| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain: garden-truck. A noble could kill a noble without ex-
pense, as far as the law was concerned, but reprisals in
kind were to be expected. ANYbody could kill SOME-
body, except the commoner and the slave; these had
no privileges. If they killed, it was murder, and the
law wouldn't stand murder. It made short work of
the experimenter -- and of his family, too, if he mur-
dered somebody who belonged up among the orna-
mental ranks. If a commoner gave a noble even so
much as a Damiens-scratch which didn't kill or even
hurt, he got Damiens' dose for it just the same; they
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Massimilla Doni by Honore de Balzac: you need?"
The question had been asked with a royal air, and Memmi had ardently
kissed the beautiful and guileless hand. Then he suddenly started up
in a rage with himself, and left the Duchess. Massimilla remained in
her indolent attitude on the sofa; but she wept, wondering how, young
and handsome as she was, she could fail to please Emilio. Memmi, on
the other hand, knocked his head against the tree-trunks like a hooded
crow.
But at this moment a servant came in pursuit of the young Venetian to
deliver a letter brought by express messenger.
Marco Vendramini,--a name also pronounced Vendramin, in the Venetian
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Alexandria and her Schools by Charles Kingsley: element in them--the element which our hearts and reasons recognise and
love, in spite of all the loud words about the folly and fanaticism of
the Crusades, whensoever we read "The Talisman" or "Ivanhoe"--the
element of loyal faith and self-sacrifice--did not go unrequited. They
learnt wider, juster views of man and virtue, which I cannot help
believing must have had great effect in weakening in their minds their
old, exclusive, and bigoted notions, and in paving the way for the great
outburst of free thought, and the great assertion of the dignity of
humanity, which the fifteenth century beheld. They opened a path for
that influx of scientific knowledge which has produced, in after
centuries, the most enormous effects on the welfare of Europe, and made
|
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 War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: the purse undah the pillow," he said, and went out to the
quartermaster.
Rostov took the money and, mechanically arranging the old and new
coins in separate piles, began counting them.
"Ah! Telyanin! How d'ye do? They plucked me last night," came
Denisov's voice from the next room.
"Where? At Bykov's, at the rat's... I knew it," replied a piping
voice, and Lieutenant Telyanin, a small officer of the same
squadron, entered the room.
Rostov thrust the purse under the pillow and shook the damp little
hand which was offered him. Telyanin for some reason had been
War and Peace |
