| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from King Lear by William Shakespeare: Hoppedance cries in Tom's belly for two white herring. Croak
not, black angel; I have no food for thee.
Kent. How do you, sir? Stand you not so amaz'd.
Will you lie down and rest upon the cushions?
Lear. I'll see their trial first. Bring in their evidence.
[To Edgar] Thou, robed man of justice, take thy place.
[To the Fool] And thou, his yokefellow of equity,
Bench by his side. [To Kent] You are o' th' commission,
Sit you too.
Edg. Let us deal justly.
Sleepest or wakest thou, jolly shepherd?
King Lear |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Cavalry General by Xenophon: with fullest increase to yourself, and friends, and to the state at
large of affection, glory, and wide usefulness. The goodwill of
Heaven[3] so obtained, you shall proceed to mount your troopers,
taking care that the full complement which the law demands is reached,
and that the normal force of cavalry is not diminished. There will
need to be a reserve of remounts, or else a deficiency may occur at
any moment,[4] looking to the fact that some will certainly succumb to
old age, and others, from one reason or another, prove unserviceable.
[1] For the title, etc., see Schneid. "Praemon. de Xeno." {Ipp}.
Boeckh, "P. E. A." 251.
[2] Or, "with sacrifice to ask of Heaven those gifts of thought and
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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 The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson: The ground became more and more uneven, full of pits and hillocks.
And with every step of the ascent the wind still blew the shriller,
and the trees bent before the gusts like fishing-rods.
They had just entered one of the clearings, when Dick suddenly
clapped down upon his face among the brambles, and began to crawl
slowly backward towards the shelter of the grove. Matcham, in
great bewilderment, for he could see no reason for this flight,
still imitated his companion's course; and it was not until they
had gained the harbour of a thicket that he turned and begged him
to explain.
For all reply, Dick pointed with his finger.
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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 Ten Years Later by Alexandre Dumas: village fete might have been taken for a peasant in Sunday
finery, -- "the daughter of my music-mistress."
The king smiled. Madame had never been able to extract four
correct notes from either viol or harpsichord.
"Mademoiselle Aure de Montalais," continued Madame, "a young
lady of rank, and my good attendant."
This time it was not the king that smiled; it was the young
lady presented, because, for the first time in her life, she
heard, given to her by Madame, who generally showed no
tendency to spoil her, such an honorable qualification.
Our old acquaintance Montalais, therefore, made his majesty
Ten Years Later |
