| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: having been unnecessarily irritating.
These were the contents of his public despatches. The letters
which he wrote to those private friends into whose management the
matter was likely to fall were of a yet more favourable tenor.
He represented that lenity in this case would be equally politic
and popular, whereas, considering the high respect with which the
rites of interment are regarded in
Scotland, any severity exercised against the Master of Ravenswood
for protecting those of his father from interruption, would be on
all sides most unfavourably construed. And, finally, assuming
the language of a generous and high-spirited man, he made it his
The Bride of Lammermoor |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Touchstone by Edith Wharton: "He's going to Europe to-morrow. He goes for a long time. I
supposed you knew."
The last phrase revived his irritation. "You forget that I depend
on you for my information about Flamel. He's your friend and not
mine. In fact, I've sometimes wondered at your going out of your
way to be so civil to him when you must see plainly enough that I
don't like him."
Her answer to this was not immediate. She seemed to be choosing
her words with care, not so much for her own sake as for his, and
his exasperation was increased by the suspicion that she was
trying to spare him.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli: incited other families to rebel and to drive Castruccio out of Lucca.
They found their opportunity one morning, and arming themselves, they
set upon the lieutenant whom Castruccio had left to maintain order and
killed him. They endeavoured to raise the people in revolt, but
Stefano di Poggio, a peaceable old man who had taken no hand in the
rebellion, intervened and compelled them by his authority to lay down
their arms; and he offered to be their mediator with Castruccio to
obtain from him what they desired. Therefore they laid down their arms
with no greater intelligence than they had taken them up. Castruccio,
having heard the news of what had happened at Lucca, at once put
Pagolo Guinigi in command of the army, and with a troop of cavalry set
The Prince |
