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

14. Here the Physicians must observe, that they learn distinctly to know what kind of Property is the strongest in each Thing with which they would Cure; if they do not know it, they will oftentimes give their Patients Death: Also they must know, that they are to understand, and very exactly know the Property of the Patient, which of the Properties among the seven Forms of Nature is the Mercury in Sulphur; for such a Salt he also makes: Now if the Physician gives him a contrary Salt, Mercury is only thereby the more vehemently enraged, and made more venomous; but if he may obtain his own Salt according to his own Property (after which he Hungers) then he rejoices, and readily quits the Poison-Source in the Fire of Mars. But the right Physician has another Cure, he first brings his Mercury with which he will Cure out of Death's Anguish into the Liberty: He may well Cure, the other is dangerous and uncertain; if he happens to Cure, it is by Chance, and very inconstant, and cannot Cure any Disease fundamentally; for the outward Mercury is shut up, it can reach no further than into the four Elements, into the mortal Essence, it is able to do nothing in the sydereal Body: But if it be turned and introduced into the Love, as is before mentioned, then it touches the very Root and Ground, and renews it even to the Divine Power in the second Principle.

15. We have an excellent Resemblance of this in the blooming Earth on the Herbs; for in the Earth Mercury is earthly and venomous ; but when the Sun tinctures him, then he reaches after the Sun's Power, after its Light, and brings it into his hungry fiery Mars-Desire, into his Salt, viz. into his corporeal Essence, viz. into Sulphur, which is his Mother, and Wheels it about with its Rotation in the Essence, as if he also boiled, and then the Liberty, viz. the highest Power, reaches after its Property, viz. after the Solar Property, and apprehends Mercury also along with it.

16. Now when Mercury tastes the heavenly Being in itself, it grows exceeding desirous after the Power of Love, and draws the same into its Desire, whereupon it changes itself, and its Salt, so also its Mother, the Sulphur, into a pleasant Source; and now if the Liberty be so introduced into a moving Life with Mercury, then it is very full of Joy, and springs up in its Joy, as a Light from the Fire, and puts forth through the Sulphur-Spirit in the Salt: Thus is the growing of the Root, and from thence the Root gets fuel a pleasant Smell and Taste; for in the Original the Salt's Sharpness in the first Impression from Saturn is a Sharpness of Death's Anguish, and here it is turned to a pleasant Power; for all Taste in Herbs is Salt.

17. Thus understand us further ' about the Root in the Earth, when the inward Power of the Liberty in Mercury’s Property, which now is changed, does thus force itself forth to the Manifestation of the Deity, then the Sun's Power does eagerly press towards the divine Power, and inclines itself with great Desire to the highest heavenly Tincture, and draws it with its Desire to if, viz. out of the earthly Body into a Solar: Thus the Sun draws the Power out of the Root in the Earth, and the Joyful Mercury ascends up along with, it, and continually draws the Sun's Power from above into itself, and from beneath it draws its Mother, viz. the Sulphur to itself: And here all the seven Forms of Nature arise in Joyfulness in the Combat, each will be uppermost; for so it is in the Taste, viz. in the Generation of Nature; and what Form in Nature gets to be the chiefest, according to the same Taste is the Salt in Sulphur, and such an Herb grows out of the Earth, let it be what it will, though now every Thing springs from its Mother, yet all Things have so taken their Original, and do still take it; for just so is the Right of Eternity.

18. Now we are to consider of the Stalk: When the Herb or Sprig looks out of the Earth, it comes up at first below with a white Form, then further more upwards with a brownish [Colour,] and above with a green Colour: This is now its Signature, [shewing] what kind of Form is internally in the Essence, in the Source; the white Colour of the Branch is from the Liberty of the Love-Lubet, and the brown is the earthly [Property] Shoot, from Saturn's Impression, and from the Wrath of Mars; and the green, which opens Twig, itself above, is Mercury's in the Form of Jupiter and Venus.