remain uncertain. Few clarifications exist from Gilbert outside his two published works, but it may be worth noting his contemporary Francis Bacon in Advancement of Learning 1605 - "When we speak of forms, we mean nothing else but those laws and determinations of the pure act which sets in order and constitutes a simple nature. The form of heat and the law of heat are the same thing.")

SOME QUESTIONS.

When some assign eg 'gravitational potential energy' to a body, it may be asked what is the gravitational potential energy of a stationary body half way between two planets of equal mass ?

In any gravity theory where bodies are accelerated by external particle momentum being added to them (as from Descartes ether motion) or by external field energy being added to them (as from Maxwell/Einstein fields) them assigning 'gravitational potential energy' to bodies seems purely notional and not actually existing in the body but only existing externally ? An external energy source might or might not then add such energy as kinetic energy, and itself lose some energy to the body ?

But in a gravity theory where bodies accelerate themselves by emitting or converting part of their own mass in response to signals (as a William Gilbert style active-matter theory) then gravitational potential energy actually does exist in the body itself and none exists externally ? Then gravitational acceleration would involve a body losing some energy to its environs, unless signals triggered an endothermic reaction drawing energy fron the environs ?

And if total energy is given by E=Mc2 then body mass when a body is gravitationally accelerated, increases with an external energy theory but decreases with an active-matter theory ?

PS. You might want to buy Gilbert books in our USA Gilbert books or UK Gilbert books sections.

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