Of Capricorn
Capricorn in 15 AD: miners and goldsmiths, all fire and metal.
[p. 14] But Sacred Vesta guards thy fatal Fire,And thence 'tis guess'd, what Minds thy Rays inspire,Contracted Goat; by thee that Art's infus'd,Which Fire assists, and where a Flame is us'd;By thee the Miners burn the Womb of Earth;And see the place of Metals fatal Birth:By thee they melt; by thee they work the Mould,Refine, and Stamp it into mighty Gold:By thee, the Silver, Iron, Gold, and Brass,The Forge dissolves, and forms the easie Mass:By thee, the Ovens heat, and Baths acquire,And Happy ²⁴Chymists blow enriching Fire:
[p. 15] Thy Cold (for thou o're Winter Signs dost reign,Pull'st back the Sun, and send'st us Day again)Makes Brokers Rich, for whilst you spread your Ice,Their Wares go off, and they enhance the Price:From thee our Youth unconstant Tempers prove,And eagerly pursue unlawful Love,'Cause Goat above; but these the Fish behindCorrects in Age, and fixes the soft Mind.
The notes
²⁴ If Alchymy was more Antient than Manilius, as Huetius himself grants, I see no Reason why the Poet might not speak of the Alchymists: The Interpretation I have given, I am sure, sounds better than that of Huetius. (Creech’s note, 1697)
In the app the old words open a note in the margin when you tap them, the old books read the planets of your own chart, and each book opens where you left it. Free, no account, no email.
14160+ people cast their chart here in the last 30 days.
Keep reading
The text is Thomas Creech's 1697 verse translation, checked word by word between three scans of the same type (the 1697 printing, the 1700 printing and a third copy). The long s is printed as s; every other spelling is Creech's. Pages are cited as the 1697 printing numbers them. The portrait is William Marshall’s engraving of Lilly from the front of the 1659 printing (Wellcome Library, public domain).