| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Thuvia, Maid of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs: conceive of anything beyond the valley of Lothar other
than a trackless waste peopled by the ferocious green
hordes of Torquas.
After considerably parleying he consented to admit
them to the city, and a moment later the wheel-like gate
rolled back within its niche, and Thuvia and Carthoris
entered the city of Lothar.
All about them were evidences of fabulous wealth. The
facades of the buildings fronting upon the avenue within
the wall were richly carven, and about the windows and
doors were ofttimes set foot-wide borders of precious
 Thuvia, Maid of Mars |
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 The Symposium by Xenophon: [11] {pho parekhousin . . . pragmata moi parekhon}. Lit. "cause light
. . . causing me trouble."
Well, let that be (the other answered); answer me one question: How
many fleas' feet distance is it, pray, from you to me?[12] They say
you measure them by geometric scale.
[12] See Aristoph. "Clouds," 144 foll.:
{aneret' arti Khairephonta Sokrates
psullan oposous alloito tous autes podas
dakousa gar . . .}
Cf. Lucian, ii. "Prom. in Verb. 6," and "Hudibras, the Second Part
of," canto iii.:
 The Symposium |