Magia Naturalis, oder Hauß-, Kunst- und Wunder-Buch (1680) - Page 24

run contrary; yet at the same time, each of the two aforementioned qualities possesses such a nature as is also found in its neighbor. As may be seen, for example, in the air and the fire; the latter is called hot and dry, while the former is called hot and moist: so that, although dry and moist are contrary to one another, nevertheless both are joined together by means of the heat found in both. And thus the earth is cold and dry, but the water cold and moist; both however, though they stand opposed to one another by reason of dryness and moisture, are nonetheless reconciled by means of the cold, whereas otherwise they could hardly subsist together. Thus the fire gradually transforms into the air because of the heat: the air into the water because of the moisture: the water into the earth because of the cold: and the earth unites with the fire because of the dryness; and so they have their well-ordered progression. They would also, however, be transformed one into another in the reverse order in another manner, and indeed quite easily, if two of them shared the same quality—in which manner air becomes fire for the sake of heat: but if they are contrary to one another in their properties—as when fire should be made from water—this proceeds with somewhat greater difficulty. And in such a manner heat, cold, moisture, and dryness are called by them the first and foremost quali-

ties, because they are the first that flow forth from the elements: and afterwards from them the effects of the second kind proceed. Now, two among these are of an active nature, namely heat and cold, which are more apt to act upon something than to suffer. The other two, however, are of a passive essence, namely moisture and dryness; not as if they stood entirely idle, but because they are maintained and guided by the others.

But the conditions and properties of the second kind (c) are reckoned as servants compared to the first, and perform their work in the second rank, such as: softening, ripening, dissolving, and rarefying. As for example: when heat, through its action applied to a certain matter, separates the impure from it, and strives to make it capable of its action so that it might become simpler, then that same matter becomes thin. In like manner, cold holds things together, contracts a thing, and causes it to freeze together. Dryness makes things thick and rough in the following manner: for when it consumes the moisture around the outside of a thing, it makes that which it cannot consume hard; thereby the thing becomes entirely rough and uneven from the outside; forasmuch as, when the empty places sink down and the hard ones stand out, the parts [become] quite unequal