| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle: the benches were beginning to fill with people of quality, who kept
constantly arriving in little carts or upon palfreys that curveted
gaily to the merry tinkle of silver bells at bridle reins.
With these came also the poorer folk, who sat or lay upon the green
grass near the railing that kept them from off the range.
In the great tent the archers were gathering by twos and threes;
some talking loudly of the fair shots each man had made
in his day; some looking well to their bows, drawing a string
betwixt the fingers to see that there was no fray upon it,
or inspecting arrows, shutting one eye and peering down a shaft
to see that it was not warped, but straight and true, for neither
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood |
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 Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: error had been occasioned by others, found those his accusers whose
advice had misled him. Some indeed profess that he was deceived by
his father-in-law Scipio, who, designing to conceal and keep to
himself the greatest part of that treasure which he had brought out
of Asia, pressed Pompey to battle, upon the pretence that there
would be a want of money. Yet admitting he was deceived, one in his
place ought not to have been so, nor should have allowed so slight
an artifice to cause the hazard of such mighty interests. And thus
we have taken a view of each, by comparing together their conduct,
and actions in war.
As to their voyages into Egypt, one steered his course thither out
|
