| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: philosophy, laws, and divinity:--but you forget the great Lipsius, quoth
Yorick, who composed a work (Nous aurions quelque interet, says Baillet, de
montrer qu'il n'a rien de ridicule s'il etoit veritable, au moins dans le
sens enigmatique que Nicius Erythraeus a ta he de lui donner. Cet auteur
dit que pour comprendre comme Lipse, il a pu composer un ouvrage le premier
jour de sa vie, il faut s'imaginer, que ce premier jour n'est pas celui de
sa naissance charnelle, mais celui au quel il a commence d'user de la
raison; il veut que c'ait ete a l'age de neuf ans; et il nous veut
persuader que ce fut en cet age, que Lipse fit un poeme.--Le tour est
ingenieux, &c. &c.) the day he was born:--They should have wiped it up,
said my uncle Toby, and said no more about it.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from An International Episode by Henry James: for the lark."
"Is it your first visit to the United States?"
"Oh, dear, yes."
"I was obliged to come on some business," said Percy Beaumont,
"and I brought Lambeth along."
"And YOU have been here before, sir?"
"Never--never."
"I thought, from your referring to business--" said Mr. Westgate.
"Oh, you see I'm by way of being a barrister," Percy Beaumont answered.
"I know some people that think of bringing a suit against one of your
railways, and they asked me to come over and take measures accordingly."
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Twilight Land by Howard Pyle: upon her finger, and nobody with her but one who looked like a
poor beggar-man.
"Who are you and what do you want?" said the old woman.
"Who we are," said the princess, "does not matter, except that we
are honest folk in trouble. What we want is shelter for the night
and food to eat, and that we will pay for."
"Shelter I can give you," said the old woman, "but little else
but a crust of bread and a cup of water. One time there was
enough and plenty in the house; but now, since my husband has
gone and I am left all alone, it is little I have to eat and
drink. But such as I have to give you are welcome to."
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