The Signature of All Things — trans. John Ellistone (1651)
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The translator’s English as printed (John Ellistone). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
76. In the sixth Kingdom of the Mother of all Beings, viz. in the Wheel of Life, called Venus, Christ Loved his Brethren and Sisters according to the Humanity, and washed his Disciples' Feet, and Loved them even to the deepest Exinanition [emptying], and gave his Life into the Wrath's Property even to Death for them, and manifested himself among them that he was Christ: And when they perceived that the King was come that should deprive Self-will of its Might and Dominion, and destroy the Devil's Kingdom; then they cried out, and said, We have no King but Caesar; they took him in the dark Night into their Power, bound him, and brought him before their Council, mocked him, whipped him, and beat him, stripped him of Clothes, and hung him on the Cross.
77. This also the Artist will see very Powerfully in the philosophic Work; for as soon as the dark fiery Stream, viz. the Material Devil goes from the Matter, then Virgin Venus appears in her Virginity very glorious and beautiful; for it betokens Christ's Love, who did so humble himself, and manifested his Love in our Humanity; then the Artist thinks that he has the philosophic Child, then he has now the fine Morsel: But he dances with the Jews, who thought, when they had taken Christ, Now we have him, we will keep him well enough. Thus he also thinks, it is finished, and receives the Child; and when he beholds it in the Trial, then he has Venus, a Woman, and not the Virgin with the Tincture of the Fire and Light, and is deceived by the Woman.
78. Now observe right, What do the Properties, viz. Saturn, Mars, and Mercury, when they see the Child, viz. the Champion in royal Colour, and find that he Manages no external Dominion and Royalty with Power and Authority as they do, but will only rule with Love in their poisonful Fire-Might? They will not suffer him.
79. For Saturn signifies the Worldly Dominion, and Mercury the Spiritual Dominion, viz. the Pharisees, and Mars signifies the Devil; these three would not endure Christ among them; for he said that he was a King of Love, and the Son of God, and was come to deliver his People from Sin: Then thought the Devil, sure this rhimes not well, thou wilt lose thy Kingdom: And the Worldly Magistrate thought, Is this a King, and God's Son? Then he will take away our Might; this does not at all like us: And the Mercurial Priests thought; This Man is too mean for us, we will have a Messiah who may bring us to Worldly Dominion, and make us to be high and rich in the World, that we may alone possess the Honour of the World; we will not receive him, he is too poor for us; we Might so lose the Favour and respect of the Worldly Magistrate, and should be much damaged; we will rather abide in our Power, Respect, and Authority, and abandon this beggarly King with his Love-Kingdom: In like Manner as yet to this Day they are so Minded, and serve his Messengers so whom he sends.
80. Thus likewise it goes in the philosophic Work, when Venus manifests herself with Love, viz. in her own Property in the three wrathful Forms, viz. in Saturn, Mars, and Mercury; they can by no means endure it, for it is wholly against their austere, dark, fiery Might, but especially against the Poison of Mercury, they Flash and Lighten against Venus, and shoot their Rays, viz. the Mercurial poisonful rays upon her, as the Pharisees did upon Christ. In the meanwhile, Jupiter and Luna hold with Venus, and give their Power to Venus; for Venus does here stand forth in the Power of Jupiter; at this the Pharisees laugh, and think with themselves, We are wise enough already, what need we Knowledge and Understanding? We will have Might and Honour; and Luna signifies the Multitude of Laymen who stuck to Christ, while it went well with him; so does Luna in the philosophic Work to Venus in her Lustre, so long as Saturn, Mercury, and Mars do not meddle with and assault her; but when the Power of Wrath comes, then Luna changes her Will, viz. the Colour, and looks, arises, and cries also with the rest the crucifige: This the Artist will see, if he be chosen and accounted worthy of God for the Work.
The Eleventh Chapter.
Of the Process of Christ in his Suffering, Death, and Resurrection: of the Wonder of the Sixth Kingdom in the Mother of All Beings: How the consummatum est was finished, and how likewise it is Symbolically Accomplished in the Philosophic Work