| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Hellenica by Xenophon: Meanwhile Tissaphernes had waxed bolder. A large body of troops had
been sent down by the king. On the strength of that he declared war
against Agesilaus, if he did not instantly withdraw his troops from
Asia. The Lacedaemonians there[9] present, no less than the allies,
received the news with profound vexation, persuaded as they were that
Agesilaus had no force capable of competing with the king's grand
armament. But a smile lit up the face of Agesilaus as he bade the
ambassadors return to Tissaphernes and tell him that he was much in
his debt for the perjury by which he had won the enmity of Heaven and
made the very gods themselves allies of Hellas. He at once issued a
general order to the troops to equip themselves for a forward
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: a fellow who was told me. Another fellow who was at Bulawayo, but who
wasn't there when they were hung, said they fired at them just after they
jumped, to kill 'em. I--"
"I was there," said the stranger.
"Oh, you were?" said Peter. "I saw a photograph of the niggers hanging,
and our fellows standing round smoking; but I didn't see you in it. I
suppose you'd just gone away?"
"I was beside the men when they were hung," said the stranger.
"Oh, you were, were you?" said Peter. "I don't much care about seeing that
sort of thing myself. Some fellows think it's the best fun out to see the
niggers kick; but I can't stand it: it turns my stomach. It's not liver-
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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 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Do you not see that I am out of breath?
Iul. How art thou out of breath, when thou hast breth
To say to me, that thou art out of breath?
The excuse that thou dost make in this delay,
Is longer then the tale thou dost excuse.
Is thy newes good or bad? answere to that,
Say either, and Ile stay the circumstance:
Let me be satisfied, ist good or bad?
Nur. Well, you haue made a simple choice, you know
not how to chuse a man: Romeo, no not he though his face
be better then any mans, yet his legs excels all mens, and
Romeo and Juliet |
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 An International Episode by Henry James: the ponies, where, although he was not a particularly acute observer,
he saw much to entertain him--especially the ladies just mentioned,
who wandered up and down with the appearance of a kind of aimless
intentness, as if they were looking for something to buy, and who,
tripping in and out of their vehicles, displayed remarkably pretty feet.
It all seemed to Lord Lambeth very odd, and bright, and gay.
Of course, before they got back to the villa, he had had a great
deal of desultory conversation with Bessie Alden.
The young Englishmen spent the whole of that day and the whole
of many successive days in what the French call the intimite
of their new friends. They agreed that it was extremely jolly,
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