| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: who, belonging to no corps, had entered into the service of
D'Artagnan, or rather of Planchet, after D'Artagnan had
saved his life.
The hour of the banquet being come, the two guards arrived,
took their places, and the dishes were arranged on the
table. Planchet waited, towel on arm; Fourreau uncorked the
bottles; and Brisemont, which was the name of the
convalescent, poured the wine, which was a little shaken by
its journey, carefully into decanters. Of this wine, the
first bottle being a little thick at the bottom, Brisemont
poured the lees into a glass, and D'Artagnan desired him to
The Three Musketeers |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War by Frederick A. Talbot: undergo a radical revision to achieve any notable results. The
aeroplane alone has proved successful in this domain, and it is
upon this type of aerial craft that dependence will have to be
placed.
CHAPTER XIX
THE NAVIES of THE AIR
Less than three years ago the momentous and spectacular race
among the Powers of Europe for the supremacy of the air began.
At first the struggle was confined to two rivals--France and
Germany--but as time progressed and the importance of aerial
fleets was recognised, other nations, notably Great Britain,
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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 From London to Land's End by Daniel Defoe: by the sea), but that it is even blended or mixed in with the
stones themselves, that the stones must be split into pieces to
come at it. By this mixture the rocks are made infinitely weighty
and solid, and thereby still the more qualified to repel the force
of the sea.
Upon this remote part of the island we saw great numbers of that
famous kind of crows which is known by the name of the Cornish
cough or chough (so the country people call them). They are the
same kind which are found in Switzerland among the Alps, and which
Pliny pretended were peculiar to those mountains, and calls the
PYRRHOCORAX. The body is black; the legs, feet, and bill of a deep
|
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 Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy: great deal--I see his light sometimes through the trees late at
night."
"Oh yes--a doctor--I believe I was told of him. It is a strange
place for him to settle in."
"It is a convenient centre for a practice, they say. But he does
not confine his studies to medicine, it seems. He investigates
theology and metaphysics and all sorts of subjects."
"What is his name?"
"Fitzpiers. He represents a very old family, I believe, the
Fitzpierses of Buckbury-Fitzpiers--not a great many miles from
here."
The Woodlanders |
