But now it is time that we descend from heaven to this lower world, where the four elements reside, which are earth, water, air, and fire, which, as we already said, are the matter in which the heavens employ the efficacy of their power, working in them, and engendering and composing from them all bodily things. Where first there offers itself to us the place and the site in which the Creator seated them by such order and measure that, being contrary among themselves, they may have peace and concord, and not only not disturb the world, but rather conserve and sustain it. For this he ordered that each one of the elements should have one quality conformable to that of its neighbor, and with this lineage of alliance and kinship he put peace and concord among them. For the earth, which is the lowest of the elements, is dry and cold, and the water is cold and moist, and the air is moist and hot, and the fire is hot and dry, and in this manner the elements clasp and give the hand to one another, and make as it were a dance of swords, continuing themselves amicably by this form with one another.
And for greater conservation of this peace, the Creator in such manner tempered the properties of them, that the one that is very powerful to work should be weak to resist and, on the contrary, the one that is strong to resist should be weak to work. This we see in fire, which, being so active and so burning of what it finds, has no force to resist a little water, with which all that fury of its ceases. For if it were strong in the one and in the other, it would burn the whole world, and there would be no one who prevailed against it. But on the contrary, the earth has no force to work, but it has it to resist, because neither fire, nor water, nor air is sufficient to corrupt it and change it into another substance, as we see the air be inflamed with the neighboring fire, and be converted into fire. In this manner the Creator equaled the forces of these four simple bodies, recompensing on one part what he took away or added on another.
He also gave another thing to these four bodies, which is a great inclination and impetus to run to their natural places, because in them they are conserved as in their proper place and center, and outside it they would receive injury from other contrary bodies. And thus we see that the air enclosed in the concavities of the earth makes it tremble in order to find exit to its natural place. And the impetus of fire is no less. And besides this, being outside these their places, they would disturb the order of the universe, one body taking the place of another. And for this same conservation he gave them another inclination to join some parts with others, when we divide them, except the earth, which because it is the most imperfect of the elements, lacks this movement. But water and air, if you divide them, then join together, because they are better conserved together than apart.
And this natural inclination the Creator gave to all things, however small and insensible they may be, which is to procure their conservation. What thing is smaller than a drop of water? Yet if this falls upon dust, then it gathers and reconcentrates itself within itself, and becomes round, because thus it is farther from drying up than if it were scattered and spread out. Oil likewise, poured with water, either rises above it, or changes itself wholly into some small eyes, so as not to lose its being, being incorporated or soaked in the water. Salt cast into the fire leaps and flees from it as from its contrary, because it is of the nature of water, from which it was formed, which is enemy of fire. Trees, when they are much shaded, grow more, and climb to the height to seek the sun that raises them, and likewise their roots, if they have water near, extend toward it, seeking there their sustenance and freshness. So that the Creator provided all creatures with inclinations that carry them to seek what is profitable to them, and to flee the contrary, so that thus they may be conserved in the being that he gave them.