| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: offence against the law they inflict chastisement without warning and
without hesitation.
[6] Or, "before the expiration of their term of office." See Plut.
"Agis," 18 (Clough, iv. 464); Cic. "de Leg." iii. 7; "de Rep." ii.
33.
But of all the many beautiful contrivances invented by Lycurgus to
kindle a willing obedience to the laws in the hearts of the citizens,
none, to my mind, was happier or more excellent than his unwillingness
to deliver his code to the people at large, until, attended by the
most powerful members of the state, he had betaken himself to
Delphi,[7] and there made inquiry of the god whether it were better
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Hellenica by Xenophon: high time you looked for some other friend than the great king." The
secretary reported the comment of the Athenian envoy, and produced
presently an altered copy of the document, with a clause inserted: "If
the Athenians have any better and juster views to propound, let them
come to the Persian court and explain them."[40]
[40] See Grote, "H. G." x. 402; and "Ages." viii. 3.
Thus the ambassadors returned each to his own home and were variously
received. Timagoras, on the indictment of Leon, who proved that his
fellow-commissioner not only refused to lodge with him at the king's
court, but in every way played into the hands of Pelopidas, was put to
death. Of the other joint commissioners, the Eleian, Archidamus, was
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Familiar Studies of Men and Books by Robert Louis Stevenson: was hardly smiling, or the smile was not broad enough to be
convincing; he had no waste lands nor kitchen-midden in his
nature, but was all improved and sharpened to a point. "He
was bred to no profession," says Emerson; "he never married;
he lived alone; he never went to church; he never voted; he
refused to pay a tax to the State; he ate no flesh, he drank
no wine, he never knew the use of tobacco and, though a
naturalist, he used neither trap nor gun. When asked at
dinner what dish he preferred, he answered, `the nearest.'"
So many negative superiorities begin to smack a little of the
prig. From his later works he was in the habit of cutting
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