a-kin to nothing. And that the four Elements subsisted with one single
Form only, and are of the first Rank of Beings in the sublunary World,
out of which, other things endu'd with more Forms are compounded: And
that the Life of these Elements is very weak, both because they have no
variety of Motion, but always tend the same way; and because every one
of them has an Adversary which manifestly opposes the Tendency of its
Nature, and endeavours to deprive it of its Form; and therefore its
Essence is of short Continuance, and its Life weak: But that Plants had
a stronger Life, and Animals a Life more manifest than the Plants. The
reason of which is, because that whenever it happen'd, that in any of
these compound Bodies, the Nature of one Element prevail'd, that
predominant Element would overcome the Natures of the rest, and destroy
their Power; so that the compounded Body would be of the same Nature
with that prevailing Element, and consequently partake but of a small
Portion of Life, because the Element it self does so.

§ 70. On the contrary, if there were any of these compounded Bodies, in
which the Nature of one Element did not prevail over the rest, but they
were all equally mix'd, and a match one for the other; then one of them
would not abate the Force of the other, any more than its own Force is
abated by it, but they would work upon one another with equal Power, and
the Operation of any one of them would not be more conspicuous than that
of the rest; and this Body would be far from being like to any one of
the Elements, but would be as if it had nothing _contrary_ to its
_Form,_ and consequently the more dispos'd for Life; and the greater
this Equality of Temperature was, and by how much the more perfect, and
further distant from inclining oneway or other, by so much the farther
it is distant from having any contrary to it, and its Life is the more
perfect. Now since that Animal Spirit which is seated in the Heart is of
a most exact Temperature, as being finer than _Earth_ and _Water_, and