| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Aesop's Fables by Aesop: they held a meeting, and after a long discussion, decided to
strike work till the Belly consented to take its proper share of
the work. So for a day or two, the Hands refused to take the
food, the Mouth refused to receive it, and the Teeth had no work
to do. But after a day or two the Members began to find that they
themselves were not in a very active condition: the Hands could
hardly move, and the Mouth was all parched and dry, while the Legs
were unable to support the rest. So thus they found that even the
Belly in its dull quiet way was doing necessary work for the Body,
and that all must work together or the Body will go to pieces.
The Hart in the Ox-Stall
Aesop's Fables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Prince Otto by Robert Louis Stevenson: spectacles were hurriedly replaced. 'Ha!' he said, 'Alexandrines,
the tragic metre. I shall cherish this, your Highness, like a
relic; no more suitable offering, although I say it, could be made.
"DIEUX DE L'IMMENSE PLAINE ET DES VASTES FORETS." Very good,' he
said, 'very good indeed! "ET DU GEOLIER LUI-MEME APPRENDRE DES
LECONS." Most handsome, begad!'
'Come, Governor,' cried the Countess, 'you can read his poetry when
we are gone. Open your grudging portals.'
'I ask your pardon,' said the Colonel. 'To a man of my character
and tastes, these verses, this handsome reference - most moving, I
assure you. Can I offer you an escort?'
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Alkahest by Honore de Balzac: was reserved for receptions and the lodging-rooms of guests, held many
objects of art and accumulated wealth, but none of them equalled in
the eyes of a Claes, nor indeed in the judgment of a connoisseur, the
treasures contained in the parlor, where for over two centuries the
family life had glided on.
The Claes who died for the liberties of Ghent, and who might in these
days be thought a mere ordinary craftsman if the historian omitted to
say that he possessed over forty thousand silver marks, obtained by
the manufacture of sail-cloth for the all-powerful Venetian navy,--
this Claes had a friend in the famous sculptor in wood, Van Huysum of
Bruges. The artist had dipped many a time into the purse of the rich
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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 St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson: no better than a madman for offering to advance on Dudgeon, and he
no better than a fool for not shooting me while I was about it.
But all's well that ends well; or, as the people in these days kept
singing and whistling on the streets:-
'There's a sweet little cherub that sits up aloft
And looks out for the life of poor Jack.'
'There!' said I, releasing him a little, but still keeping my hands
on his shoulders, 'JE VOUS AI BEL ET BIEN EMBRASSE - and, as you
would say, there is another French word.' With his wig over one
eye, he looked incredibly rueful and put out. 'Cheer up, Dudgeon;
the ordeal is over, you shall be embraced no more. But do, first
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