WeeWe daily in many places hear birds prattling or imitating the voycevoice
of man, such as ParrottsParrots, Ravens, DawesDaws, and PyesPies. SoeSo Pliny writes -
that, at the time wherein heehe published his history, Agrippina the -
wife of Claudius CæsarCaesar had a thrush, imitating the speech of men. -
The young CæsarsCaesars had allsoalso a Starling and Nightingales accustomed to
the GreekeGreek and LatineLatin tongue, and daily speaking new things, with -
a long formeform of words allsoalso. But such birds now frequently happening
they are thought lesseless worthy of admiration, for all birds endu'dendued -
with a broad tongue may by use and customecustom be brought to speakespeak
and babble. But that VulturVulture, which the Philosophers make mention
of, did not learnelearn words, if any heehe utters, by use, but his nature tacit=
ly expressethexpresses them. The Philosophers doedo indeed say, that heehe -
continually cryescries out, and with a loud VoyceVoice pronouncethpronounces, who and
what heehe is, wherein heehe imitates great Princes, who in the beginingbeginning
of their intimations will allwayesalways make their titles and inheritances -
knowneknown, not in token of any pride, but for other reasons, that they -
allsoalso themselves may know, what principalityesprincipalies they governegovern, or -
right of inheritance they prætendpretend to: SoeSo it is very materiallmaterial to -
know, what colourscolors, as ensigns of armesarms and titles, the Philosophi=
callPhilosophical bird is adorndadorned with, and wherein heehe excellsexcels all others. I, SaythSays heehe,
as Rosarius hathhas it from Hermes, am the blackeblack of white, and the ci=
trine of red, and certainly I speakespeak truth and lyelie not. HeeHe affirmesaffirms
himselfehimself blacke, white, citrine, and red, and such heehe really is, for -
though heehe dothdoes not as yet actually possessepossess the last colourscolors, yet heehe
expects the inheritance of them: Hereupon SaythSays Rosinus in his bookebook
of divine interpretations; Take the Stone, which is blackeblack, white, -
red, citrine, that admirable bird, which flyesflies without wings in the
darknessedarkness of the night, and clearnesseclearness of the day: For coloration -
arisetharises from the bitternessebitterness which is in his throat, but mere water -
proceeds from his blood, as Alexander saydsaid. Take (My SonneSon) the
Stone of four colourscolors. The Philosophers books doedo abundantly de=
clare and insinuate that the Stone hathhas all these colourscolors, which
are principallprincipal, in a successive order. But why the PhilosophicallPhilosophical
subject is calldcalled a VulturVulture, there is reason to be alleadgedalleged. Of VultursVultures -
the blackeblack are of most esteem, they are rapacious, but fly Slowly, be=
cause of the bignessebigness of body. They say that this bird conceives -
without the seed of the males, and generates without coition,

and
that their offspring doedo arrive to a great age even to a hundred -
years. Their nests they build in high rocks, noeno man hathhas attained
to them. Two chickens are for the most part seen: They are helpe=
fullhelpful and commodious agaynstagainst Serpents. They are offended and -
perplexed with the East wind. When they begin to lay eggs, they -
bring a thing out of the IndyesIndies, which is as a nuttnut, having within a -
thing that may be moved, and forthwith yeildsyields a sound, which when
they have applyedapplied to them, they produce many young chickens, -
but one onelyonly remaynsremains, which is calldcalled Immusulus. Hermodorus Fon=
ticus in CœliusCoelius is a wittnessewitness, that VultursVultures of all animallsanimals are the -
most innocent, because they doedo not at all meddle with any of those
things which men sow, plant, and breed. Moreover they kill noeno -
animallsanimals. They allsoalso abstaineabstain from birds though dead by a certainecertain
instinct of affinity: For this cause they were best esteemdesteemed in divina=
tions, as the originallsoriginals of the CittyCity of Rome declare. The Philoso=
phicallPhilosophical bird expressing allmostalmost all these propertyesproperties of VultursVultures, is
therefore by Hermes and others not undeservedly called VulturVulture, which
is allsoalso slow in flight, and blackeblack of colourcolor; It conceives by itselfeitself:
For thus saythsays Rosarius about the end; And it is the Dragon, which
weddsweds itselfeitself, and impregnatsimpregnates itselfeitself, and brings forth in its owneown
season etc. And Rosinus to Sarratant: And that is the Serpent, ad=
ministringadministering pleasure to itselfeitself, impregnating itselfeitself, and bringing
forth in one day, etc. It lives and endures a very long time, and -
multiplyesmultiplies itselfeitself. For that which VirgillVirgil writes of the bird calldcalled
a PhœnixPhoenix, is as proper to this, because it is the same.
It is very difficult to climbeclimb this birds nest: It fights with the MercuriallMercurial
serpent, and overcomes it, that is, Sol with Luna. It is conceived by -
the wind, and carryedcarried in its belly, and bred in the aireair. The -
Stone ÆtitesAetites, containing a little stone sounding within it is by many
men called Totium. One onelyonly Immusulus is found in the Philoso=
phers nest. The PhilosophickePhilosophic bird is allsoalso most innocent, because
it hurts noeno body, it is beneficiallbeneficial to all that know it, and most ex=
cellent in divinations. But why dothdoes it make its nest on a MountaineMountain,
and sitting soeso cry out? Rosinus answers according to Rasis, who saythsays
Behold the most high mountains, which are both on the right and
left, and climbeclimb up thither: There is our Stone found, and in another
mountainemountain, which producethproduces all sorts of Painter colourscolors, and Spirits -
or Species, there likewise it is: Morienus: ClimbeClimb up the high mountains,
planted wih trees, because there is our stone found, and hidden: And Hermes:
Take yeeyou the blessed Stone, breakebreak it to peicespieces, and wash the red stone, from
which is extracted that which is found in mountains, and especially sometimes in old Sinks.