Inscrutable Chemico-Philosophical Harmonies

sphere of the Moon, in which the second part of the world begins by ascending, even to the starry heaven, the first world was created in common matter original: "materia communis." This refers to "prime matter" (materia prima), the formless "stuff" from which all things in the universe were thought to be made.. Thus it is that the wisdom of God created matter endowed with form, about which the Philosophers and the Teachers of Holy Scripture original: "Doctores scripturæ sacræ." The author is harmonizing Greek philosophy (like Aristotle) with Christian theology. write many things. He further divided this matter into four parts, and He endowed each one specifically with coldness, heat, dryness, and humidity. These properties and forms—such as heat and cold—are contrary by nature and cannot stand together in the same place. Therefore, within the aforementioned matter, these properties were divided separately into four parts, which are called the four elements. This was done so that, through an intermediary The author is referring to the Aristotelian idea that you cannot combine two opposites (like fire and water) without a middle ground that shares a quality with both., coldness could be joined to heat and humidity to dryness. Consequently, it was brought about that all natural things could exist in their "naturalness" through the joining together of these four elements.

And for this reason, the four elements were created for the sake of the inherent nature of all things: because every thing has its natural existence from the mixing and joining together of the four elements. This is not to be understood as if each element were joined to another on its own—for naturally one element resists the place of another—but rather that one is compressed, drawn, and sublimated In this context, sublimation refers to the process of a substance being refined or "raised up" into a higher state through the action of heat. into another. Thus, we will never find a simple and pure element without the mixture of another. Hence, in truth, we will not find earth so dried out that it does not contain moisture within itself; nor will we find water that does not contain "earthiness" original: "terrestreitas." This refers to the solid, mineral-like residue or sediment often found in water or left behind after distillation., as is observed when distilling water. Indeed, it is very rare to find earth without its own internal heat,