| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: "Ah! Is it thou, Jezebel? Thou hast captured thy lord's heart with the
tinkling of thy feet. Thou didst neigh to him like a mare. Thou didst
prepare thy bed on the mountain top, in order to accomplish thy
sacrifices!
"The Lord shall take from thee thy sparkling jewels, thy purple robes
and fine linen; the bracelets from thine arms, the anklets from thy
feet; the golden ornaments that dangle upon thy brow, thy mirrors of
polished silver, thy fans of ostrich plumes, thy shoes with their
heels of mother-of-pearl, that serve to increase thy stature; thy
glittering diamonds, the scent of thy hair, the tint of thy nails,--
all the artifices of thy coquetry shall disappear, and missiles shall
 Herodias |
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 Vendetta by Honore de Balzac: feared that he was thought unsocial, and it is not difficult to
explain the causes of that opinion. The life, morals, and fidelity of
Piombo made him obnoxious to most courtiers. In spite of the fact that
delicate missions were constantly intrusted to his discretion which to
any other man about the court would have proved lucrative, he
possessed an income of not more than thirty thousand francs from an
investment in the Grand Livre. If we recall the cheapness of
government securities under the Empire, and the liberality of Napoleon
towards those of his faithful servants who knew how to ask for it, we
can readily see that the Baron di Piombo must have been a man of stern
integrity. He owed his plumage as baron to the necessity Napoleon felt
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