The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain: seemed to me. It was delicious to be out of his reach,
perfectly delicious, and made me feel good and thank-
ful all up one side; but I was hanging there helpless
and couldn't climb, and that made me feel perfectly
wretched and miserable all down the other. It is most
seldom that a person feels so mixed like that; and it is
not to be recommended, either.
Tom asked me what he'd better do, but I didn't
know. He asked me if I could hold on whilst he sailed
away to a safe place and left the lion behind. I said I
could if he didn't go no higher than he was now; but
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Albert Savarus by Honore de Balzac: "Monsieur," said the girl, taking the coin, "my master is the famous
bookseller Lamparini of Milan, one of the leaders of the revolution,
and the conspirator of all others whom Austria would most like to have
in the Spielberg."
"A bookseller's wife! Ah, so much the better," thought he; "we are on
an equal footing.--And what is her family?" he added, "for she looks
like a queen."
"All Italian women do," replied Gina proudly. "Her father's name is
Colonna."
Emboldened by Francesca's modest rank, Rodolphe had an awning fitted
to his boat and cushions in the stern. When this was done, the lover
 Albert Savarus |
The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Marriage Contract by Honore de Balzac: enough in this scheme to make her die of grief and anxiety; you are
consigning her to poverty. Yes, madame, poverty; to persons accustomed
to the use of one hundred thousand francs a year, twenty thousand is
poverty. Moreover, if Monsieur le comte, out of love for his wife,
were guilty of extravagance, she could ruin him by exercising her
rights when misfortunes overtook him. I plead now for you, for them,
for their children, for every one."
"The old fellow makes a lot of smoke with his cannon," thought Maitre
Solonet, giving his client a look, which meant, "Keep on!"
"There is one way of combining all interests," replied Madame
Evangelista, calmly. "I can reserve to myself only the necessary cost
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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 An Open Letter on Translating by Dr. Martin Luther: teachers of the devil and gone to hell? Many children and young
people have died in Christ. For even under the anti-Christ,
Christ has strongly sustained baptism, the bare text of the gospel
in the pulpit, the Lord's Prayer, and the Creed. By this means he
sustained many of his Christians, and therefore also his
Christendom, and said nothing about it to these devil's teachers.
Now even though Christians have done some parts of the papal
blasphemy, the papal asses have not yet proved that they did it
gladly. Still less does it prove that they even did the right
thing. All Christians can err and sin, but God has taught them to
pray in the Lord's Prayer for the forgiveness of sins. God could
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