Incombustibility

Meaning

Incombustibilité is inferred from what survives burning. In II.1.5 the salt concealed in ash retains a secret element of fire, and its endurance is offered as evidence that it shares the actions of primordial fire. “Secret” distinguishes the internal fiery capacity from the visible flame of ordinary burning. The survival argument matters more than a modern classification of the residue. The same passage calls fire salt’s father and multiplier; II.3.22 later insists that fire does not generate the salt it leaves victorious. These statements must both remain visible rather than converting survival into an agreed account of manufacture.