| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Oscar Wilde Miscellaneous by Oscar Wilde: regard me. I wonder why he spake to me so strangely.
* * * * *
HONORIUS. Myrrhina, the scales have fallen from my eyes and I see
now clearly what I did not see before. Take me to Alexandria and
let me taste of the seven sins.
MYRRHINA. Do not mock me, Honorius, nor speak to me with such
bitter words. For I have repented of my sins and I am seeking a
cavern in this desert where I too may dwell so that my soul may
become worthy to see God.
HONORIUS. The sun is setting, Myrrhina. Come with me to
Alexandria.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twilight Land by Howard Pyle: places that smarted with a cooling unguent. Instantly the pain
and smarting ceased, and the merchant's son had perfect ease.
"Now," said Zadok, "what is thy bidding?"
"Tell me," said Aben Hassen the Fool, "whence comes all the
wealth that you have brought me? The king has commanded me to
tell him and I could not, and so he has had me beaten with fifty
lashes."
"I bring the treasure," said Zadok, "from the treasure-house of
the ancient kings of Egypt. That treasure I at one time
discovered to your father, and he, not desiring it himself, hid
it in the earth so that no one might find it."
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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 Message by Honore de Balzac: break the news of this unhappy event with great caution."
"Monsieur," said I, "I addressed myself to you in the first
instance, as in duty bound. I could not, without first informing
you, deliver a message to Mme. la Comtesse, a message intrusted
to me by an entire stranger; but this commission is a sort of
sacred trust, a secret of which I have no power to dispose. From
the high idea of your character which he gave me, I felt sure
that you would not oppose me in the fulfilment of a dying
request. Mme. la Comtesse will be at liberty to break the silence
which is imposed upon me."
At this eulogy, the Count swung his head very amiably, responded
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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 On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin: varieties often suddenly produced and semi-monstrous in character, than
with hybrids, which are descended from species slowly and naturally
produced. On the whole I entirely agree with Dr. Prosper Lucas, who, after
arranging an enormous body of facts with respect to animals, comes to the
conclusion, that the laws of resemblance of the child to its parents are
the same, whether the two parents differ much or little from each other,
namely in the union of individuals of the same variety, or of different
varieties, or of distinct species.
Laying aside the question of fertility and sterility, in all other respects
there seems to be a general and close similarity in the offspring of
crossed species, and of crossed varieties. If we look at species as having
On the Origin of Species |
