Roger Bacon held that three classes of substance were capable of magic: the herbal, the mineral, and the verbal. With their leaves of fiber, their inks of copperas and soot, and their words, books are an amalgam of the three.

Matthew Battles
About This Quote

In the Middle Ages, a belief in the magical power of words was quite widespread. In fact, books were often considered to be “books of power” that could alter their holders’ lives for the better. This belief may have been based on a misunderstanding of alchemy. It was believed that metals were the only substances capable of magic.

However, people believed that words could be altered by other substances, too—such as ink and paper. In reality, these substances had little effect on words at all.

Source: Library: An Unquiet History

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  1. Roger Bacon held that three classes of substance were capable of magic: the herbal, the mineral, and the verbal. With their leaves of fiber, their inks of copperas and soot, and their words, books are an amalgam of the three.
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