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he earth is of great worth in its quality, and dignity: in this element, the other three, especially the fire, rest. it is the most excellent element to conceale, and discover those things which are intrusted to it: it is grosse, and porous, heavy in respect of its smallnesse, but light in respect of its nature; it is also the center of the world, as also of the other elements; through its center passeth the axell tree of the world, and of both poles. it is porous, as wee said, as a spunge, and brings forth nothing of it selfe, but all things whatsoever the other three distil, and project into it, it receives, keeps all things that are to be kept, brings to light all things that are to be brought to light. it brings forth (as wee said before) nothing of it selfe, but it is the receptacle of other things, and it is that, in which every thing that is brought forth, doth abide, and by heat of motion is putrefied in it, and is multiplied by the same, the pure being separated from the impure: that which is heavy in it is hid, and the heat drives that which is light unto its superficies. it is the nurse, and matrix of all seed, and commixtion. it can indeed[pg 84] doe nothing else, then preserve the seed, and what is made of it, till it be ripe. it is cold, dry, tempered with water; visible without, and fixed; but within invisible, and volatile. it is a virgin, and the caput mortuum left after the creation of the world, which shall hereafter at divine pleasure bee calcined, after extraction of its moisture, that of it a new crystalline earth may be created. also this element is divided into a pure part, and an impure. the water makes use of the pure to bring forth things, but the impure remains in its globe. this element is the hiding place, and mansion of all treasure. in its center is the fire of hell, preserving this fabrick of the world in its being; and this by the expression of water into the aire. that fire is caused, and kindled by the primum mobile, and the influences of the stars: the heat of the sunne tempered with the aire meets with this heat for the ripening, and drawing up of those things, which are already conceived in its center. moreover the earth partakes of fire, which is the intrinsecall part of it, neither is it purified but in the fire: and so every element is purified with its intrinsecall part. now the intrinsecall part, or inside of the earth, or its center is the highest purity mixed with fire, where nothing can rest: it is as it were an empty place, into which all the other elements doe project their vertues, as hath been spoken in the book of the twelve treatises. and thus much of the element of earth, which wee have called a spunge, and the receptacle of other things, which serveth for our purpose.