In the works of art In this context, "art" refers to human craft or technology as opposed to nature it is proven; where a pot, crushed and calcined Reduced to powder by heat, and again mixed with moisture, formed into a pot and excellently coagulated, is made very hard and unconsumable by fire; because of which, craftsmen seek vessels made in this way when they melt metals. There is no other reason why bricks are said to be made only by art and not by nature. For if tenacious clay is mixed in the earth and afterward decocted Baked or "cooked" by the earth's internal heat by the heat enclosed in the earth, the brick becomes better in the earth through nature than through art; and this can happen especially near the shores of seas and the banks of rivers, because those places are frequently mixed with moisture and heated by the rays of the sun, and are solid for containing the heat within so it does not evaporate. In such sunlit places alone is this kind of impression original: "impressio," referring to the formation or "stamp" of the material found. For there would be no reason why art would place one brick next to another according to the order of a single line, building nothing further.

Chapter Eight: On certain stones having the images of animals inside and out.

Avicenna’s opinion on the images of animals in stones

It seems marvelous to all that some stones are found having the images of animals inside and out. For outside they have the outlines, and when they are broken, the figures of the internal organs are found in them. Avicenna A Persian polymath (c. 980–1037) whose works on medicine and philosophy were central to medieval European science says the cause of this is that animals, as a whole, are sometimes changed into stones, and especially into salty stones. For he says that just as earth and water are the material of stones, so too are animals the material of stones. When they pass into the elements in places where a "stone-making power" original: "vis lapidificativa" breathes, they are seized by the properties of the qualities in those places; the elements in the bodies of such animals are changed into the dominant earthy element—namely mixed with water—and then the mineral power converts them into stone, and the members retain their figures inside and out as before. However, such stones are frequently salty and not hard, because the power must be strong to thus transmute the bodies of animals, and this burns the earthy part somewhat in the moisture, thus generating a salty flavor. This is testified by the fable of the Gorgon Referring to Medusa, whose gaze turned men to stone, who is said to have turned those looking at her into stones. They called the strong mineral power "Gorgon," while the "looking at her" they call the disposition of the humors of the bodies toward the stone-making power. These, therefore, are the things that seemed necessary to say about stones in general.

Here begins the second book, which is about precious stones. Chapter one: on the causes of the powers of precious stones and the refutation of those who say there are no powers in stones.

Making our consideration of precious stones, we will not speak of the cause of their color, nor of their susceptibility to change, nor their hardness or anything of that sort, because all these were dealt with in the previous book as much as suffices for this purpose. But there are three things that must be investigated most especially: the cause of their power original: "virtutis," often translated as "virtue," referring to the inherent medicinal or magical property of a substance, their individual descriptions, and the seals original: "sigilla," referring to engraved images or naturally occurring patterns believed to hold power found depicted in some of them. Having these three, we do not seek to know more of the nature of stones through physics. However, the cause of the power of stones is very hidden, and many natural philosophers seem to have felt differently about it. Many also seem to doubt whether any power is in stones of those things that seem to be in them, such as curing carbuncles original: "antraces," likely referring to burning skin ulcers, driving away poisons, comforting the hearts of men, bringing victories, and such things, asserting that nothing exists in a compound except from the composition and the components. For such an operation as is said to be in stones is not caused by their components. From those components, nothing belongs to them except being hot, moist, hard, susceptible, and such things which are determined in their accidents. Furthermore, since living things are nobler than stones, they ought—as the doubters say—rather to have the powers attributed to stones than the stones themselves. These and similar arguments are used by those who claim that no stones possess powers. On the contrary, one thing has been experienced most wisely: for we see the magnet attract iron, and the diamond original: "adamantem" restrict that power in the magnet. Moreover, it has been experienced that some sapphires drive away carbuncles, and we have seen one such thing with our own eyes. This is also common knowledge among everyone, and it cannot be but that what is commonly said by everyone is true in whole or in part. There were also some who gave special powers to stones and said this was from the "soul" of the stones. These are some of the Pythagoreans; for they say this belongs to the soul alone, and not in one matter only, but it is extended from one into another through animal operations.
Pythagorean [school]

Just as a human extends the intellect to intelligible things and the imagination to imaginable things, so in this way they say the soul of one human or another animal goes out or enters into another, and fascinates In the sense of exerting a supernatural influence or "evil eye" it and hinders its operations. For this reason, they instruct those performing tasks to beware of and avoid the "fascinating eye." In this way also certain augurs say the hindrance and progress of works happens through the sight and hearing of certain birds or other beasts. These people, then, give souls to stones and claim those souls are extended to the natures attributed to stones. The school of the Pythagoreans, which
Democritus

Democritus followed in many things (who said stones have souls), dogmatizes that "all things are full of gods," as in his poems [Orpheus]
Orpheus

later sang. For Orpheus called the divine powers diffused in things "gods"; and he said God is nothing else but that which forms things, diffused through all things.