Bartholomew says: "Quicksilver is a watery substance, mixed with a subtle sort of earth in a strong and indissoluble mixture. This is on account of its great earthy dryness, which does not liquefy on a flat surface, “and therefore it does not adhere [to the surface]” like something watery. Its substance is bright, “from the brightness of subtle water” and from the “whiteness of earth”that is well refined and divided; it also has whiteness from the “admixture of air” with these components. Quicksilver naturally has this as its own property, and it cannot be thickened on its own, without sulfur, but with sulfur and with the substance of lead it may be congealed. So it is said in the same place [-- namely, Avicenna’s On minerals (De mineralibus)] that quicksilver and sulfur are elements -- that is, they comprise the principle[s] and matter of everything liquefiable, namely metals.  In the books of Meteorology [which circulated with Avicenna’s work]. And so quicksilver is said to be the principle of all metals, and therefore with respeAll these things are explicitly saidct to them it is said to be a simple element."

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