| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: young and pretty Aramis took off his cap to her with his
most gracious smile.
A most affectionate greeting, as one can well believe took
place between him and Lord de Winter.
"Where are we going?" inquired Aramis; "are we going to
fight, perchance? I carry no sword this morning and cannot
return home to procure one."
"No," said Lord de Winter, "we are going to pay a visit to
Her Majesty the Queen of England."
"Oh, very well," replied Aramis; then bending his face down
to Athos's ear, "what is the object of this visit?"
Twenty Years After |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Agesilaus by Xenophon: into so many weaknesses,[7] passing this one by, and scaling that, and
stealing like a thief into a third.
[6] See "Hell." VI. i. 15; "Pol. Lac." v. 7; "Cyrop." I. v. 12.
[7] Or, "the strongholds of the enemy might to all intents and
purposes have been open places."
When he was on the march, and was well aware that an enemy might, if
he chose, deliver battle, his habit was to lead his troops in compact
battle order ready to confront emergencies, with soft, slow step,
advancing, as it were, with maidenly demureness,[8] for in such
procedure, as he believed, lay the secret of true calm, engendering a
dauntless self-assurance, imperturbable, unerring, impervious to
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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 A Heap O' Livin' by Edgar A. Guest: Than skies that stretch away,
The home-town friends seem truer
And kinder through the day;
And whether glum or cheery
Light-hearted or depressed,
Or struggle-fit or weary,
I like the home-town best.
Let him who will, go wander
To distant towns to live,
Of some things I am fonder
Than all they have to give.
A Heap O' Livin' |
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 Heroes by Charles Kingsley: loved him, gave him beauty and tallness and terrible manhood.
And when they came near together and looked into each other's
eyes the heroes were awed before Aietes as he shone in his
chariot, like his father the glorious Sun; for his robes were
of rich gold tissue, and the rays of his diadem flashed fire;
and in his hand he bore a jewelled sceptre, which glittered
like the stars; and sternly he looked at them under his
brows, and sternly he spoke and loud -
'Who are you, and what want you here, that you come to the
shore of Cutaia? Do you take no account of my rule, nor of
my people the Colchians who serve me, who never tired yet in
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