¶Of Mercurius. Cap. 27.
MEcurius (* 1.1 the sonne of Iupiter by Maia, whom Poets feigne to haue wings on his head and féete, to signifie, that talke (which is represented by the person of Mercury) doeth quicklye passe through the aire. He is feigned to be messenger of the Gods, because that by speach and wordes, all things are de∣clared. He was counted God of elo∣quence, Merchandise, feates of actiuitie, and thefte also. He first inuented the Harpe, and on his sister Venus begats Hermaphroditus, that was both man and woman.)
Misael saith, that Mercurius, is a Planet temperate, and a night Planet, now male, now female: for he tourneth himselfe soone to the Planet that hée is ioyned with: and he is made good with good, euill with euill, and meane with meane, and euill willed with euill wil∣led: and therefore in the ouer parte of his place•• he medleth his qualyties with the qualyties of Venus. And therefore Poets feigne, yt he did fornication with Venus, as Isidore saith: and he is called Mercuri{us}, quasi medius currens, as run∣ning in the middle betwéene Venus and the Moone, as Beda saith. And therefore he is ioyned with Venus, in the ouer part of Venus circle: & with the sunne, in the neather parte of the Circle of the sunne. And also his circle commeth into the circle of Venus, in the ouer parte of that circle: & into the circle of the sunne, in the nether part thereof: and when he is in the ouer part of his circle, he is better séene, and lesse hid with the sunne. And sometime he shineth before the sun, and sometime he shineth after the sunne going downe, and therefore of simple men he is called Vesperus. It is sayde, that he is Lord of waters, therfore Lu∣canus speaketh of Mercurius and sayth: The Lord of waters much smitten.
Also Poets call him, God of faire spea∣king and of wisedome. Therfore Ptho∣lomeus saith, that he maketh men stu∣dieng in science of numbers and louers thereof: for he disposeth and maketh men able to science and vse of calkling and of accompts: and therefore he is called God of Merchants, for accompts is most néedfull to Merchants. Also he is called God of wrastling, as Isidore saith: for he wrastleth with the sunne, as he wold ouercome him: for alwaye he passeth nigh the sunne, neuer passing xxx. degrées from the sun. Therfore he is selde séene, for he is hid vnder the Sunne, and for heate of the sunne he is painted wanne and browne, and for his swiftenesse, he is called in Fables the ouer runner of Gods: for now he passeth with ye sun, now before the sunne, & now after the futi. When he commeth before the Sun, it seemeth that he standeth next the sun beames, & is called Stacionarius: & when he commeth after the sun, he semeth Re∣trogradus, going backward, as Macro∣bius saith: vnder Mercuri{us} be these signs, Gemini & Virgo, & he raigneth in Vir∣gine, but in Piscibus his raining passeth.