The life of wood is a certain resin: any wood which lacks resin can no longer live.
What the life of bones is.
The life of bones is the liquor of mummia. The life of flesh and blood is nothing but the spirit of salt, which preserves them from stench and putrefaction and separates from them of itself as water.
What the life of waters is.
Concerning the life of the elements, know that the life of water is its course. When it is coagulated through the cold of the firmament and frozen into ice, it is dead and all its harmfulness has been taken away, since no one can drown in it any longer.
What the life of fire is.
The life of fire is likewise a certain air, for air makes fire burn more violently and with greater heat. A certain air also proceeds from every fire, enough to extinguish a candle or waft a light feather upward, as is evident to the eyes. Every living fire—that is, a fire of flames—must therefore be suffocated if it is stopped up or deprived of the ability to release its air.
What the life of air and earth is.
Air lives in and from itself and gives life to all other things. Earth in itself is dead, but its element is an invisible and hidden life.
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Nine Books on the Nature of Things · Book Mode · Diotimos