From the book
Nine Books on the Nature of Things
Attributed to Paracelsus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Meaning
Civet is singled out as the best of the named clothing preservatives, alleged to drive away moths and other pests as well. The earlier basilisk paragraph includes it among fragrant substances supposedly deprived of scent through menstrual contamination. Both passages concern scent, but in one civet acts upon pests, while in the other it supposedly undergoes corruption.
Places to read
- Book 3 · Preservation · Passage 12Latin“optima vero est zibetha”