I2i PARACELSUS 



they would be drowned if they were under water, and 

 they would suffocate in the earth and be burned in the 

 fire; for each being belongs to its own Chaos and dies if 

 transported into another. If that Chaos is gross, the 

 beings living in it are subtle ; and if the Chaos is subtle, 

 the beings are gross. Therefore we have gross bodies, 

 so that we can pass through the air without being blown 

 down, and the Gnomes have subtle forms, so as to be able 

 to pass through the rocks. Men have their leaders and 

 authorities; bees and ants their queens; geese and other 

 animals have their leaders ; and so also have the spirits 

 of Nature their kings and queens. The animals receive 

 their clothing from Nature ; but the spirits of Nature 

 prepare it themselves. The omnipotence of God is not 

 limited to His taking care only of man, but is abun- 

 dantly able to take care also of the spirits of Nature, 

 and of many other things of which men know nothing. 

 They see the sun and the sky the same as we, because 

 each element is transparent to those who live therein. 

 Thus the sun shines through the rocks for the Gnomes, 

 and the water does not hinder the Undines to see the sun 

 and the stars ; they have their summers and winters, and 

 their * earth ' bears them fruits ; for each being lives on 

 that element whereof it has grown" {Lib. Philos., ii.). 



" As far as the personalities of the Elementals are 

 concerned, it may be said that those belonging to the 

 element of water resemble human beings of either sex ; 

 those of the air are greater and stronger; the Sala- 

 manders are long, lean, and dry ; the Pigmies are of the 

 length of about two spans, but they can extend or elon- 

 gate their forms until they appear like giants. The 

 Elementals of air and water, the Sylphs and Nymphs, 

 are kindly disposed towards man ; the Salamanders can- 

 not associate with him on account of the fiery nature 

 of the element wherein they live, and the Pigmies are 

 usually of a malicious nature. The Pigmies are build- 

 ing houses, vaults, and strange-looking edifices of some 



