| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from King Henry VI by William Shakespeare: BURGUNDY.
And I to this.
TALBOT.
And here will Talbot mount, or make his grave.
Now, Salisbury, for thee, and for the right
Of English Henry, shall this night appear
How much in duty I am bound to both.
SENTINEL.
Arm! arm! the enemy doth make assault!
[Cry: 'St George,' 'A Talbot.']
[The French leap over the walls in their shirts.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from In the Cage by Henry James: to feel it most when she went quite wrong, speaking of the stuffy
days as cold, of the cold ones as stuffy, and betraying how little
she knew, in her cage, of whether it was foul or fair. It was for
that matter always stuffy at Cocker's, and she finally settled down
to the safe proposition that the outside element was "changeable."
Anything seemed true that made him so radiantly assent.
This indeed is a small specimen of her cultivation of insidious
ways of making things easy for him--ways to which of course she
couldn't be at all sure he did real justice. Real justice was not
of this world: she had had too often to come back to that; yet,
strangely, happiness was, and her traps had to be set for it in a
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: you and are now forgotten."
Bickley looked up to answer, then changed his mind and was
silent, thinking further argument dangerous, and Oro went on:
"Now I differ from you, Bickley, in this way. I who have more
wisdom in my finger-point than you with all the physicians of
your world added to you, have in your brains and bodies, yet
desire to learn from those who can give me knowledge. I
understand from your words to my daughter that you, Bastin, teach
a faith that is new to me, and that this faith tells of life
eternal for the children of earth. Is it so?"
"It is," said Bastin eagerly. "I will set out--"
When the World Shook |
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 Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce: SAINT, n. A dead sinner revised and edited.
The Duchess of Orleans relates that the irreverent old
calumniator, Marshal Villeroi, who in his youth had known St. Francis
de Sales, said, on hearing him called saint: "I am delighted to hear
that Monsieur de Sales is a saint. He was fond of saying indelicate
things, and used to cheat at cards. In other respects he was a
perfect gentleman, though a fool."
SALACITY, n. A certain literary quality frequently observed in
popular novels, especially in those written by women and young girls,
who give it another name and think that in introducing it they are
occupying a neglected field of letters and reaping an overlooked
The Devil's Dictionary |
