| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Alcibiades I by Plato: of the Helots, or of their horses, or of the animals which feed on the
Messenian pastures. But I have said enough of this: and as to gold and
silver, there is more of them in Lacedaemon than in all the rest of Hellas,
for during many generations gold has been always flowing in to them from
the whole Hellenic world, and often from the barbarian also, and never
going out, as in the fable of Aesop the fox said to the lion, 'The prints
of the feet of those going in are distinct enough;' but who ever saw the
trace of money going out of Lacedaemon? And therefore you may safely infer
that the inhabitants are the richest of the Hellenes in gold and silver,
and that their kings are the richest of them, for they have a larger share
of these things, and they have also a tribute paid to them which is very
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Mad King by Edgar Rice Burroughs: and the great trust and confidence in the heart of the
woman who had shown that she loved him.
Slowly Barney Custer raised his palm toward the bishop
in a gesture of restraint.
"There are those who doubt that I am king," he said. "In
these circumstances there should be no coronation in Lutha
until all doubts are allayed and all may unite in accepting
without question the royal right of the true Leopold to the
crown of his father. Let the coronation wait, then, until
another day, and all will be well."
"It must take place before noon of the fifth day of Nov-
The Mad King |
