| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: and determined not only to follow his counsel for the future, but
even as regards the past, to rectify his losses. For in this
juncture of affairs I called to mind that I was not without a
possible resource, and resolved, at whatever cost of
mortification, to beard the Loudon family in their historic city.
In the excellent Scots' phrase, I made a moonlight flitting, a
thing never dignified, but in my case unusually easy. As I had
scarce a pair of boots worth portage, I deserted the whole of my
effects without a pang. Dijon fell heir to Joan of Arc, the
Standard Bearer, and the Musketeers. He was present when I
bought and frugally stocked my new portmanteau; and it was at
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson: and the gentle kind blood that she took me up and was so good to me."
"Well, I will tell you why it was," said I. "There are all sorts of
people's faces in this world. There is Barbara's face, that everyone
must look at and admire, and think her a fine, brave, merry girl. And
then there is your face, which is quite different - I never knew how
different till to-day. You cannot see yourself, and that is why you do
not understand; but it was for the love of your face that she took you
up and was so good to you. And everybody in the world would do the
same."
"Everybody?" says she.
"Every living soul?" said I.
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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 Montezuma's Daughter by H. Rider Haggard: for a spy sent to this land by these same Teules to gather
knowledge of the land? Fool, I knew it from the first, and by
Huitzel! were you not vowed to Tezcat, your heart should smoke to-
morrow on the altar of Huitzel. Be warned, and give me no more
false counsels lest your end prove swifter than you think. Learn
that I have asked these questions of you to a purpose, and by the
command of the gods, as it was written on the hearts of those
sacrificed this day. This was the purpose and this was the
command, that I might discover your secret mind, and that I should
shun whatever advice you chanced to give. You counsel me to fight
the Teules, therefore I will not fight them, but meet them with
Montezuma's Daughter |
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 Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: the whole world with admiration, and whose royal person I
resolved to attend, before I returned to my own country.
Accordingly, the next time I had the honour to see our emperor, I
desired his general license to wait on the Blefuscudian monarch,
which he was pleased to grant me, as I could perceive, in a very
cold manner; but could not guess the reason, till I had a whisper
from a certain person, "that Flimnap and Bolgolam had represented
my intercourse with those ambassadors as a mark of disaffection;"
from which I am sure my heart was wholly free. And this was the
first time I began to conceive some imperfect idea of courts and
ministers.
Gulliver's Travels |
