| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Sportsman by Xenophon: [20] See Diod. iv. 32; i. 42.
Of Meleager[21] be it said, whereas the honours which he won are
manifest, the misfortunes on which he fell, when his father[22] in old
age forgot the goddess, were not of his own causing.[23]
[21] For the legend of Meleager see "Il." ix. 524-599, dramatised by
both Sophocles and Euripides, and in our day by Swinburne,
"Atalanta in Calydon." Cf. Paus. iii. 8. 9; viii. 54. 4; Ov.
"Met." viii. 300; Grote, "H. G." i. 195.
[22] i.e. Oeneus. "Il." ix. 535.
[23] Or, "may not be laid to his charge."
Theseus[24] single-handed destroyed the enemies of collective Hellas;
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Christ in Flanders by Honore de Balzac: evidently a relation. All these persons made a great deal of noise,
and talked among themselves as though there were no one else in the
boat; yet close beside them sat a man of great importance in the
district, a stout burgher of Bruges, wrapped about with a vast cloak.
His servant, armed to the teeth, had set down a couple of bags filled
with gold at his side. Next to the burgher came a man of learning, a
doctor of the University of Louvain, who was traveling with his clerk.
This little group of folk, who looked contemptuously at each other,
was separated from the passengers in the forward part of the boat by
the bench of rowers.
The belated traveler glanced about him as he stepped on board, saw
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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 Two Noble Kinsmen by William Shakespeare: 'His shackles will betray him, hee'l be taken,
And what shall I doe then? Ile bring a beavy,
A hundred blacke eyd Maides, that love as I doe,
With Chaplets on their heads of Daffadillies,
With cherry-lips, and cheekes of Damaske Roses,
And all wee'l daunce an Antique fore the Duke,
And beg his pardon.' Then she talk'd of you, Sir;
That you must loose your head to morrow morning,
And she must gather flowers to bury you,
And see the house made handsome: then she sung
Nothing but 'Willow, willow, willow,' and betweene
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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 Bab:A Sub-Deb, Mary Roberts Rinehart by Mary Roberts Rinehart: "All this reminds me," he said, "that I have promised to go to work
tonight. But this is so--er--thrilling that I guess the work can
wait. Well--now go on."
Oh, the Joy of that night! How can I describe it? To be at last in
the company of one who understood, who--as he himself had said in
"Her Soul"--spoke my own languidge! Except for the occasional
mosquitoe, there was no sound save the turgescent sea and his Voice.
Often since that time I have sat and listened to conversation. How
flat it sounds to listen to father prozing about Gold, or Sis about
Clothes, or even to the young men who come to call, and always talk
about themselves.
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