| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Apology by Xenophon: [30] Or, "so attempered and adjusted." The phrase savours of "cynic."
theory.
[31] Or, "present no temptation to him"; lit. "that he stands in no
further need of what belongs to his neighbours."
[32] {ta legomena}, "the meaning of words and the force of argument."
[33] {ek panton}. Cf. Thuc. i. 120, {osper kai en allois ek panton
protimontai (oi egemones)}, "as they (leaders) are first in
honour, they should be first in the fulfilment of their duties"
(Jowett).
[34] The commentators quote Libanius, "Apol." vol. iii. p. 39, {kai
dia touto ekalei men Eurulokhos o Kharistios, ekalei de Skopas k
The Apology |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: given up, when the party waives insisting upon it. Sir William,
who should know best, is clear upon this subject; and therefore,
my dear Lucy----"
"Madam," said Lucy, with unwonted energy, "urge me no farther;
if this unhappy engagement be restored, I have already said you
shall dispose of me as you will; till then I should commit a
heavy sin in the sight of God and man in doing what you
require."
"But, my love, if this man remains obstinately silent----"
"He will NOT be silent," answered Lucy; "it is six weeks since
I sent him a double of my former letter by a sure hand."
The Bride of Lammermoor |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie: believe there was some tragedy connected with her death--she took
an overdose of some sleeping draught by mistake. However that
may be, my father was broken-hearted. Shortly afterwards, he
went into the Consular Service. Everywhere he went, I went with
him. When I was twenty-three, I had been nearly all over the
world. It was a splendid life--I loved it."
There was a smile on her face, and her head was thrown back. She
seemed living in the memory of those old glad days.
"Then my father died. He left me very badly off. I had to go
and live with some old aunts in Yorkshire." She shuddered. "You
will understand me when I say that it was a deadly life for a
The Mysterious Affair at Styles |
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 Country Doctor by Honore de Balzac: upon the past. All of them faced the things of life seriously, and
their opinions seemed to reflect a double tinge of soberness, on the
one hand, from the twilight hues of well-nigh forgotten joys that
could never more be revived for them; and, on the other, from the gray
dawn which gave promise of a glorious day.
"You must have had a very tiring day, sir?" said M. Cambon, addressing
the cure.
"Yes, sir," answered M. Janvier, "the poor cretin and Pere Pelletier
were buried at different hours."
"Now we can pull down all the hovels of the old village," Benassis
remarked to his deputy. "When the space on which the houses stand has
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