Of the Sun, his General and Particular Significations
Kings, gold and promises kept on time. The Sun’s chapter is a royal portrait.
[p. 42] The Sun is placed in the middle of all the planets, continually visible to all mortal men. He passes through all the twelve signs of the zodiac in one year: his mean motion is 59 minutes 8 seconds, yet his diurnal motion is sometimes 57 minutes 16 seconds, sometimes more, but never exceeding 61 minutes and 6 seconds. He always moves in the ecliptic, and is ever void of latitude. He has only the sign ♌ for his house, and ♒ for his detriment. He is exalted in the 19th degree of ♈, and receives his fall in 19° ♎.
The Sun governs the fiery triplicity, viz. ♈, ♌, ♐, by day. He is always direct, and never can be considered retrograde.
In nature.—He is naturally hot and dry, but more temperate than ♂; is a masculine, diurnal planet, and equivalent if well dignified to a fortune.
[p. 43] Manners when well dignified.—Very faithful, keeping their promises with the greatest punctuality; a kind of itching desire to rule and sway wherever he comes. Prudent, and of incomparable judgment; of great majesty and stateliness, industrious to acquire honour and a large patrimony, yet as willing to spend it again. The solar man usually speaks with gravity, but not many words, and these with great confidence and command of his own feelings; full of thought, secret, trusty, speaks deliberately, and, notwithstanding his great heart, he is affable, tractable, and very humane to all people; one loving sumptuousness and magnificence, and whatever is honourable; no sordid thoughts can enter his heart.
When ill dignified.—Then the solar man is arrogant and proud, disdaining all men, boasting of his pedigree; he is purblind in sight and judgment, restless, troublesome, domineering, a mere vapour, expensive, foolish, endowed with no gravity in words, or soberness in actions; a spendthrift, wasting his patrimony, and hanging on other men's charity; yet he thinks all men are bound to him, because a gentleman born.
Corporature.—Usually the ☉ presents a man of a good, large, and strong corporature, a yellow, saffron complexion, a round large forehead, large goggle eyes, sharp and piercing; a body strong and well composed, not so beautiful as lovely; full of heat, with hair yellowish, and therefore quickly bald; much hair on their beard, and usually an high ruddy complexion; their bodies fleshy; in disposition they are very bountiful, honest, sincere, well-minded, of good heart; healthful constitution; very humane, yet sufficiently spirited, and not loquacious.
Oriental.—We can only say the ☉ is oriental in the figure, or in an oriental quarter of the figure, or occidental, &c.* The planets are oriental when they rise, or appear before him in the morning, and occidental when they set after him.
[p. 44] Quality of Men, and their Professions.—He signifies, kings, princes, emperors, &c. dukes, marquisses, earls, barons, lieutenants, deputy lieutenants of counties, magistrates, gentlemen in general, courtiers, desirers of honour and preferment Justices of peace, mayors, high sheriffs, high constables, stewards of noblemen's houses, the principal magistrate of any city, town, castle, or country village; yea, even a petty constable, where no better is; goldsmiths, braziers, pewterers, coppersmiths, and minters of money.
Sicknesses.—Pimples in the face, palpitation or trembling, diseases of the brain and heart, infirmities of the eyes, cramps, sudden swoonings, diseases of the mouth and impure breath, catarrhs, putrid fevers. Principally in man he governs the heart and the brain; in women, the vital spirit, and denotes hysterics.
Places.—Houses or courts of princes, palaces, theatres, all magnificent structures, being clean and decent; halls, and dining rooms.
Orb.—Is 15 degrees.
Years.—In age he rules youth, or when one is at the strongest; his greatest years are 1460,† greater 120, lesser 69, and least 19.
Countries.—Italy, Sicily, Bohemia, Phenicia, and Chaldea.
The notes
* In nativities the ☉ and ☽ are oriental between the 1st and 10th houses, and in the opposite quarter of the figure; they are occidental between the 10th and 7th houses, and in the opposite quarter: but in horary questions they are oriental between the 4th and 10th, and occidental after leaving the 10th, until they reach the 4th; oriental when rising, and occidental when setting. (a note, p. 44)
† It is a very remarkable fact, that this period is the sothic or canicular year of the Egyptians; whence it is pretty evident that these astrological doctrines came originally from that people, and are, in fact, of the very highest antiquity. (a note, p. 44)
Old words on this page
- diurnal
- of the day. A diurnal planet or sign belongs to daytime.
- exalted
- an honoured guest: the sign where a planet is treated like royalty, though it does not live there.
- detriment
- the sign opposite a planet's home, where it is in exile.
- triplicity
- one of the four groups of three signs: fire, earth, air and water.
- viz
- short for videlicet, Latin for "namely".
- dignified
- well dignified means the planet is somewhere it is strong, at home or exalted. Ill dignified: in exile, or fallen.
- patrimony
- what you inherit from your father.
- corporature
- the body: build, height, face. Lilly describes what each planet's person looks like.
- oriental
- rising before the Sun, in the morning sky.
- occidental
- setting after the Sun, in the evening sky.
- preferment
- a promotion, or a good position.
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The text is the 1852 edition by Zadkiel, checked word by word against the 1898 printing of the same plates. Pages are cited as the 1852 printing numbers them. The portrait is William Marshall’s engraving of Lilly from the front of the 1659 printing (Wellcome Library, public domain).