| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Foolish Virgin by Thomas Dixon: Even the knife with which she had stabbed him made
no impression on her numbed senses. The Doctor had
scoured every trace of blood from the blade and put it
back in its place on the shelf, lest she should miss it
and ask questions. She used it daily without the
slightest memory of the frightful story it might tell.
Each morning before going to the cabin the Doctor
watched with patience for the first signs of returning
consciousness in Mary's fever-wracked body. The day
she lifted her grateful eyes to his and her lips
moved in a tremulous question he raised his hand
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Droll Stories, V. 1 by Honore de Balzac: was compelled, like La Balue, to murmur words of excuse to this
student of perpetual motion, shutting the door with as promptitude as
he opened it; and he came back burdened with an accumulation which
seriously impeded his private channels. And in the same way went to
guests one after the other, without being able to unburden themselves
of their sauces, as soon again found themselves all in the presence of
Louis the Eleventh, as much distressed as before, looking at each
other slyly, understanding each other better with their tails than
they ever understood with their mouths, for there is never any
equivoque in the transactions of the parts of nature, and everything
therein is rational and of easy comprehension, seeing that it is a
Droll Stories, V. 1 |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Parmenides by Plato: case the inherence is either in the whole or in a part. If the first,
smallness is either coextensive with the whole one, or contains the whole,
and, if coextensive with the one, is equal to the one, or if containing the
one will be greater than the one. But smallness thus performs the function
of equality or of greatness, which is impossible. Again, if the inherence
be in a part, the same contradiction follows: smallness will be equal to
the part or greater than the part; therefore smallness will not inhere in
anything, and except the idea of smallness there will be nothing small.
Neither will greatness; for greatness will have a greater;--and there will
be no small in relation to which it is great. And there will be no great
or small in objects, but greatness and smallness will be relative only to
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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 The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: likely to draw to a head under such a sprightly young fellow as
that."
"For shame, Sir Frederick!" exclaimed Mareschal; "do you think
that Ellieslaw could, in honour, consent to any violence being
offered to Earnscliff; when he entered his bounds only to bring
back his daughter? or, if he were to be of your opinion, do you
think that I, and the rest of these gentlemen, would disgrace
ourselves by assisting in such a transaction? No, no, fair play
and auld Scotland for ever! When the sword is drawn, I will be
as ready to use it as any man; but while it is in the sheath, let
us behave like gentlemen and neighbours."
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