The Allegory of SaturneSaturn weewe find to be taken diversdiverse wayesways: for the Astro=
nomers repute him the highest of the PlanettsPlanets in order; the young students
of Chymistry the meanest of metallsmetals, namely lead: The heathen Poets: con=
ceivdconceived him to be the father of Jupiter, SonneSon of Cœlum; the Mythologists time.
But though all these may seem to have thought aright in their sense, yet -
they will not declare those things which are elswhereelsewhere spoken of SaturneSaturn, -
why heehe devoured and vomited up his sonnssons, and a stone instead of Jupiter,
why heehe is the discoverer of truth, why appearing with a siethscythe, a serpent, -
blacknesseblackness, morosity, and distorted feet? Herein the last thinkethink themselves to
interpret best, saying, that time revealesreveals and manifests truth, slides away as a Ser=
pent, cuts all things downedown with death as by a siethscythe, devouresdevours its children, that is,
all those things which it hathhas generated, digests hard stones, or cannot consume
them, and therefore dosdoes as it were vomit them up againeagain: These things doedo indeed
agree in part, but are not consonant to the truth of the thing, and all circum=
stances. But the exercises Philosophers doedo say, that SaturneSaturn is first in their
workework, which if heehe be really præsentpresent, they cannot erreerr, truth is discovered in
darknessedarkness; but there is nothing besides blacknesseblackness: wherefore they say in -
Turba Philosophorum, whatsoever colourcolor comes after blacknesseblackness is laudable:
and when you see your matter blackeblack, rejoycerejoice, because it is the beginingbeginning of -
the workework: And, when it is first blackeblack, weewe say it is the key of the workework, -
because it is not effected without blacknesseblackness, as the Rosary hathhas it, with Arnold,
and the Speculum: when you are operating, endeavourendeavor to obtaineobtain first a -
blackeblack colourcolor, and then will you be certainecertain that you putrefy, and proceed
the right way. And a little after: that blacknesseblackness is called earth, which is made
by light decoction soeso often repeated, till blacknesseblackness be most eminent: For -
this reason say the same, that SaturneSaturn possessethpossesses the earth, Mercury water, -
Jupiter aireair, Sol fire. SaturneSaturn therefore is blacknesseblackness, the discoverer of truth,
who followesfollows a stone instead of Jupiter. For blacknesseblackness, that is, a darkedark cloud
covers the stone as first, that it cannot be seen: Therefore saythsays MorienesMorienus -
every body without a soulesoul is darkedark and obscure: And Hermes: Take his head -
dissolve it with the Sharpest vinegar, or the urine of children, till it be made -
darkedark: This being performed heehe lives in putrefaction, and the darkedark clouds which
were upon him,

and in his body, before heehe dyeddied, are returned. This stone is -
againeagain disgorged by SaturneSaturn, when it becomes white, and then is it settset upon -
the top of Helicon for a monument to men, as Hesiod writes: for whitenessewhiteness is
really comprehended under blacknesseblackness, which is drawnedrawn out of its bowellsbowels, that
is, out of the stomackestomach of SaturneSaturn. therefore saythsays Democritus; putrify TinneTin
with a peculiar ablution, draw its blacknesseblackness and obscurity from it, and the
whitenessewhiteness of it will appear. And in Turba it is saydsaid: JoyneJoin the dry with
the moist, that is, the blackeblack earth with its water, and coct, till it be whitened.
This Arnold in Novum lumen chapt. 4. excellently declares, saying; That -
moisture therefore which caused blacknesseblackness in decoction, ShewsShows itselfeitself to be -
dryeddried, when the white colourcolor begins to appear. And a little after: And -
my Master saydsaid to meeme, that that brunity ascended, because the whitenessewhiteness
was drawnedrawn out of the belly of its blacknesseblackness, as is saydsaid in Turba: For when -
you see it blackeblack know that the whitenessewhiteness of it is hidden in the bowellsbowels of the
blacknesseblackness first appearing. As the Same blacknesseblackness is called SaturneSaturn, soeso allsoalso -
Lead: Thereupon saythsays Agadimon in Turba: Coct your brassebrass, till the blacknesseblackness come forth,
which they call money, and mix the matters of your art, and you will find blacknesseblackness -
presently, which is the Philosophers lead, of which they have treated much in their -
books: Hitherto relates the saying of Emiganus, that the Splendor of SaturneSaturn ascending
into the aireair appears noeno otherwise than darkened. And of Plato in the Rosary; The
first way of governing SaturneSaturn is to putrefy and put it upon Sol: by which it is evident -
that the sense of the Philosophers, speaking of SaturneSaturn, is farrefar different from the
coḿoncommon acceptation. This SaturneSaturn generates Jupiter, that is, an obscure whitenessewhiteness, Jupiter
of Latona Diana, that is perfect whitenessewhiteness, and Apollo, that is, rednesseredness; and this is
the successive mutation of all perfect colourscolors: This Stone cast out by SaturneSaturn is
reported to be placed at the top of the mountainemountain as a monument to men, which
is a thing most true . . . . . . . . . . . .