| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: one's own business,' is assumed to have been borrowed by Charmides from
another; and when the enquiry becomes more abstract he is superseded by
Critias (Theaet.; Euthyd.). Socrates preserves his accustomed irony to the
end; he is in the neighbourhood of several great truths, which he views in
various lights, but always either by bringing them to the test of common
sense, or by demanding too great exactness in the use of words, turns aside
from them and comes at last to no conclusion.
The definitions of temperance proceed in regular order from the popular to
the philosophical. The first two are simple enough and partially true,
like the first thoughts of an intelligent youth; the third, which is a real
contribution to ethical philosophy, is perverted by the ingenuity of
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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 Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: all."
"It is a Magyar, or to speak more commonly, a Hungarian name. Our own
name, if we wanted to discuss it, might be said to be a loan from the
Greek language."
"Very likely; at any rate we have the advantage of being known, not
only in our own quarter, but throughout the tuition world, where we
have earned an honorable position; while this Hungarian countess, who
makes, as they say, the good and the bad weather in the Thuilliers'
home, where does she come from, I'd like to know? How did such a fine
lady,--for she has good manners and a very distinguished air, no one
denies her that,--how came she to fall in love with Brigitte; who,
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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 Tono Bungay by H. G. Wells: affair! When everybody HAD to kick!
The thought of "Vathek" always brings back with it my boyish
memory of the big saloon at Bladesover.
It was a huge long room with many windows opening upon the park,
and each window--there were a dozen or more reaching from the
floor up--had its elaborate silk or satin curtains, heavily
fringed, a canopy (is it?) above, its completely white shutters
folding into the deep thickness of the wall. At either end of
that great still place was an immense marble chimney-piece; the
end by the bookcase showed the wolf and Romulus and Remus, with
Homer and Virgil for supporters; the design of the other end I
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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 Vailima Letters by Robert Louis Stevenson: family. Were it not for my health, which made it impossible,
I could not find it in my heart to forgive myself that I did
not stick to an honest, common-place trade when I was young,
which might have now supported me during these ill years.
But do not suppose me to be down in anything else; only, for
the nonce, my skill deserts me, such as it is, or was. It
was a very little dose of inspiration, and a pretty little
trick of style, long lost, improved by the most heroic
industry. So far, I have managed to please the journalists.
But I am a fictitious article and have long known it. I am
read by journalists, by my fellow-novelists, and by boys;
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