published 1556
published 1607
published 1893
We hear of two Birds in the Forest,
yet we must understand them to be only one.
The Mercury, having been often sublimed,
is at length fixed, and becomes capable of resisting fire:
the sublimation must be repeated until at length fixation is attained.
The 1556 Figure illustrates two birds who cannot “get away from the other.” The Trees, which used to be separate, but crossed, have now joined together.
The 1607 version has two birds in a tree with seven obvious roots.
The 1893 version also has two birds, but also has a snail with an obvious spiral, perhaps representing the repeated distillation/sublimation referred to in the text.