The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from An Historical Mystery by Honore de Balzac: by Georges Cadoudal, a man of action who took counsel of himself only,
and who was hiding in Paris with twenty-five /chouans/ for the purpose
of attacking the First Consul.
Laurence combined both hatred and love within her breast. To destroy
Bonaparte and bring back the Bourbons was to recover Gondreville and
make the fortune of her cousins. The two sentiments, one the
counterpart of the other, were sufficient, more especially at twenty-
three years of age, to excite all the faculties of her soul and all
the powers of her being. So, for the last two months, she had seemed
to the inhabitants of Cinq-Cygne more beautiful than at any other
period of her life. Her cheeks became rosy; hope gave pride to her
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom by William and Ellen Craft: This indifference attracted the attention of the
passengers near, one of whom laughed out. This,
I suppose, annoyed the old gentleman; so he said,
"I will make him hear;" and in a loud tone of
voice repeated, "It is a very fine morning, sir."
My master turned his head, and with a polite
bow said, "Yes," and commenced looking out of
the window again.
One of the gentlemen remarked that it was a
very great deprivation to be deaf. "Yes," replied
Mr. Cray, "and I shall not trouble that fellow any
Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom |
The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard: came to the ground with them almost into pieces. My horse was
speedily killed under me, but luckily I had a fresh one, my own
favourite, a coal-black mare Nyleptha had given me, being held
in reserve behind, and on this I afterwards mounted. Meanwhile
I had to get along as best I could, for I was pretty well lost
sight of by my men in the mad confusion of the moment. My voice,
of course, could not be heard in the midst of the clanging of
steel and the shrieks of rage and agony. Presently I found myself
mixed up with the remnants of the square, which had formed round
its leader Good, and was fighting desperately for existence.
I stumbled against somebody, and glancing down, caught sight
Allan Quatermain |
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 A Voyage to Abyssinia by Father Lobo: resentment might appear in my discourse; for, though revenge be
prohibited to Christians, I should not have been displeased to have
had the Bassa of Suaquem and his brother in my hands, that I might
have reproached them with the ill-treatment we had met with from
them. This was the reason of my advising to make the first attack
upon Mazna, to drive the Turks from thence, to build a citadel, and
garrison it with Portuguese.
The viceroy listened with great attention to all I had to say, gave
me a long audience, and asked me many questions. He was well
pleased with the design of sending a fleet into that sea, and, to
give a greater reputation to the enterprise, proposed making his son
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