Paracelsus Opera (Huser Edition)

A...ordained: That which was of a woody nature became wood; another became metallic ore; a third became marcasites, talc, bismuth, garnet, cobalt, pyrite, and many others; a fourth became gems, and these in many shapes and various forms. Some became stone, sand, and lime; the fifth became fruits, flowers, herbs, and seeds; the sixth became sentient animals—some with the eternal Refers to the soul or spirit., such as humans, and some with the mortal, such as calves, etc., and these in many ways and forms. More was separated out in the Earthly element than in any other, for there all things are born with seed, all things with two—mother and father—which is not divided or predetermined in the other elements in the same way. For there, also, gnomes Gnomi: In Paracelsian philosophy, these are elemental spirits of the Earth who live within the rocks and soil., and wild folk, and night-women original: "Nachtfrawen." Likely referring to spirits of the night or nymphs. were created and divided: some into the mountains, some into the forests, and some only into the night. There, giants were also separated into the third generation; there also great monstrous creatures original: "Ellentiz." Refers to strange or marvelous beings. were distributed, along with such great miracles among humans, livestock, and all growth, which are wondrous for any philosopher Here, "philosophy" refers to the study of nature and alchemy. to understand, and all are to be recognized as having happened unnaturally.

The Sixteenth Text.

It is mentioned here that the four elements were separated from the beginning, initially from one another out of a single Matter, in which their complexion Complexion: The specific balance of qualities (hot, dry, cold, moist) that defines the nature of a substance. and essence were not yet present. Thus, complexions and nature arose along with the separation: the Hot and Dry original: "Heiß vnnd Trocken" was ordained to the Heavens and Firmaments, each spread out and commanding in its own property; the Hot and Moist was ordained to the Air, out of which the Hot and Moist were then invisibly separated; Cold and Wet to a Sea, along with its appendages; the Cold and Dry to an Earth, and to all that is within it. Yet, contrary things have grown and been separated out of the elements which B are not like their own element: such as limestone, which is not Fire in its nature, even though it comes from fire. This is because the disruption in the separation of the element caused this, and it came too far from the nature of Fire. For Fire itself can be cold, hard, and wet; for there are four kinds of Fire. Likewise, the colors of Fire are not all the same: for one fire creates white and blue—the dry fire creates red and green; the wet creates gray and black; the cold fire creates yellow and red. For this reason, one offspring original: "Procreatz" is hotter than another, because one fire was more refined original: "gradiert," referring to alchemical degrees of intensity. than the other. For there was not just one Fire, but many hundreds of kinds of fire, where no two stood at the same degree; therefore, each ordained its own special offspring as its own Mystery Mysterium: A hidden spiritual essence or "seed" from which a physical thing grows. and was separated from it.

The Seventeenth Text.

Furthermore, Water was not of a single form in its complexion: for there were many thousands of kinds of water in the element of Water original: "Element Aquæ", and yet all are water. It is not for the philosopher to recognize the element of Water as being solely cold and moist in itself, but rather many hundreds of times colder and not wetter, and not inclined toward heat as much as toward cold. For the element of Water does not live or exist in the cold and wet on only one degree, but rather not on a single degree at all: some waters are springs, and those are manifold; some are seas, and the seas are wondrous; some are streams, and no two are alike. Some of the Water element is ordained to become stones, such as beryls, crystals, chalcedonies, and amethysts; some to plants, such as corals and amber original: "Carabe," an old term for amber.; some in the chemistry original: "Chimū" / Chymia. as the liquor of life original: "Liquor vitæ"; some in the soil as the liquor of the earth original: "Liquor terræ". And these are the element of Water, and yet in many forms. C Some grow entirely from the earth with abandoned seeds and are also from the element of Water; some become flesh, such as nymphs Nymphs: Elemental spirits of the water, often called Undines in other texts by Paracelsus., and are also of the element of Water. Though it should be understood that the element of Water is changed into another complexion, it still does not depart from the element from which it came. For what is from Water becomes Water again; and what is from Fire becomes Fire again; and what is from Earth becomes Earth again; and likewise, those of the Air become Air again.

The Eighteenth Text.

Similarly, it is to be recognized concerning the element of Earth original: "Element Terræ" that all the soils which have come from the element of Earth possess its nature; although the "liquors of minerals" are regarded and recognized as fire, they are nevertheless not Fire. For sulfur original: "Sulphur" does not burn because it belongs to the element of Fire original: "Elementū Ignis"; rather, cold burns just as well as heat. And that which burns to ashes is not the element of Fire, but rather the Fire of the Earth original: "Ignis Terræ". And that same fire should not be recognized as the element, for it is no element; it is solely the consumption of the Earth, or of that same substance. For Water may burn just as well and be brought to a blaze as any other; but when it burns, it is Watery Fire original: "Ignis Aqueus". Fire should not be considered certain just because the Fire of the Earth burns and is hot—that it is therefore "fiery"—even though it looks like it. For the philosopher is one-sided who names the element only by how he perceives it; rather, he should think more deeply: the element is much different than such a fire. For why? Not everything that wets is the element of Water, for the element of Earth can be brought to a liquid state and yet remains Earth all the while. Likewise, everything in the Earth is of the element of Earth; it is recognized by the property born from it, or if it is born from that which it resembles. Hard flint original: "Kirsting." A dialect/archaic word for Kiesel or flint stone. and chalcedony give off fire; such a fire is not elemental Fire, but a forceful expression original: "forcis expressio" of great hardness.

Vol. II. a iij