102 RICHARD MCKEON 



touch is impossible without earth, and the conjunction of fire 

 and earth, which are opposed by contraries (since fire is subtle, 

 mobile, and acute and earth is corporeal, obtuse, and immobile) 

 required the interposition of one or more middle terms. William 

 distinguishes mixture {commistid) , in which neither of the 

 contraries remains what it was before, from conjunction (con- 

 junctio) , in which both the contraries remain what they were 

 before. Conjunction is impossible in the case of active qualities 

 (like hot and cold) unless they are separated by a middle term 

 to prevent one from dissolving the other. Wishing to conjoin, 

 not mix, fire and earth that both would remain what it is, God 

 created between the two elements, not one, but two more 

 elements, water and air. For if he had placed only water 

 between them it would be conjoined to earth more than to 

 fire, for it shares corporality and obtuseness with earth and 

 only mobility with fire, and that conjunction would not endure; 

 similarly, if only air were placed between, it would have 

 subtlety and mobility in common with fire and only obtuseness 

 with earth. To the objection that if one did not suffice, God 

 could make it suffice, William says that he does not put a 

 limit on God's power, but he says concerning things which are 

 that none could suffice nor could there be anything, according 

 to the nature of things, that would suffice. 



Having shown that one would not suffice, he demonstrates 

 why there could not be anything that would suffice. Elements 

 may be separated by two contrary qualities or by three. 

 Between some binary pairs, one element would suffice as a 

 middle term; thus, in the case of earth, which is cold and dry, 

 and air, which is hot and damp, water (which shares coldness 

 with earth and dampness with air) is a term of separation and 

 connection. Between ternary terms there is no middle, since 

 any element would share one quality with one of the extremes 

 and two with the other. Moreover, even if fire and air are 

 treated in terms of two rather than three qualities no middle 

 could be found since fire is hot and dry, earth, cold and dry, 

 and any combination of the two qualities would be identical 



