| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: scowling upon Robin. "Come on, ye scum!" cried he merrily.
"Here be cakes and ale for all. Now, who will be next served?"
To this speech the beggars answered never a word, but they looked at
Robin as great Blunderbore looked upon stout Jack the slayer of giants,
as though they would fain eat him, body and bones; nevertheless, they did
not care to come nigher to him and his terrible staff. Then, seeing them
so hesitate, Robin of a sudden leaped upon them, striking even as he leaped.
Down went the Dumb man, and away flew his cudgel from his hand as he fell.
At this the others ducked to avoid another blow, then, taking to
their heels, scampered, the one one way and the other the other,
as though they had the west wind's boots upon their feet. Robin looked
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: knows how to make him lower his back,[11] to facilitate mounting, we
have no fault to find. Still, we consider that the horseman should
practise and be able to mount, even if the horse does not so lend
himself;[12] since on another occasion another type of horse may fall
to the rider's lot,[13] nor can the same rider be always served by the
same equerry.[14]
[11] {upobibazesthai}. See above, i. 14; Pollux, i. 213; Morgan ad
loc. "Stirrups were unknown till long after the Christian era
began."
[12] Or, "apart from these good graces on the animal's part."
[13] As a member of the cavalry.
On Horsemanship |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Timaeus by Plato: great advance and almost maturity of natural knowledge.
We should also remember, when we attribute to the ancients hasty
generalizations and delusions of language, that physical philosophy and
metaphysical too have been guilty of similar fallacies in quite recent
times. We by no means distinguish clearly between mind and body, between
ideas and facts. Have not many discussions arisen about the Atomic theory
in which a point has been confused with a material atom? Have not the
natures of things been explained by imaginary entities, such as life or
phlogiston, which exist in the mind only? Has not disease been regarded,
like sin, sometimes as a negative and necessary, sometimes as a positive or
malignant principle? The 'idols' of Bacon are nearly as common now as
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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 The Works of Samuel Johnson by Samuel Johnson: of life, in which all are unavoidably equal; as
when a monarch makes a progress to the remoter
provinces, the rustics are said sometimes to
wonder that they find him of the same size with
themselves.
These demands of prejudice and folly can never be
satisfied; and therefore many of the imputations
which learning suffers from disappointed ignorance,
are without reproach. But there are some failures,
to which men of study are peculiarly exposed. Every
condition has its disadvantages. The circle of
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