Three Books on Life

A dry soul is the wisest. original: "sicca anima sapientissima." A famous aphorism attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, suggesting that a soul free from the "moisture" of base passions is more intellectually capable.

In what way black bile contributes to genius.

¶ Someone might ask what kind of body that humor is—the one fused from those three humors in the proportion we mentioned. Its color is almost like that of the gold we see, but it leans somewhat toward purple. And when it is ignited, whether by natural heat or by the movement of the body or soul, it glows and shines much like glowing, red gold mixed with purple. And like a rainbow original: "Iris", it draws forth various colors while the heart is burning. Someone will ask again in what way such a humor contributes to genius original: "ingenio". In the Renaissance, this referred to a person's natural talent or innate intellectual capacity.. Truly, the spirits original: "spiritus". In Ficino's medical theory, these are thin, vaporous substances that act as the bridge between the physical body and the immaterial soul. created from this humor are, first of all, subtle—no different than that "water of life" original: "aqua vitae". Referring to distilled alcohol or brandy, which was a relatively recent and wondrous discovery in medieval and Renaissance chemistry. which they also call "water of the vine" or "burning water," as often as it is expressed from thicker wine by a certain distillation over fire, as is usually done. For the spirits, compressed within the narrower channels of such black bile original: "atrx bilis", are thinned out to the highest degree by a heat that is more intense because of its concentration; and once expressed through these narrower channels, they break forth as more subtle.

Second, they are similarly hotter, and for the same reason, brighter. Third, they are agile in motion and most powerful in action. Fourth, constantly emanating from a solid and stable humor, they serve the mind's action for a very long time. Relying on such service, our soul investigates intensely. It perseveres longer in its searching. It easily finds whatever it has investigated; it perceives clearly; it judges sincerely; and it retains what has been judged for a long time.

Add to this that, as we indicated in the previous sections, the soul—using such an instrument or stimulus that in a certain way corresponds to the center of the world and (so to speak) collects the soul into its own center—always seeks the centers of all things and penetrates to their innermost secrets. Moreover, it corresponds with Mercury and Saturn. The latter of these, the highest of all the planets, carries the investigator to the highest things. Hence unique philosophers emerge. Especially since the soul is thus called away from external motions and from its own body, and is as close as possible to divine things, and of divine...