| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Smalcald Articles by Dr. Martin Luther: man we may [safely] discard, as Christ declares, Matt. 15, 9:
In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.
Secondly. It is an unnecessary thing, which can be omitted
without sin and danger.
Thirdly. The Sacrament can be received in a better and more
blessed way [more acceptable to God], (yea, the only blessed
way), according to the institution of Christ. Why, then, do
they drive the world to woe and [extreme] misery on account of
a fictitious, unnecessary matter, which can be well obtained
in another and more blessed way?
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: minutes. Then I found him looking at me with a kind of frank
perplexity that invited question.
'What is it?' I said.
'You have fought a great many duels?'
'Yes,' I said.
'Did you ever strike a foul blow in one?'
'Never,' I answered. 'Why do you ask?'
'Well, because I--wanted to confirm an impression. To be frank,
M. de Berault, I seem to see in you two men.
'Two men?'
'Yes, two men. One, the man who captured me; the other, the man
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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 Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne: a thimble.
Now these funny Pygmies, as I told you before, had a Giant for
their neighbor and brother, who was bigger, if possible, than
they were little. He was so very tall that he carried a pine
tree, which was eight feet through the butt, for a walking
stick. It took a far-sighted Pygmy, I can assure you, to
discern his summit without the help of a telescope; and
sometimes, in misty weather, they could not see his upper half,
but only his long legs, which seemed to be striding about by
themselves. But at noonday in a clear atmosphere, when the sun
shone brightly over him, the Giant Antaeus presented a very
Tanglewood Tales |
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 Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin: saved by thinking rightly instead of doing rightly, by word instead
of act, and wish instead of work;--these are the true fog children--
clouds, these, without water; bodies, these, of putrescent vapour
and skin, without blood or flesh: blown bag-pipes for the fiends to
pipe with--corrupt, and corrupting,--" Swollen with wind, and the
rank mist they draw."
Lastly, let us return to the lines respecting the power of the keys,
for now we can understand them. Note the difference between Milton
and Dante in their interpretation of this power: for once, the
latter is weaker in thought; he supposes BOTH the keys to be of the
gate of heaven; one is of gold, the other of silver: they are given
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