It is diminished and purged by those of Mars, and quite extinguished by those of Saturn.
Observe the hour and Medicines of Venus, to fortify; of Mars, to cleanse this virtue; of Saturn, to extinguish it.
Conservative.] The conservative virtue is Vital, Natural, Animal.
Vital.] The Vital spirit hath its residence in the heart, and is dispersed from it by the Arteries; and is governed by the influence of the Sun. And it is to the body, as the Sun is to the Creation; as the heart is in the Microcosm, so is the Sun in the Megacosm: for as the Sun gives life, light, and motion to the Creation, so doth the heart to the body; therefore it is called Sol Corporis, as the Sun is called Cor Cœli, because their operations are similar.
Inimical and destructive to this virtue, are Saturn and Mars.
The Herbs and Plants of Sol, wonderfully fortify it.
Natural.] The natural faculty or virtue resides in the liver, and is generally governed by Jupiter, Quasi Juvans Pater; its office is to nourish the body, and is dispersed through the body by the veins.
From this are bred four particular humours, Blood, Choler, Flegm, and Melancholy.
Blood is made of meat perfectly concocted, in quality hot and moist, governed by Jupiter: It is by a third concoction transmuted into flesh, the superfluity of it into seed, and its receptacle is the veins, by which it is dispersed through the body.
Choler is made of meat more than perfectly concocted; and it is the spume or froth of blood: it clarifies all the humours, heats the body, nourishes the apprehension, as blood doth the judgment: It is in quality hot and dry; fortifies the attractive faculty, as blood doth the digestive; moves man to activity and valour: its receptacle is the gall, and it is under the influence of Mars.