The Signature of All Things — trans. John Ellistone (1651)

66. As soon as he espies the Forms of Angels, let him bring Christ out of the Desart, and let the Bridegroom eat again his own Food, and dismiss the Devil, that he may no longer Plague him, and then Christ will do many Wonders and Signs, at which the Artist will Wonder and rejoice: Then he has nothing to do, the Bride is in the Bridegroom; they are already married, he need only make their Bed ready, they will warm it well enough themselves; the Bridegroom embraces the Bride, and the Bride the Bridegroom, and this is their Food and Pastime till they beget a Child.

67. But if the Artist will needs be so diligent as to warm the married Couple’s Bed, then let him have a Care he do not anger and enrage them in their Love; what he begins he must go on with, only the Bridegroom is wonderful: He has continually two Wills, viz. an earthly Hunger after God's Anger, and an Hunger after his Bride; therefore he must always have his own earthly Food given him, but not into his Belly, but magically, that so he may satisfy only his own Will's-Hunger; his Food is his Mother that begets him, as it is before mentioned.

68. In brief, the whole Work which Men speak so much and wonderfully of consists in two Things, in an heavenly and in an earthly; the heavenly must make the earthly in it to an heavenly: The Eternity must make Time in it to Eternity: The Artist seeks Paradise; if he finds it, he has the great Treasure upon the Earth: But one dead Man does not raise another; the Artist must be living, if he will say to the Mountain, Arise, and cast thyself into the Sea.

69. When the Incarnation of the Child begins, then first of all Saturn takes it, and then it is dark and disesteemed, and is contemned and derided, that such a Mystery should lie hid in such a mean Form, there Christ walks in a poor simple Form upon the Earth, as a Pilgrim, and has not so much Room and Propriety in Saturn as to lay his Head: He goes as a Stranger, as if he were not there at home.

70. After this the Moon takes it, and then the heavenly and earthly Properties are mixed, and the vegetative Life arises, and then the Artist rejoices; but he is yet in Danger.

71. After the Moon Jupiter takes it, who makes an Understanding in Mercury, viz. a pleasant Habitation, and gives him its good Will, and in Jupiter his enclosed Life, viz. Mercury is quickened, who takes it with its Orb, and forces it into the highest Anguish: And then Mars apprehends it, and gives the Fire-Soul to Mercury, and in the Flagrat of Mars the highest Life enkindles itself, and separates itself into two Essences, viz. out of the Love into a Body, and out of the Fire into a Spirit; then the Life of Love in the fiery Flagrat sinks downwards, and appears beautiful, but it is Venus, a Woman: Then the Artist supposes that he has the treasure, but the hungry Mercury devours Venus, and the Child turns to a black Raven; then Mars afflicts Mercury in himself, till he grows faint, and yields himself to Death: Then the four Elements depart from him, and the Sun receives the Child into its Property, and lets it forth in a Virgin-like Body in the pure Element; for in the Property of Mars the Light is enkindled, and the right Life is born, and stands in the pure Element; no Anger nor Death can destroy it.

72. It seems strange in the Eyes of Reason, that God has kept such a Process with the Restoring of Man in Christ, that he appeared in such a poor disesteemed Form in the human Property, and was reviled, mocked, scorned, scourged, crucified and slain; and that he was buried, and rose again out of the Grave, and walked forty Days upon the Earth before he entered into his invisible Kingdom. Reason is so blind, that it understands nothing of the eternal Birth, it knows nothing of Paradise, how Adam was in Paradise, and how he fell, and what the Curse of the Earth is: If it understood this, the whole Process were manifest to it: As the eternal Birth is in itself, so is also the Process with the Restoration after the Fall, and so likewise is the Process of the Wisemen with their Philosopher's Stone, there is not the least Tittle of Difference betwixt them; for all Things originally arise out of the eternal Birth, and all must have one Restoration in one and the same Manner.

73. Therefore if the Magus will seek Paradise in the Curse of the Earth, and find it, then must he first walk in the Person of Christ; God must be manifest in him, understand in the internal Man, that he may have the magical Sight: He must deal with his Purpose as the World did with Christ, and then he may find Paradise, wherein is no Death.

74. But if he be not in this Birth of Restoration, and walks not himself in the Way wherein Christ walked upon the Earth, if he steps not forth into the Will and Spirit of Christ, then let him give over and leave off his Seeking; he finds nothing but Death, and the Curse of God. I tell him plainly and faithfully, for the Pearl of which I write is paradisical, which God does not cast before Swine, but gives it to his Children for their Play and Delight.