| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gorgias by Plato: the nature of his art. Callicles proposes that they shall go with him to
his own house, where Gorgias is staying. There they find the great
rhetorician and his younger friend and disciple Polus.
SOCRATES: Put the question to him, Chaerephon.
CHAEREPHON: What question?
SOCRATES: Who is he?--such a question as would elicit from a man the
answer, 'I am a cobbler.'
Polus suggests that Gorgias may be tired, and desires to answer for him.
'Who is Gorgias?' asks Chaerephon, imitating the manner of his master
Socrates. 'One of the best of men, and a proficient in the best and
noblest of experimental arts,' etc., replies Polus, in rhetorical and
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Bucky O'Connor by William MacLeod Raine: We got no call to be threatening this young lady. We keep her for
a ransom because that's business. But she's as safe here as she
would be at the Rocking Chair. She's got York Neil's word for
that."
The Wolf snarled. "The word of a miscreant. That'll comfort her a
heap. And York Neil's word don't always go up here."
The cowpuncher's steady eyes met him. "It'll go this time."
The girl gave her champion a quiet little nod and a low "Thank
you." It was not much, but enough. For on the frontier "white
men" do not war on women. Her instinct gave just the right manner
of treating his help. It assumed that since he was what he was he
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