Cause Principle Unity

On magic
well disposed to become flames or to be nourishment for fire), and the
upper flame then rapidly descends to re-ignite the lower lamp. This is also
found in the small flames of torches. To avoid being extinguished by moisture
absorbed from the environment, they clearly are attracted to flammable
materials located nearby, and they clearly are attracted to a larger flame
either in a straight line or indirectly by jumping or leaping across.
And thus it happens that the overpowered parts of iron are attracted by
some type of power or quality (although not all activities in such natural,
composite things are due to active and passive qualities); even though this
happens sometimes by necessity, that is not the rule. The fact that this
attraction is caused by the outflow of parts from such bodies also indicates
that when a magnet or amber is rubbed, it attracts iron or straw much more
strongly. For the heat causes more parts to be emitted, since it opens the
pores and rarefies the body.
From this, it is clear that a similar explanation is to be given of how
rhubarb attracts choleric humours from the extremities and surface parts
of animals to their intestines, when it has sufficient power, that is, when it
is not so strong as to be expelled by nature before it acts, nor so weak as only
to move the humours and not attract them.
In magnets and similar things, the attractive force and power is not due
to an active or passive quality, in the commonly-used sense of a kind of action
or passion, as is found in the four elements. A sign of this is that when a
piece of iron touches a magnet, it acquires the same power of attracting
other pieces of iron. This could not happen if this were due to an elementary
quality. For when heat and coldness are accidentally present in a subject,
they quickly disappear when the source of heat is removed. Therefore,
one must explain this in terms of the emission of parts or of a spiritual substance
which flows from the magnet into the iron. It is difficult to imagine
any other or even a similar cause of these effects. Also from this perspective,
which is fully self-consistent, it is easy to evaluate the various fantasies
and dreams which others have mentioned as the causes of this attraction.
This same explanation and cause accounts for the fact that diamonds are
said to block such an attraction, and similar types of explanation account
for various other things. For the outflow of a specific power can weaken
another power, or actuate and sharpen certain other powers. Thus, it is said
that diamonds confer magnanimity on those who wear them.
It is not easy to explain why magnetic attraction occurs at the pole of the
earth, especially if what some say is not true, namely, that in that region
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