| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley: all the naughtier; as little boys do when they have done wrong and
won't say so.
Then he came to a pool full of little trout, and began tormenting
them, and trying to catch them: but they slipped through his
fingers, and jumped clean out of water in their fright. But as Tom
chased them, he came close to a great dark hover under an alder
root, and out floushed a huge old brown trout ten times as big as
he was, and ran right against him, and knocked all the breath out
of his body; and I don't know which was the more frightened of the
two.
Then he went on sulky and lonely, as he deserved to be; and under a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William and Ellen Craft: Belmonte, the pretended owner of the girl, had
obtained possession of her by an act of sale from
John F. Miller, the planter in whose service
Salome's father died. This Miller was a man of
consideration and substance, owning large sugar
estates, and bearing a high reputation for honour
and honesty, and for indulgent treatment of his
slaves. It was testified on the trial that he had
said to Belmonte, a few weeks after the sale of
Salome, "that she was white, and had as much
right to her freedom as any one, and was only to
Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Marie by H. Rider Haggard: "My news, aunt," I answered, "is that one hour before sundown to-day I
have to shoot vultures on the wing against the lives of all of you.
This you owe to that false-hearted hound Hernan Pereira, who told
Dingaan that I am a magician. Now Dingaan would prove it. He thinks
that only by magic can a man shoot soaring vultures with a bullet, and
as he is determined to kill you all, except perhaps Marie, in the form
of a bet he has set me a task which he believes to be impossible. If I
fail, the bet is lost, and so are your lives. If I succeed I think your
lives will be spared, since Kambula there tells me that the king always
makes it a point of honour to pay his bets. Now you have the truth, and
I hope you like it," and I laughed bitterly.
Marie |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: once that one, and another time that other. And they get children,
when they use the member of man; and they bear children, when they
use the member of woman.
And in another isle be folk that go always upon their knees full
marvellously. And at every pace that they go, it seemeth that they
would fall. And they have in every foot eight toes.
Many other diverse folk of diverse natures be there in other isles
about, of the which it were too long to tell, and therefore I pass
over shortly.
From these isles, in passing by the sea ocean toward the east by
many journeys, men find a great country and a great kingdom that
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