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

34. Now in this same Oil is the Hunger or Love-Desire after the Essence of Time, viz. after the Manifestation of the Deity; this Desire reaches in the Essence of Time after its Property, viz. after the Sun, and the Sun's Property reaches after the Oil in the Center of the Fruit, and fervently longs after it, and gives itself freely into the Fruit, and sucks the Virtue into itself, and gives it forth in its Joy into the austere Property of the Fruit, and meekens and sweetens all with the Love, which it receives in the Center in the Oil of the Liberty: Thus a Fruit, which at first is sour and sharp, becomes very pleasant and sweet, that a Man may eat it; and even thus is the ripening of all Fruits.

35. Now by the Signature in the external you may see the inward Form; for the Forms in the Salt, viz. in the Power, shew themselves externally.

36. There are commonly four Colours, as White, Yellow, Red, and Green: Now according to what Colour the Fruit (as an Apple) is most signed, accordingly is the Taste also in the Salt; as White with a clear thin Skin somewhat inclining to dark gives Sweetness, which is of Venus Property; if the sweet Taste be strong and powerful, then Jupiter is potent therein; but if it be weak and fulsome, then the Moon is strong therein; but if it be hard, and of a brownish Colour, then Mars is strong therein; but if the white Colour be of a grayish Brown, then Saturn is strong therein: Venus makes a white Colour, Mars red, and bitter in the Taste; Mars makes Venus's Colour Light, Mercury gives a mixt Colour, and opens the green in Mars; Jupiter inclines to blue, Saturn to black, almost Gray; the Sun makes the yellow Colour, and gives the right Sweetness in the Salt, and calls forth the pleasant Smell, which takes its Rise from Sulphur; Saturn makes astringent [sharp] and sour; and each Property represents itself externally, as it is internally in the Dominion, so also by the Form [or Signature] of the Leaf, or Branches.

37. Every Root, as it is in the Earth, may be known by the Signature for what it is food or profitable, even such a Form also has the Earth, and it is discerned in the leaves and Stalks which Planet is Lord in the Property, much more in the Flower; for of what Taste the Herb and Root is, even such an Hunger is in it, and such a Cure lies therein, for it has such a Salt. The Physician must know what Kind of Sickness is risen in the Body, and in what Salt the Loathing is risen in Mercury, that so he may not administer a further Loathing [and Nausea] to his Patient; for if he gives him the Herb, in whose Property Mercury has before received a Loathing, then he ministers Poison to him; so that the Poison in the Loathing of the Body does exceedingly inflame itself in Mercury, unless he burns that Herb to Ashes, and gives it him; then the Poison of the Loathing loses its Might; for these Ashes are a Death to the Poison of the living Mercury.