NAME He is called Hermes, Stilbon, Cyllenius, Archas. Mercury is the least of all
the Planets, never distant from the Sun above 27.degrees; by which reason he is seldom
visible to our sight:
Colour He is of a dusky silver colour; his mean motion is
59 min. and 8 seconds; but he is sometimes so swift that he moveth one degree and
40.min. in a day, never more; so that you are not to marvaile if you finde him
sometimes goe 66. 68. 70. 80. 86. or 100. in a day: he is Stationary one day, and
retrograde 24.dayes.
Houses He hath Gemini and Virgo for his Houses, and is
exalted in the 15. of Virgo: he receives detriment in
Sagittarius and Pisces, his fall is in Pisces.
Triplicity, Terms and Face [Note Lilly uses a different set of
triplicity rulerships than I do] He ruleth the aery triplicity by night, viz.
Gemini, Libra, Aquarius.
TERMS. He hath these degrees in every Sign for his Terms.
In ARIES, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
In TAURUS, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.
In GEMINI, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
In CANCER, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
In LEO, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
In VIRGO, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
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In LIBRA, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
In SCORPIO, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.
In SAGITTARIUS, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
In CAPRICORN, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
In AQUARIUS, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
In PISCES, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
FACE. These subsequent degrees are his Faces or Decanate:
Nature We may not call him either Masculine or Feminine, for he is either
the one or other as joyned to any Planet; for if in Conjunction with a Masculine
Planet, he becomes Masculine; if with a Feminine, then Feminine, but of his own
nature he is cold and dry, and therefore Melancholly; with the good he is good,
with the evil Planets ill:
ELEMENTS. In the Elements the Water; amongst the humours, the mixt, he rules
the animal spirit: he is author of subtilty, tricks, devices, perjury, &c.
Manners & Actions, when well dignified. Being wel dignified,
he represents a man of a subtil and politick brain, intellect, and cogitation;
an excellent disputant or Logician,
arguing with learning and discretion, and using much eloquence in his speech, a
searcher into all kinds of Mysteries and Learning, sharp and witty, learning
almost any thing without a Teacher; ambitious of being exquisite in every
Science, desirious naturally of travel and seeing foraign parts: a man of
an unwearied fancy, curious in the search of any occult knowledge; able by
his own Genius to produce wonders; given to Divination and the more secret
knowledge; if he turn Merchant, no man exceeds him in a way of Trade or
invention of new wayes whereby to obtain wealth.
When ill dignified. A troublesome wit, a kinds of
Phrenetick man, his tongue and Pen against every man, wholly bent to
spoil his estate and time in prating and trying nice conclusions to no purpose;
a great lyar, boaster, pratler, busibody, false, a tale-carrier, given to wicked
ARTS, as Necromancy, and such like ungodly knowledges; easie of beleef,
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an asse or very ideot, constant in no place or opinion, cheating and theeving every where;
a news-monger, pretending all manner of knowledge, but guilty of no true or solid learning;
a trifler; a meer frantick fellow; if he prove a Divine, then a meer verball fellow,
frothy of no judgment, easily perverted, constant in nothing but idle words and bragging.
Corporature Vulgarly he denotes one of an high stature and
straight thin spare body,
an high forehead and somewhat narrow long face, long nose; fair eyes, neither perfectly
black or gray, thin lips and nose, little hair on the chin, but much on his head, and
it a sad brown inclining to blacknesse; long arms, fingers and hands; his complexion
like an olive or Chestnut colour. You must more observe Mercury then all the Planets;
for having any aspect to a Planet, he doth more usually partake of the influence of that
Planet then nay other doth: if with Saturn then heavy, with Jupiter more temperate, with
Mars more rash, with Sun more genteele, with Venus more jesting, with Moon
more shifter.
Oriental When he is oriental, his complexion is honey
colour, or like one wel Sun-burnt; in the stature of his body not very high, but
wel joynted, smal eyes, not much hair; in very truth, according to the the height
of body, very wel composed, but stil a defect in the complexion, viz. swarty brown,
and in the tongue, viz. all for his own ends.
Occidental When Occidental, a tawny visage, lank body,
small slender limbs,
hollow eyes, and sparkling and red or fiery; the whole frame of body inclining
to drinesse.
Quality of Men and Profession. He generally signifies all
literated men, Philosophers, Mathematicians, Astrologians,
Merchants, Secretaries, Scriveners, Diviners, Sculptors, Poets,
Orators, Advocates, School-masters, Stationers, Printers,
Exchangers of Money, Atturneys, Emperours, Embassadours,
Commissioners, Clerks, Artificers, generally Accomptants, Solicitors, sometimes
Theeves, pratling muddy Ministers, busie Sectaries, and they unlearned; Gramarians,
Taylors, Carriers, Messengers, Foot-men, Userers.
SICKNESSES. All Vertigols, Lethargies or giddinesse in the Head, Madnesse, either
Lightnesse, or any Disease of the Brain; Ptisick, all stammering and imperfection in
the Tongue, vein and
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fond Imaginations, all defects in the Memory, Hoarcenesse, dry Coughs, too much
abundance of Spettle, all snaffling and snuffling in the Head or Nose; the Hand
and Feet Gout, Dumnesse, Toungue-evil, all evils in the Fancy and intellectual parts.
COLOUR & SAVOURS. Mixed and new colours, the Gray mixed with Sky-colour, such as
is on the Neck of the Stock-dove, Linsie-woolsie colours, or consisting of many colours
mixed in one. Of Saviours an hodgepodge of all things together, so that no one can
give it any true name; yet usually such as doe quicken the Spirits, are subtil and
penetrate, and in a manner insensible.
HEARBS & PLANTS Herbs attributed to Mercury,
are known by the various colour of the flower, and love sandy barren places,
they bear their seed in husks or cobs,
they smel rarely or subtilly, and have pricnipal relation to the tongue, brain,
lungs or memory; they dispel winde, and comfort the Annimal spirits, and open
obstructions. Beanes, three leaved-grasse, the Walnut and Walnut-tree; the
Filbert-tree and Nut; the Elder-tree, Adders-tongue, Dragon-wort, Twopenny-grasse,
Lungwort, Anniseeds, Cubebs, Marjoran. What hearbs are used for the Muses and
Divination, as Vervine, the Reed; of Drugs, Treacle, Hiera, Diambra.
BEASTS. The Hyaena, Ape, Fox, Squirrel, Weasel, the Spider, the Grayhound, the
Hermophradite, being partaker of both sexes; all cunning creatures.
BIRDS. The Lynnet, the Parrot, the Popinian, the Swallow, the Pye,the Beetle,
Pifinires, Locusts, Bees, Serpent, the Crane.
WIND & WEATHER. He delights in Windy, Stormy
and Violent, Boistrous Weather,
and stirs up that Wind which the Planet signifies to which he applyes; sometimes
Rain, at other times Haile, Lightning, Thunder and Tempests- in hot Countries Earthquakes,
but this must be observed really from the Sign and Season of the year.
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ORBE. His Orbe is seven degrees before and after any aspect.
YEERS. His greatest yeers are 450; his greatest 76; his mean
48; his little or least 20: in Conceptions he governeth the
sixth moneth.
COUNTRIES. He hath Grecia, Flanders, Egypt, Paris.
DAY OF THE WEEK & FRIENDS. He governeth Wednesday,
the first hour thereof, and the eight.
His Friends are Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and his Enemies all the other Planets.
