The Archidoxes and Medico-Chemical Works of Paracelsus

The quintessence of things is like a guest.

herbs, stones, and other similar things, lying hidden like a guest. The remainder is the pure, clean body, about which we write in the book on the separation of the elements. Nor should it be thought that the quintessence is some fifth entity The quintessence is not an entity above the four elements, but the elements themselves in their purity. existing above the elements, since it is an element itself. Someone might also imagine that it is a tempered essence, neither cold, nor hot, nor humid, nor dry, when in fact no such thing exists. The quintessence is not tempered. For there is nothing that consists in such a temperature by which it is entirely alienated from the elements. But all quintessences have a nature according to the elements, as the quintessence of gold according to fire, the moon according to water, Saturn according to earth, and Mercury according to air.

That the quintessence cures all diseases is not because of temperature, but because of its inherent property, great cleanliness, and purity, by which it alters the body into cleanliness in an admirable way and changes it. Just as a spot or film is removed from the eye, by which it had previously been blinded, so the quintessence cleanses life in man. Nor are all quintessences necessarily of one and the same nature among themselves. Nor do those that are fiery produce the same operations by reason of complexion. For example, if someone were to think that the quintessence of the cashew nut has a similar and identical operation to the quintessence of gold because both are fiery, he would be greatly deceived, because predestination and disposition create the difference in virtues. For just as every animal contains the spirit of life within itself, yet in all of them the same virtue does not exist, for the reason that they all consist of flesh and blood, but one differs from another in taste and in virtue, so the quintessence behaves itself. It does not receive its virtue from the elements by understanding them simply, On what the virtue of the quintessence depends. The differences of the five quintessences. but from the property existing in the elements, just as we also posit regarding the generation of things. From this, indeed, it happens that some quintessences are styptic, some narcotic, others attractive, and some sleeping-inducing, bitter, sweet, acidic, stupefying, and some renew the body into youth, others are preservative of it in health, some purgative, or others constipating, etc., the virtues of which are countless, not included here, but nevertheless to be best known by physicians.

No disease can resist the quintessence.

Since, therefore, the quintessence is separated from the non-quintessence, as the soul is from its body, and it is assumed inside into the body, what infirmity could resist such a noble, pure, and potent nature, or take away life from our body, except for death, which, by predestination, separates our body and soul? As we teach concerning life and death. The quintessence is twofold: universal and particular. In this place, it must likewise be considered that every disease requires its own peculiar quintessence, although we teach of some that are suited to all diseases. By what reason this happens, however, will be said in its own place.