| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Cratylus by Plato: this letter, just as he used iota to express the subtle power which
penetrates through all things. The letters phi, psi, sigma, zeta, which
require a great deal of wind, are employed in the imitation of such notions
as shivering, seething, shaking, and in general of what is windy. The
letters delta and tau convey the idea of binding and rest in a place: the
lambda denotes smoothness, as in the words slip, sleek, sleep, and the
like. But when the slipping tongue is detained by the heavier sound of
gamma, then arises the notion of a glutinous clammy nature: nu is sounded
from within, and has a notion of inwardness: alpha is the expression of
size; eta of length; omicron of roundness, and therefore there is plenty of
omicron in the word goggulon. That is my view, Hermogenes, of the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: At folio 71 they are still neck and neck, and at folio 81 the same.
At folio 87 the oval worm gives in, the round one eating
three more leaves and part way through the fourth.
The leaves of the book are then untouched until we reach
the sixty-ninth from the end, upon which is one worm hole.
After this they go on multiplying to the end of the book.
I have quoted this instance because I have it handy, but many worms
eat much longer holes than any in this volume; some I have seen
running quite through a couple of thick volumes, covers and all.
In the "Schoeffer" book the holes are probably the work of Anobium
pertinax, because the centre is spared and both ends attacked.
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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 The Virginian by Owen Wister: upon his horse Pedro.
Love now was not any longer snowbound. The mountain trails were
open enough for the sure feet of love's steed--that horse called
Monte. But duty blocked the path of love. Instead of turning his
face to Bear Creek, the foreman had other journeys to make, full
of heavy work, and watchfulness, and councils with the Judge. The
cattle thieves were growing bold, and winter had scattered the
cattle widely over the range. Therefore the Virginian, instead of
going to see her, wrote a letter to his sweetheart. It was his
first.
XXIV. A LETTER WITH A MORAL
The Virginian |
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 Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: heroine in this critical moment, for every young lady
has at some time or other known the same agitation.
All have been, or at least all have believed themselves to be,
in danger from the pursuit of someone whom they wished
to avoid; and all have been anxious for the attentions
of someone whom they wished to please. As soon as they
were joined by the Thorpes, Catherine's agony began;
she fidgeted about if John Thorpe came towards her,
hid herself as much as possible from his view,
and when he spoke to her pretended not to hear him.
The cotillions were over, the country-dancing beginning,
Northanger Abbey |
