Book I of the Struggle.

b 3

In this, we differ: for he uses the name of "fire," whereas I use that of "heat," which I have called the effect of the fiery spiritLatin: volucris igneæ. Fludd often uses the image of a "fiery bird" or winged spirit to represent the divine light of the Creator.. He has taken the entire operation of this heat, word-for-word, from Chapter 7, Book 1 of my History of the Macrocosm. From there, he also transcribed the Chaldean OraclesA collection of philosophical and mystical poems from the 2nd century AD, which Fludd used to support his theories of divine light., etc., to the end of his text, in the same sequence of words from Chapter 2 of my second book.

Column 109.

3. Marin’s text from the same Column.

Democritus indeed, and Orpheus, and the Pythagoreans thought that all things were full of gods; however, they referred these back to the one and only Jove original: "Iouem". In this context, referring to the supreme Godhead., because they perceived that the power of his divine nature was present in all lower creatures according to a greater or lesser degree.

He took all of this from Chapter 2, Book 2 of my same History. Then he proceeds thus:

4. Marin’s text from the same.

They call the first three days of the world's condition "Spiritual" because (they say) the Holy Spirit itself, in the manner of the sun, circled the entire mass for three days, so that on the first day it illuminated the highest part, which is called the Empyrean heavenThe highest, most spiritual part of the universe, made of pure light and fire.; on the second day, the celestial part; and on the third, this elemental part. By this, the whole world was divided into three different regions, just as the beauty of the world was perfected in another set of three days by the power of the sun. But the first set of three original: "ternarius". A grouping of three, referring to the Trinity., representing the Blessed Trinity, applied its hand to the MegacosmThe "great world" or the universe., while the second set applied its hand to the MicrocosmThe "little world," usually referring to Man..

Regarding the first three days of creation according to the tenor of Marin’s words, my same History treats this throughout Chapter 3, Book 2, including the "three Spiritual days." Examples of how the Empyrean heaven was made by the operation of divine light are found in Chapters 5 and 6; how the Ethereal heaven was made; and finally, how that heaven of the elements was formed, are contained in Chapters 11, 12, and 13.

Column 109.

5. Marin’s text in the same place.

They explain the production of the elements and the sublunary world by a chemical example. For they extract spiritRefers to alcohol or the volatile essence. from wine, then oil, which floats upon the spirit; thirdly, phlegmThe watery, tasteless part of a distillate., after which the dregs remain, which they call the dead headLatin: caput mortuum. The useless solid residue left after distillation or sublimation.. When they have enclosed these in a round glass vessel, hermetically sealedA seal made by melting the glass of the container's neck, named after Hermes Trismegistus., and with the vessel resting through an entire night, five regions appear. The lowest of these is black and veiled in darkness, upon which a portion of phlegm resides. This is covered by the oil extracted from the dregs. Next follows the spirit of wine, from which the extracted oil occupies the fifth rank. By this reasoning, they claim that the density of the spirit of darkness was driven out from the Empyrean heaven, from which the element of fire was constituted; and when these were cast out from the middle region—that is, the etherThe pure, celestial air above the clouds.—they were converted into the substance of air. Finally, being driven from the lowest region, they produced the element of water. The dung-heaporiginal: "sterquilinium". Refers to the waste or bottom-most matter. and "dead head" of all these must be established as the earth. Water, like the lowest part of the air, follows the earth's impurity; then air, fire, and the fifth essenceThe "quintessence" or most refined form of matter., which corresponds to the most subtle part of the wine: "burning water" original: "aqua ardens". An early name for alcohol., which contains the parts of the fifth essence and a single part of phlegm as fire; that part which is called common "water of life" original: "aqua vitæ"., having two parts of wine and as many of water as air; and finally, the phlegmatic part, containing almost no spirit, as water. The "dead head" residing at the bottom of the cucurbitThe bottom part of a distilling apparatus, shaped like a gourd. represents the earth. From this, it is established that the earth is the dregs of every heaven and a heap of darkness; that water is the spirit of the darkness of the lowest heaven, almost void of light; and that these, according to a greater or lesser participation in light, are converted into various metals.