| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith: MISS HARDCASTLE. Then, what, sir, if I should convince you to your
face of my sincerity? If you and my papa, in about half an hour, will
place yourselves behind that screen, you shall hear him declare his
passion to me in person.
SIR CHARLES. Agreed. And if I find him what you describe, all my
happiness in him must have an end. [Exit.]
MISS HARDCASTLE. And if you don't find him what I describe--I fear my
happiness must never have a beginning. [Exeunt.]
SCENE changes to the back of the Garden.
Enter HASTINGS.
HASTINGS. What an idiot am I, to wait here for a fellow who probably
She Stoops to Conquer |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: him that is lunatic, and them that the fiend pursueth or
travaileth. And if venom or poison be brought in presence of the
diamond, anon it beginneth to wax moist and for to sweat.
There be also diamonds in Ind that be clept violastres, (for their
colour is like violet, or more brown than the violets), that be
full hard and full precious. But yet some men love not them so
well as the other; but, in sooth, to me, I would love them as much
as the other, for I have seen them assayed.
Also there is another manner of diamonds that be as white as
crystal, but they be a little more trouble. And they be good and
of great virtue, and all they be square and pointed of their own
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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 Master of the World by Jules Verne: The greatest known depth of Lake Erie is over one hundred and thirty
feet. Hence it will be seen that the mass of its waters is
considerable. In short, this is a region of most magnificent lakes.
The land, though not situated far northward, is exposed to the full
sweep of the Arctic cold. The region to the northward is low, and the
winds of winter rush down with extreme violence. Hence Lake Erie is
sometimes frozen over from shore to shore.
The principal cities on the borders of this great lake are Buffalo at
the east, which belongs to New York State, and Toledo in Ohio, at the
west, with Cleveland and Sandusky, both Ohio cities, at the south.
Smaller towns and villages are numerous along the shore. The traffic
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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 New Machiavelli by H. G. Wells: of it to Isabel or let her see that aspect of our case. How could
I? The time for that had gone. . . .
Then in new shapes and relations came trouble. Distressful elements
crept in by reason of our unavoidable furtiveness; we ignored them,
hid them from each other, and attempted to hide them from ourselves.
Successful love is a thing of abounding pride, and we had to be
secret. It was delightful at first to be secret, a whispering, warm
conspiracy; then presently it became irksome and a little shameful.
Her essential frankness of soul was all against the masks and
falsehoods that many women would have enjoyed. Together in our
secrecy we relaxed, then in the presence of other people again it
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