| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Deserted Woman by Honore de Balzac: hear a sermon, did you?"
Gaston felt even further than at first from this extraordinary woman.
Was the charm of that delightful hour due after all to the coquetry of
the mistress of the house? She had been anxious to display her wit. He
bowed stiffly to the Vicomtesse, and went away in desperation.
On the way home he tried to detect the real character of a creature
supple and hard as a steel spring; but he had seen her pass through so
many phases, that he could not make up his mind about her. The tones
of her voice, too, were ringing in his ears; her gestures, the little
movements of her head, and the varying expression of her eyes grew
more gracious in memory, more fascinating as he thought of them. The
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Republic by Plato: on its side the combined endeavours of the better part of the people,
obtained the management of public affairs and held possession of it for a
considerable time (until about B.C. 500). Probably only in States prepared
by Dorian institutions would such a league have been possible. The rulers,
like Plato's (Greek), were required to submit to a severe training in order
to prepare the way for the education of the other members of the community.
Long after the dissolution of the Order, eminent Pythagoreans, such as
Archytas of Tarentum, retained their political influence over the cities of
Magna Graecia. There was much here that was suggestive to the kindred
spirit of Plato, who had doubtless meditated deeply on the 'way of life of
Pythagoras' (Rep.) and his followers. Slight traces of Pythagoreanism are
The Republic |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: sapphire loupe and of many other stones. But I tell you these
counterfeits be not so hard; and also the points will break
lightly, and men may easily polish them. But some workmen, for
malice, will not polish them; to that intent, to make men believe
that they may not be polished. But men may assay them in this
manner. First shear with them or write with them in sapphires, in
crystal or in other precious stones. After that, men take the
adamant, that is the shipman's stone, that draweth the needle to
him, and men lay the diamond upon the adamant, and lay the needle
before the adamant; and, if the diamond be good and virtuous, the
adamant draweth not the needle to him whiles the diamond is there
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