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Fons philosophorum
Operations instruments and practitioners · A Chymical Dictionary
At a Glance
The word. A philosophical fountain name referred to a bath term.
In the book. The link is a useful reminder that an apparently evocative name can lead to apparatus vocabulary.
A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 23; facsimile PDF page 351.
Historical Definition
Fons philosophorum is Balneum Maris.
Meaning
The definition points to another named entry rather than describing a literal spring. Balneum Mariæ includes Maris as a form used by many writers and describes a furnace arrangement containing water. That cross-reference supplies the stated interpretive route.
Use in the Book
The link is a useful reminder that an apparently evocative name can lead to apparatus vocabulary. It should not be expanded into an independent philosophical solvent or natural water source merely from the word fountain. Follow the explicit bath identification before deciding what a passage intends.
Places to Read
Balneum Mariæ. A water bath used to warm vessels for several kinds of work.
Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 23; facsimile PDF page 351 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary 1650, s.v. Fons philosophorum
See also. Balneum Mariæ