| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Bride of Lammermoor by Walter Scott: "I can understand nothing upon your explanation, Captain
Craigengelt. Be satisfied of that, and oblige me with your
departure."
"D----n!" muttered the bully; "and is this the answer which I am
to carry back to an honourable message?"
"Tell the Laird of Bucklaw," answered Ravenswood, "if you are
really sent by him, that, when he sends me his cause of
grievance by a person fitting to carry such an errand betwixt him
and me, I will either explain it or maintain it."
"Then, Master, you will at least cause to be returned to
Hayston, by my hands, his property which is remaining in your
The Bride of Lammermoor |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Royalty Restored/London Under Charles II by J. Fitzgerald Molloy: his majesty, that he gave him the next vacant bishopric by way of
reward. And now, his lordship being at hand, he read prayers for
the Sick from out the Common Prayer Book for his benefit, until
coming to that part where the dying are exhorted to make
confession of their sins, when the bishop paused and said such
was not obligatory. He then asked his majesty if he were sorry
for the iniquities of his life? when the sick man, whose heart
was exceeding heavy, replied he was; whereon the bishop
pronounced absolution, and asked him if he would receive the
Sacrament. To this Charles made no reply, until the same
question had been repeated several times, when his majesty
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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 Critias by Plato: fought out the war; the combatants on the other side were commanded by the
kings of Atlantis, which, as I was saying, was an island greater in extent
than Libya and Asia, and when afterwards sunk by an earthquake, became an
impassable barrier of mud to voyagers sailing from hence to any part of the
ocean. The progress of the history will unfold the various nations of
barbarians and families of Hellenes which then existed, as they
successively appear on the scene; but I must describe first of all the
Athenians of that day, and their enemies who fought with them, and then the
respective powers and governments of the two kingdoms. Let us give the
precedence to Athens.
In the days of old, the gods had the whole earth distributed among them by
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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 My Antonia by Willa Cather: `You surprised me, Jim. I didn't believe you could do as
well as that. You didn't get that speech out of books.'
Among my graduation presents there was a silk umbrella from
Mrs. Harling, with my name on the handle.
I walked home from the Opera House alone. As I passed
the Methodist Church, I saw three white figures ahead
of me, pacing up and down under the arching maple trees,
where the moonlight filtered through the lush June foliage.
They hurried toward me; they were waiting for me--Lena and Tony
and Anna Hansen.
`Oh, Jim, it was splendid!' Tony was breathing hard,
My Antonia |
