Marsilio Ficino’s Platonic Theology, Volume I

16All this signifies that throughout earth and water, within a certain artful and living nature, there are spiritual and life-giving seeds of all things. Where bodily seeds are lacking, these generate by themselves; in turn, they nurture the seeds left behind by animals.

17And from a decaying grape seed, whose nature is single and base, they bring forth a vine that is varied, ordered, and precious, by their own powers—varied, rational, and precious.

18The same living nature draws the substantial forms of the elements from the depths of matter itself, where bodily substances do not penetrate. Moreover, it leads the elementary qualities—which by themselves would only burn, cool, and do similar things—to the most beautiful variety of colors and figures and to the vigor of life.

19Moreover, when fire is produced by the collision of cold bodies, where no fire was previously present except in a certain potency—and one indeed remote from act—this same nature generates fire through a most efficacious principle of fire. And whenever accidental qualities alone appear to contribute something to generation, though by themselves, without some substance suited to the effect, they are wholly insufficient, nature performs the office of a generative substance. Indeed, mixed bodies, which by reason of their earthy or watery density are sluggish and base in themselves, it raises to certain wondrous actions—even to the bewitching and strengthening of human souls.