| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Battle of the Books by Jonathan Swift: debased, by the abuse of that faculty, which is held the great
distinction between men and brutes; and how little advantage we
make of that which might be the greatest, the most lasting, and the
most innocent, as well as useful pleasure of life: in default of
which, we are forced to take up with those poor amusements of dress
and visiting, or the more pernicious ones of play, drink, and
vicious amours, whereby the nobility and gentry of both sexes are
entirely corrupted both in body and mind, and have lost all notions
of love, honour, friendship, and generosity; which, under the name
of fopperies, have been for some time laughed out of doors.
This degeneracy of conversation, with the pernicious consequences
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sons of the Soil by Honore de Balzac: him a friendly hand and a large fortune.
A few days ago the marriage of the Comtesse de Montcornet with
Monsieur Blondet, appointed prefect in one of the departments, was
celebrated in Paris. On their way to take possession of the
prefecture, they followed the road which led past what had formerly
been Les Aigues. They stopped the carriage near the spot where the two
pavilions had once stood, wishing to see the places so full of tender
memories for each. The country was no longer recognizable. The
mysterious woods, the park avenues, all were cleared away; the
landscape looked like a tailor's pattern-card. The sons of the soil
had taken possession of the earth as victors and conquerors. It was
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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 People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: Already I knew that the warm pools which always lie close to
every tribal abiding-place were closely linked with the
Caspakian scheme of evolution, and that the daily immersion of
the females in the greenish slimy water was in response to some
natural law, since neither pleasure nor cleanliness could be
derived from what seemed almost a religious rite. Yet I was
still at sea; nor, seemingly, could Ajor enlighten me, since
she was compelled to use words which I could not understand and
which it was impossible for her to explain the meanings of.
As we stood talking, we were suddenly startled by a commotion
in the bushes and among the boles of the trees surrounding us,
The People That Time Forgot |
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 Heroes by Charles Kingsley: boldly in. But after awhile they stopped, and wondered, for
there stood a great city on the shore, and temples and walls
and gardens, and castles high in air upon the cliffs. And on
either side they saw a harbour, with a narrow mouth, but wide
within; and black ships without number, high and dry upon the
shore.
Then Ancaios, the wise helmsman, spoke, 'What new wonder is
this? I know all isles, and harbours, and the windings of
all seas; and this should be Corcyra, where a few wild goat-
herds dwell. But whence come these new harbours and vast
works of polished stone?'
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