| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Phoenix and the Turtle by William Shakespeare: Either was the other's mine.
Property was thus appall'd,
That the self was not the same;
Single nature's double name
Neither two nor one was call'd.
Reason, in itself confounded,
Saw division grow together;
To themselves yet either-neither,
Simple were so well compounded.
That it cried how true a twain
Seemeth this concordant one!
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Life of the Spider by J. Henri Fabre: work takes the form of a well surmounted by its kerb.
When the soil is earthy and homogeneous, the architectural type is
free from obstructions and the Spider's dwelling is a cylindrical
tube; but, when the site is pebbly, the shape is modified according
to the exigencies of the digging. In the second case, the lair is
often a rough, winding cave, at intervals along whose inner wall
stick blocks of stone avoided in the process of excavation.
Whether regular or irregular, the house is plastered to a certain
depth with a coat of silk, which prevents earth-slips and
facilitates scaling when a prompt exit is required.
Baglivi, in his unsophisticated Latin, teaches us how to catch the
The Life of the Spider |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from God The Invisible King by H. G. Wells: of men, and the performance of that will, not only in the private
life of the believer but in the acts and order of the state and
nation of which he is a part. I give myself to God not only because
I am so and so but because I am mankind. I become in a measure
responsible for every evil in the world of men. I become a knight
in God's service. I become my brother's keeper. I become a
responsible minister of my King. I take sides against injustice,
disorder, and against all those temporal kings, emperors, princes,
landlords, and owners, who set themselves up against God's rule and
worship. Kings, owners, and all who claim rule and decisions in the
world's affairs, must either show themselves clearly the fellow-
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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 Charmides by Plato: Plato's Laws; nor with his opinion respecting Plato's doctrine of the
rotation of the earth. But I 'am not going to lay hands on my father
Parmenides' (Soph.), who will, I hope, forgive me for differing from him on
these points. I cannot close this Preface without expressing my deep
respect for his noble and gentle character, and the great services which he
has rendered to Greek Literature.
Balliol College,
January, 1871.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND AND THIRD EDITIONS.
In publishing a Second Edition (1875) of the Dialogues of Plato in English,
I had to acknowledge the assistance of several friends: of the Rev. G.G.
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