![]() The use of quintessence became popular within medieval alchemy. This theory was developed in the 14th century text The testament of Lullius, attributed to Ramon Llull. Due to the low presence of quintessence, earth could be affected by what takes place within the heavenly bodies. It was noted that there was very little presence of quintessence within the terrestrial sphere. Quintessence is the Latinate name of the fifth element used by medieval alchemists for a medium similar or identical to that thought to make up the heavenly bodies. Fludd cites the 3rd-century view of Plotinus, concerning the aether as penetrative and non-material. Robert Fludd stated that the aether was of the character that it was "subtler than light". Medieval scholastic philosophers granted aether changes of density, in which the bodies of the planets were considered to be more dense than the medium which filled the rest of the universe. The idea of crystalline spheres and natural circular motion of aether led to Aristotle's explanation of the observed orbits of stars and planets in perfectly circular motion in crystalline aether. Aristotle also noted that crystalline spheres made of aether held the celestial bodies. Aether naturally moved in circles, and had no contrary, or unnatural, motion. Aether was also incapable of motion of quality or motion of quantity. Īether did not follow Aristotelian physics either. With this addition the system of elements was extended to five and later commentators started referring to the new first one as the fifth and also called it aether, a word that Aristotle had not used. ![]() It was neither hot nor cold, neither wet nor dry. The first element however, located in the celestial regions and heavenly bodies, moved circularly and had none of the qualities the terrestrial classical elements had. He noted that the four terrestrial classical elements were subject to change and naturally moved linearly. However, in his Book On the Heavens he introduced a new "first" element to the system of the classical elements of Ionian philosophy. Aristotle, who had been Plato's student at the Akademia, agreed on this point with his former mentor, emphasizing additionally that fire sometimes has been mistaken for aether. but otherwise he adopted the classical system of four elements. In Plato's Timaeus (58d) speaking about air, Plato mentions that "there is the most translucent kind which is called by the name of aether (αίθηρ)". The innermost spheres are the terrestrial spheres, while the outer are made of aether and contain the celestial bodies
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