| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Crito by Plato: respect to us the laws, of whom you are the destroyer; and are doing what
only a miserable slave would do, running away and turning your back upon
the compacts and agreements which you made as a citizen. And first of all
answer this very question: Are we right in saying that you agreed to be
governed according to us in deed, and not in word only? Is that true or
not?' How shall we answer, Crito? Must we not assent?
CRITO: We cannot help it, Socrates.
SOCRATES: Then will they not say: 'You, Socrates, are breaking the
covenants and agreements which you made with us at your leisure, not in any
haste or under any compulsion or deception, but after you have had seventy
years to think of them, during which time you were at liberty to leave the
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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 The Touchstone by Edith Wharton: would rid Glennard of the necessity of defending himself against
the perpetual criticism of his wife's belief in him. . . .
The impulse was strong enough to carry him to the window; but
there a reaction of defiance set in. What had he done, after all,
to need defence and explanation? Both Dresham and Flamel had, in
his hearing, declared the publication of the letters to be not
only justifiable but obligatory; and if the disinterestedness of
Flamel's verdict might be questioned, Dresham's at least
represented the impartial view of the man of letters. As to
Alexa's words, they were simply the conventional utterance of the
"nice" woman on a question already decided for her by other "nice"
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