From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPractised judgement and dexterity acquired through repeated work.
- In the bookAlchymia and Chymia name the art through separation and the making of essences, while Spagirus names a practitioner capable of distinguishing and separating.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 14; facsimile PDF page 342.
Historical definition
Cautela in the spagyrical art is a skill acquired through habit, by which practitioners more easily perform their labours and perfect their operations.
Meaning
The entry explains competence as something acquired through habit. Its subject is not a substance or a hidden recipe, but a quality of practice that makes work easier and operations more effective. The historical word “industry” is therefore best clarified through skill and application, rather than a modern economic meaning.
The result is also twofold: reduced difficulty in labour and improvement in the operations themselves. A reader should preserve both. The dictionary presents a practitioner’s experience as relevant to the work’s outcome, not merely to speed. This helps explain why the same named procedure may require judgement rather than mechanical repetition.
Use in the book
Alchymia and Chymia name the art through separation and the making of essences, while Spagirus names a practitioner capable of distinguishing and separating. Cautela adds the acquired practical capacity that connects the art’s stated aims with its conduct.
Places to read
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 14; facsimile PDF page 342 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Cautela ; compare Alchymia, Chymia, Spagirus