Of the Sun, and Moon, and their Magicall considerations.
The Sun, and Moon have obtained the administration or ruling of the Heavens, and all bodies under the heavens. The Sun is the Lord of all Elementary vertues, and the Moon by vertue of the Sun is the mistress of generation, increase, or decrease. Hence Albumasar saith, that by the Sun and Moon life is infused into all things, which therefore Orpheus cals the enlivening eyes of the heaven. The Sun giveth light to all things of it self, and gives it plentifully to all things not only in the Heaven, Aire, but Earth and Deep: whatsoever good we have, as Iamblichus saith, we have it from the Sun alone, or from it through other things. Heraclitus cals the Sun the fountain of Celestiall light; and many of the Platonists placed the soul of the world chiefly in the Sun, as that which filling the whole Globe of the Sun doth send forth its rayes on all sides as it were a spirit through all things, distributing life, sense and motion to the very Universe. Hence the ancient Naturalists called the Sun the very heart of heaven; and the Caldeans put it as the middle of the Planets. The Egyptians also placed it in the middle of the world, viz. betwixt the two fives of the world, i.e. above the Sun they place five Planets, and under the Sun, the Moon and four Elements. For it is amongst the other Stars the image and statue of the great Prince of both worlds, viz. Terrestiall, and Celestiall; the true light, and the most exact image of God himself; whose Essence resembles the Father, Light the Son, Heat the Holy Ghost. So that the Platonists have nothing to hold forth the Divine Essence more manifestly by, then this. So great is the consonancy of it to God, that Plato cals it the conspicuous Son of God, and Iamblicus cals it the divine image of divine intelligence. And our Dionysius cals it the perspicuous statue of God. It fits as King in the middle of other Planets, excelling all in light, greatness, fairness, enlightning all, distributing vertue to them to dispose inferior bodies, and regulating and disposing of their motions,
