Page:Three Books of Occult Philosophy (De Occulta Philosophia) (1651).djvu/33

 

Here are four Elements, and originall grounds of all corporeall things, Fire, Earth, Water, Aire, of which all elementated inferiour bodies are compounded; not by way of heaping them up together, but by tranmutation, and union; and when they are detroyed, they are reolved into Elements. For there is none of the enible Elements that is pure, but they are more or les mixed, and apt to be changed one into the other: Even as Earth becoming dirty, and being diolved, becomes Water, and the ame being made thick and hard, become Earth again; but being evaporated through heat, paeth into Aire, and that being kindled, paeth into Fire, and this being extinguihed, returns back again into Aire, but being cooled again after its burning, becomes Earth, or Stone, or Sulphur, and this is manifeted by Lightening: Plato alo was of that opinion, that Earth was wholly changeable, and that the ret of the Elements are changed, as into this, o into one another ucceively. But it is the opinion of the ubtiller ort of Philoophers, that Earth is not changed, but relented and mixed with other Elements, which do diolve it, and that it returns back into it elf again. Now every one of the Elements hath two pecificall qualities, the former whereof it retains as proper to it elf, in the other, as a mean, it agrees with that which comes next after it. For Fire is hot and dry, the Earth dry and cold, the Water cold and moit, the Aire moit and hot. And o after this manner the Elements, according to two contrary qualities, are contrary one to the other, as Fire to Water, and Earth to Aire. Moreover, the Elements are upon another account oppoite one to the other: For ome are heayyheavy [sic], as Earth and Water, and others are light, as Aire and Fire. Wherefore the Stoicks called the former paives, but the latter actives. And yet once again Plato ditinguiheth them after another manner, and aigns to every one of them