Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 402

For its very diversity, distributed in all places, is a property of its nature, for surely nothing else is so diverse, nor uneven in its powers, nor different in its nature itself, nor distributed into all things and divided among places. One must, therefore, begin the method earlier, and try to speak of the lesser things, beginning from its generation and decay which it performs by itself. One must take for these things what was said a little earlier, which is also evident to the senses, as to how its nature and the whole exist in an underlying subject, becoming altered and affected. For this having been posited, generation and decay are now reasonable. For it generates by depositing burning and assimilating the excess. It also happens that a certain loss of it occurs when its moisture is consumed, the former things being put to use. Decay occurs when the lesser is placed near the greater, and the nourishment is removed, and that which removes the principle and causes the strength to fade. For it is neither flammable without moisture, nor if it lacks the power to work upon it during its use. Similarly, the extinction through suffocation—for here, too, the gathered and effused heat blocks and dries up the principle, making a sort of oppression as in a vault. Why the lesser fire is destroyed by the greater when placed near it. Hence, the name of "suffocating" the fire is not without reason. For the whole air, when thickened, could do this, and when heated, [it does so] even more and faster. For the same and similar reasons, fire burns less in the sun than in the shade, and lamps appear no thing on extinction Why fire burns less in the sun.