Cicero in his bookebook of the nature of the Gods declares the most ancient -
Apollo to be the SonneSon of Vulcan, and keeper of Athens: Which opinion,
if it be, as it ought, transferrdtransferred to an Allegory, is indeed most true; because
Vulcan producethproduces the PhilosophicallPhilosophical Sol, which is Apollo. But it hathhas -
prævayldprevailed, that heehe was borneborn of Jupiter; and that Latona having two
children in her wombewomb, Apollo and Diana, which sheeshe conceivdconceived of Ju=
piter, Juno being jealous sent Python a Serpent of prodigious magni=
tude and malice, to persecute and perplex her being great with child. -
The miserable woman after tedious wandringswanderings was at length brought
by a ShippShip to the Island Ortygia, to her sister Asteries, who therein
reigned: And that Island, being allmostalmost all overflowed with the Sea,
gave place to Latona being in travelltravail, whereupon it was called Delos, -
which before was Ἂδηλος: There therefore being in labourlabor, first came forth
Diana, and sheeshe did the office of a midwife to her mother labouringlaboring -
to bring forth her brother Apollo; From whence it came to passepass -
that women going with Child did in the time of their labourlabor
invoke her deity, and calldcalled her either Lucina or Ilithya, be=
cause sheeshe shewdshowed light to infants borneborn their eyes being opened:
Apollo therefore being borneborn and grownegrown up slew Python the tor=
menter of his mother with arrows, and killdkilled the Cyclopes because -
they made lighteninglightning for Jupiter to destroy his SonneSon ÆsculapiusAesculapius,
whomewhom Jupiter condemned to hell blasted with lighteninglightning, because
heehe had restordrestored Hippolytus to life being tornetorn in peicespieces by horses.
WeeWe have in many places demonstrated these things to be merely
ChymicallChymical: For Latona, Cynthia, Apollo, and Python are requisites of
the art, which have such a relation one to the other, as hathhas been
declared; but these things being divulged in the writings of the most
ancient PoettsPoets, as Orpheus, Linus, MusæusMusaeus, Homer, etc. have given the
ignorant occasion to ascribe religion and veneration to Apollo: Here=
upon Apollo is in many places of Europe and Asia worshipped, -
and innumerable temples erected to him; And especially at Delphos
heehe had a temple to be worshipped by ancient religion, wherein a great
number of statues made of solid gold and silver or great weight -
and artifice was reposited by Kings and Princes, with other most
pretiousprecious gifts, which were hidden in sacred places for religion sake
by men of all degrees. Pausanias reports that a brazen Skeleton of
admirable artifice was hung at the top of the temple by Hippocrates.
That famous Tripos was

allsoalso consecrated to Apollo by Pelops, at the
time when heehe marryedmarried Hippodamia the daughter ŒnomausOenomaus King
of Elis, which Tripos Mulciber made, and gave to Pelops: It was
erected in the midlemiddle of the temple, in which Pythia sitting
receiv'dreceived the inspiration of the DevillDevil gaping with a wide mouth, and then -
prophesydprophesied, and gave responses to those that desirddesired to know the events of things
to come: Delphos was indeed in BœoticaBoeotica seated about the foot of Parnassus. -
Near to the temple was the divining fountainefountain, named Cassiotis, which, if bur=
ning torches was brought to it, did extinguish them: if they were removed
farrefar ofoff, they were suddenly kindled, and tooketook fire; and the water of -
that fountainefountain being drankedrank yeildedyielded the virtue of divining, but not=
withstanding the drinkers of that water were made of shorter life. Con=
course therefore being made from all parts of Europe and Asia to the -
DelphickeDelphic Oracle, the Poets feignefeign that place, namely Parnassus to be -
in the midlemiddle of the earth, and that they proved by an example of Jupi=
ter, who had experimented it by sending forth two Eagles: But this thing
not being supported by the reputation of history, it is not derogatory from the
truth, to ascribe it to ChymicallChymical matters, especially Apollo being, as hathhas been -
declared, alltogetheraltogether ChymicallChymical by originalloriginal, though the DevillDevil afterwards -
confirmed the superstition of men, and gave prophesyesprophesies under that name.
The two Eagles are two stones, whereof one comes from the East, the -
other from the West, which the Philosophers have many wayesways demonstra=
ted. Jupiter sends them forth, as his Ensigne=-bearersEnsign-bearers. The Eagle seems in=
deed a freindfriend to Apollo or the SunneSun, in proving her chickens at the SunneSun, -
which if they cannot endure, SheeShe disownesdisowns them as illegitimate. Its feathers
being joynedjoined with other things are saydsaid not to putrefy, and to devouredevour
the feathers of other birds, easily admitting gilding allsoalso: By old age, or
sicknessesickness it dyesdies not, but by famine; For the upper beakebeak growesgrows soeso
crooked that it cannot receive food: Which having cast off it plungethplunges it=
selfeitself three times in a fountainefountain, and soeso is saydsaid to returnereturn to youth. -
Hereupon saythsays the Psalmist: Your youth shall be renewed as the -
youth of an Eagle: This of all birds is never affected with LighteningLightning:
It warrswars with the dragon, which hunts after its eggs for the sake of -
them: All the endowments of whose nature have affoardedafforded the Philo=
sophers reason to prædicatepredicate the Eagle in their art, and assimilate the
stone to it, whereof innumerable examples being obvious in their -
books, weewe will not here alleadgealleged more . . . . . . . . . .