PHILOSOPHY

The thickness of water as well, and that which is united from the thickness of fire and air, rests in the earth. Thus the thickness of these four Referring to the four classical elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. rests in the earth, and they are joined within it. Therefore the earth itself is denser denser: the Latin 'spissior' refers to being thick, compact, or less permeable; the "grossest" form of matter than all the other elements, as is clearly apparent and can be seen. Fire, however, is thinner thinner: Latin 'rarior', or "rare," meaning subtle, light, and spiritual rather than physically dense than the others; and just as the earth, which is denser, is lower, so fire is higher and more worthy. Air, truly, is less thin than fire, and water in turn is less thin than air. For everything cold and moist is of less thinness than that which is hot and moist. And the earth is of less thinness than water, because it is cold and dry; and everything cold and dry is less thin than that which is cold and moist.

PYTHAGORAS says: You have well-arranged, O sons of learning original: "filij doctrinae"; a traditional way of addressing students or initiates in alchemical texts, the descriptions of these natures from which God created all things. Proceed, therefore.

To this LUCAS says: I make known to you that from these four natures God created all things, and all created things return into them; in these they are generated and die in their own time, just as God has ordained.

LOCASTES says: Know that the creation of the world was created from two dense things and two thin things, and nothing of the dense things exists in the sublime creation. For this reason, it is thinner The "sublime creation" refers to the celestial or ethereal realms, which the author argues are even more subtle than the Sun itself. than the Sun and all lower creatures.

PYTHAGORAS says: I say that God existed before all things; and when He was alone, He created four simple things in number, which are the four ele- The text breaks here at "ele-", the start of "elementa" or elements, to be continued on the following page.