CHAP. 6. That the Root of the Spirit of the World must be sought in the Air.
WInde is nothing but Air moved and agitated, as we may learn from the respiration of Animals, which blow Winde when they breath Air. Winde then is Air, and Air is wholly vital, and the breath of Life: for without Air nothing can live or subsist: for whatsoever is deprived thereof, is suffocated and dies, yea, Plants them∣selves that are destituted of free Air, wither, and are in respect of others, dry and dead.
We therefore have some Reason to say, That Air is a vital Spirit, penetra∣ting all things, communicating Life and consistence to all; binding, moving, and filling all.
By this Air then, the UniversalPage 38 Spirit that lies hid and shut in all things, is generated and manifested; by this it is ingrossed, formed, and made more apt for Generation: whereof Calid the Philosopher treating, sayes, not without Reason, That Minerals have their Roots in the Air, their Heads and Tops in the Earth. As if he should have said, The Air causes this Spirit to enliven, augment and mul∣tiply Minerals in the Earth; though those that have some experience in preparing the Philosophers Stones, may say, That this place should be otherwise understood: for according to their Doctrine, in their Philosophi∣cal Works, there are two parts; one volatile, which is elevated in form of a vapour, and then condensed and resolved into Water; and this they call the Spirit: the other more fix∣ed, residing in the bottom of the Vessel, which they call the Body. Rosinus ex∣plains this sentence by another of the same Authors: for he saith, Take the things off their souls, and exalt them on high, and reap them in the tops of their Mountains, and reduce them to their Page 39 Roots: where the Glosser sayes, These words are true and cleer, without envy and ambiguity; though he declares not what he understands by things whereof he speaks. But by Mountains (saith Ro∣sinus) the Philosopher means Cucur∣bites; by the tops of their Mountains, Alembicks: by reaping, he means, we must receive the Water of the aforesaid things, through the Alembick into the Receptacle: by reducing them to their Roots, he means, That we should reduce the said Water to the Earth whence it arose. This is also confirmed by Mori∣enus, who saith, That the Philosophers operations consist onely in extracting Water from the Earth, and reducing it to the Earth till the Earth putrefie: for the Earth putrefies, when this Water is purified; which, being once pure, will by God's help, direct and perfect the whole Magistry.
Some have exploded Air out of the order of the Elements, thinking it as glue or lime to conjoyn divers Natures; judging it the Spirit or Instrument of the World, because it is the Chariot of the Universal Spirit: for it first receives the Page 40 influences of all Celestial Bodies, and communicates them to other Elements and mix'd Bodies. In the mean while, like some divine Looking-glass, receiving and retaining the species and forms of all natural things, which it carries along with it, and insinuating it self into the pores of Animals, impresses those forms on them, whether they sleep or wake. We learn from Animals and Vegetables, That every Spirit neer the Earth, re∣ceives its vertue and vigor from the Air: for we see such things encrease and extol themselves: the Spirit which gives them Life, doth so much delight in Air, as the place where it had its origine. Hermes also saith, That the Air carries it in its belly. Whereunto Aristotle subscribes, saying, That moist things proceed from the Air, and Terrene things from the moist ones: for Air being next the Earth, humectates it on every side; and the humour thereof being condensed by in∣nate heat, is turned into a certain kinde of Earth, which contains Mercury and Sulphur in due proportions.
