Book One

FOURTH DEFINITION.

THE ELEMENT of pure earth is considered by most Philosophers to be dry and cold; however, I am not of the opinion that there is any coldness in the earth, except that which is lent to it by the air; likewise, it has no heat, except that which is lent to it by the Sun. This element is not found in its pure nature like the others, for we cannot say that the earth is dry everywhere, insofar as it is mixed with moisture. Its weight is shown in that it occupies the lowest place of the elements, and its solidity in the round and firm mass composed of it.

FIRST THEOREM.

IT IS a well-known thing that everything created by divine providence is composed and mixed from the elements, as are also all the structures and compositions that man can effect. For example, wood and every other thing that the earth procreates are mixtures of the dry and the moist, and indeed they have become such by means of fire and air. For we know by experience that the earth would produce nothing if it were not heated by the Sun, and that which is pushed out of it grows by means of the air original: "aer". Thus, nature, having given growth to anything whatsoever by means of the elements, afterwards comes to be destroyed by means of them, each element returning to its place. For example, wood is destroyed by means of heat; the moisture evaporates upward through the extraction performed by the heat. This vapor, rising with the heat as far as the middle region The "middle region of the air" was a Renaissance meteorological concept where clouds and rain were thought to form., they leave one another, and then each returns to its place: the moisture falling back upon the earth, which is what we call rain. On this subject, I shall here present an example.

A woodcut diagram of a scientific apparatus. It features a large spherical vessel labeled 'A'. At the top of the vessel is a small vent or chimney labeled 'E' with steam or vapor rising from it. A pipe with a faucet or tap labeled 'D' extends from the side of the vessel, labeled 'B' at the vessel and 'C' at the open end, which is pouring liquid into a small pitcher. The diagram illustrates an experiment involving heating water within a closed copper vessel.

Let there be a round copper vessel marked A, well-sealed and soldered all around, in which there will be a pipe marked B. C., of which one of the ends B will approach the bottom as closely as is necessary to let the water pass, and the other end C will come out of the vessel, where there will be a tap marked D to open and close when needed. There will also be a vent-hole souspiral A "souspiral" or aspiral is an air-hole or vent used to manage pressure or allow air to escape/enter a vessel. at the top marked E. Afterward, one must put water into the said vessel through the vent-hole, up to a certain quantity; and if the vessel holds three pots A "pot" was a historical unit of liquid measure, varying by region but often roughly equivalent to two liters., one will put in exactly one pot. Then it will be necessary to put the said vessel on the fire for about 3 or 4 minutes and leave the vent-hole open; then remove the said vessel from the fire, and a little later, the water must be drawn out through the vent-hole, and you will find that part of the said water has evaporated through the heat of the fire. Afterward, one must refill the measure of the pot as it was before and put the water back into the vessel; and then one must tightly plug the vent-hole and the tap, and put the vessel back on the fire for as long as the first time, then remove it and let it cool by itself without opening the vent-hole; and after it is well cooled, it will be necessary The text ends here as a catchword for the following page.