| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Criminal Sociology by Enrico Ferri: in this connection I have observed in France that other offences
against property decrease during a famine, by an analogous
psychological motive, thus presenting a sort of statistical
paradox. Thus, for example, I have found that as oidium and
phylloxera are more effective than severe punishments in
diminishing the number of assaults and cases of unlawful wounding,
so famine succeeds better than the strongest bars, or dogs kept
loose in the prison yards, in preventing the escape of prisoners,
who at such times are detained by the advantage of being supported
at the public expense.
For a parallel reason in 1847, a famine year, whilst all
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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 Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: would not be able to lead her away unless the emperor should come
with a great army, so that the duke would be unable to do him any
harm or injury while homeward bound.
(Vv. 2681-2706.) When the messengers heard the emperor's reply,
they took leave and departed. They returned to their lord, and
bore him the answer. And the emperor selected a chosen company
of the most experienced knights whom he could find, and took with
him his nephew, in whose interests he had vowed never to marry a
wife, but he will not respect this vow if he can once reach
Cologne. (24) Upon a certain day he leaves Greece and draws near
to Germany, intending to take a wife despite all blame and
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