| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: bruised. In the forest he has been fighting single-handed with
eight knights, and leads away their eight horses. And there
comes with him a lady so fair that never lady was half so fair as
she." (28) When the Count hears this news, the desire takes him
to go and see if this is true or false. "I never heard such a
thing," says he; "take me now to his lodging-place, for certainly
I wish to know if thou dost lie or speak the truth." He replies:
"Right gladly, sire. This is the way and the path to follow, for
it is not far from here." "I am anxious to see them," says the
Count. Then he comes down, and the squire gets off his horse,
and makes the Count mount in his place. Then he ran ahead to
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sarrasine by Honore de Balzac: " 'It must be in deference to all the cardinals, bishops, and /abbes/
who are here,' said Sarrasine, 'that /she/ is dressed as a man, that
/she/ has curly hair which /she/ wears in a bag, and that /she/ has a
sword at her side?'
" 'She! what she?' rejoined the old nobleman whom Sarrasine addressed.
" 'La Zambinella.'
" 'La Zambinella!' echoed the Roman prince. 'Are you jesting? Whence
have you come? Did a woman ever appear in a Roman theatre? And do you
not know what sort of creatures play female parts within the domains
of the Pope? It was I, monsieur, who endowed Zambinella with his
voice. I paid all the knave's expenses, even his teacher in singing.
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