Today's Stichomancy for Paul Newman
| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: would regard as in itself a symbol of servility. In Sparta, on the
contrary, the stronger a man is the more readily does he bow before
constituted authority. And indeed, they magnify themselves on their
humility, and on a prompt obedience, running, or at any rate not
crawling with laggard step, at the word of command. Such an example of
eager discipline, they are persuaded, set by themselves, will not fail
to be followed by the rest. And this is precisely what has taken
place. It[4] is reasonable to suppose that it was these same noblest
members of the state who combined[5] to lay the foundation of the
ephorate, after they had come to the conclusion themselves, that of
all the blessings which a state, or an army, or a household, can
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: confess I can discover no other safe and satisfactory way."
"Let us see," said Aramis, "how are we to act?"
"I have arranged two plans. Firstly, at a given signal,
which shall be the words `At last,' you each plunge a dagger
into the heart of the soldier nearest to you. We, on our
side, do the same. That will be four killed. We shall then
be matched, four against the remaining five. If these five
men give themselves up we gag them; if they resist, we kill
them. If by chance our Amphitryon changes his mind and
receives only Porthos and myself, why, then, we must resort
to heroic measures and each give two strokes instead of one.
 Twenty Years After |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Adieu by Honore de Balzac: gestures that had all the mechanical velocity of a monkey's motions.
When she was very sure there was nothing more, she looked at Philippe
with clear eyes, without ideas, with recognition. Then she would play
with him, trying at times to take off his boots to see his feet,
tearing his gloves, putting on his hat; she would even let him pass
his hands through her hair, and take her in his arms; she accepted,
but without pleasure, his ardent kisses. She would look at him
silently, without emotion, when his tears flowed; but she always
understood his "Partant pour la Syrie," when he whistled it, though he
never succeeded in teaching her to say her own name Stephanie.
Philippe was sustained in his agonizing enterprise by hope, which
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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 1492 by Mary Johntson: were wholly gone. But out of the river, though the skies
were clear, again rushed against them an enemy wind. They
lay at anchor in river mouth, waiting on propitiousness. But
we, up the river, thought they were gone. That night, before
dawn, Quibian attacked us.
We had several killed, and the Adelantado was hurt in
the breast, and many others had their wounds. But we
thundered with our cannon and we loosed two bloodhounds
and we charged. For a time the brown, naked foe fought
desperately, but at last he broke. Far streamed five hundred
fleeing particles into the gloomy, the deep, the matted
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