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

31. After Venus Mars is akin to Gold; for he has swallowed up Venus in his Wrath, and uses her for his Body, else in his own peculiar Property he has no corporeal Essence, for he is only Wrath, which consumes: He makes him a Body out of the Water of Venus, which he devours, and Saturn makes it corporeal to him; therefore he does so defile his Iron with rust, and that is his Property, viz. to be a Devourer of his Body; but Venus is pleasant, and makes a Growing in him, he devours again whatever Venus's Property makes in him; for Venus is the Food of Mars in the Saturnine Property; therefore the Artist is to consider what lies in Mars, if he has only the Solar Tincture, he needs nothing else thereto, that he may but deprive Mars of his Force, for Mars has his Toughness from Venus.

32. Mars in his own peculiar Property is only Salt, and causes Hardness, as the Fire does; but Saturn is the lmpressure of all Things; Venus needs only the Tincture, and then she is perfect; but the Artist must rightly understand where the Possibility lies, viz. in Sulphur, where Saturn has the Sulphur in his Belly, and Mercury shews its Colour, there he is in the Will, but cannot, for Saturn holds him too fast imprisoned; but if the Artist gives him his helping Hand, that he may but advance his Wheel, and give him his Mother's Food, which she has hid in the Center, then he grows strong, and casts Saturn away, and manifests the Child: For so it is also in the Earth, where Mercury is quick in his Mother, viz. in the Sulphur, that he is not withheld, that he may only reach Venus in his Hunger for Food, the Sun will soon shine forth, for she beams forth in Venus's Meekness: He dresses [or seeths] his Food with his own Fire, he needs no Artist thereto; which the Artist must well observe, for he has his Mars in himself.

33. Now as the Boiling is in the Earth, so also it is above the Earth; when the Fruit grows out of the Earth, it is first sharp [astringent] and bitter, also sour and unpleasant, as the Apple upon the Tree is so; for Saturn has at first the Dominion, he attracts it together, and Mercury Forms it, and Mars gives the Fire to Mercury, which Saturn receives into his cold Property, Venus gives the Sap, and Luna takes all into her Body, for she is Mother, and receives the Seed of all the Planets into her Menstruum, and hatches it; Jupiter gives Power thereinto, and Sol is King therein, but at the first Sol is weak; for the Materia is too earthly and cold. Now the whole Essence in its Boiling lies in the Body of Sulphur, and in the Sulphur the Salnitral Flagrat makes a Salt in Mars's Wheel according to each Property; for the Sulphur turns into Salt, that is, into Taste; and in the same Taste there is an Oil hid in the Center in the Sulphureous Property, which [Oil] arises from the free Love-Lubet, viz. out of Eternity, and manifests itself with an external Essence in the Time, which is the Manifestation of God.