61v

Air

Its upper section touches the fire,
which is hot and dry, and makes [the air] similar to [the fire].
After this comes the second [section],
and both are extremely pure and thin.
This second section receives neither too little nor too much heat,
but it retains a chilly quality.
The third, then, confines the water and the earth,
and is always at war with them.

Water

Water is moist and cold; air
takes moisture from it and heat from fire.
Thus heat and moisture define
the complexion of the air, as well as its strength.
Because [air] stands between those two [spheres],
it adopts qualities from each of them,
interacting with both water and fire.
Earth is cold and dry, given its location.

Earth

Earth is a solid and heavy body^{*I.e., substance. "Body" is used here in the sense of planetary or astral bodies.}
and it is heavier than any other element.
Placed at the center, inside all the other
spheres, it is furthest from the firmament
and equally distant from every other part.
The water is contained in between the air and the earth,
although sometimes we find
higher ground, which seems like it is above [the water].^{*Here Dati is trying to explain the apparent inconsistency between the Platonic spheres (in which the sphere of earth is always under the sphere of water) with empirical reality, where land frequently rises above sea level.}