| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Maitre Cornelius by Honore de Balzac: protection come to do here, and why did he prowl about at night?"
"If you have not guessed why, my crony, I order you to remain in
ignorance. That is one of my secrets."
"Then the devil is in my house!" cried the miser, piteously.
In any other circumstances the king would have laughed at his
silversmith's cry; but he had suddenly become thoughtful, and was
casting on the Fleming those glances peculiar to men of talent and
power which seem to penetrate the brain. Cornelius was frightened,
thinking he had in some way offended his dangerous master.
"Devil or angel, I have him, the guilty man!" cried Louis XI.
abruptly. "If you are robbed again to-night, I shall know to-morrow
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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 Damnation of Theron Ware by Harold Frederic: The great corridor contained many people, coming, going,
or standing about, but none of them paid any attention to him.
At last he made up his mind, and beckoned a colored boy
to him from a group gathered in the shadows of the big
central staircase. Explaining that he did not at that moment
wish a room, but desired to leave his bag, the boy took
him to a cloak-room, and got him a check for the thing.
With this in his pocket he felt himself more at his ease,
and turned to walk away. Then suddenly he wheeled, and,
bending his body over the counter of the cloak-room,
astonished the attendant inside by the eagerness with
The Damnation of Theron Ware |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Little Rivers by Henry van Dyke: fly in your book, from a black gnat to a white miller, to entice
the crafty old trout at the foot of the meadow-pool, the song-
sparrow, close above you, will be chanting patience and
encouragement. And when at last success crowns your endeavour, and
the parti-coloured prize is glittering in your net, the bird on the
bough breaks out in an ecstasy of congratulation: "catch 'im, catch
'im, catch 'im; oh, what a pretty fellow! sweet!"
There are other birds that seem to have a very different temper.
The blue-jay sits high up in the withered-pine tree, bobbing up and
down, and calling to his mate in a tone of affected sweetness.
"salute-her, salute-her," but when you come in sight he flies away
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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 Eryxias by Platonic Imitator: has larger estates or more land at his disposal to cultivate if he please?
And they are of a quality, too, finer than any other land in Hellas.
Moreover, he has all the things which go to make up wealth, slaves and
horses innumerable, gold and silver without end.
I saw that he was inclined to expatiate on the riches of the man; so I
asked him, Well, Erasistratus, and what sort of character does he bear in
Sicily?
ERASISTRATUS: He is esteemed to be, and really is, the wickedest of all
the Sicilians and Italians, and even more wicked than he is rich; indeed,
if you were to ask any Sicilian whom he thought to be the worst and the
richest of mankind, you would never hear any one else named.
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