| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: dismissed them still grieving, and bearing on their cheeks the
signs of sorrow. And Ioasaph did thus. There was one of the
senators first in favour with Ioasaph, a man honoured for his
godliness and dignity, Barachias by name, who, as hath been
already told, when Nachor, feigning to be Barlaam, was disputing
with the philosophers, alone was ready to stand by Nachor and
fight for him, for his heart was fired with heavenly love. Him
the king took apart, and spake gently with him, and earnestly
besought him to receive the kingdom, and, in the fear of God, to
shepherd his people; in order that he himself might take the
journey that he desired.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: though he had taken some pains to conceal them by buttoning his
doublet. He wore a rusted steel head piece; a buff jacket of
rather an antique cast; gloves, of which that for the right hand
was covered with small scales of iron, like an ancient gauntlet;
and a long broadsword completed his equipage.
"So," said the Dwarf," rapine and murder once more on horseback."
"On horseback?" said the bandit; "ay, ay, Elshie, your leech-
craft has set me on the bonny bay again."
"And all those promises of amendment which you made during your
illness forgotten?" continued Elshender.
"All clear away, with the water-saps and panada," returned the
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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 Cruise of the Jasper B. by Don Marquis: "And what of that?" she cried. "Would you cling to a barren
point of honor in despite of love?"
"Even so," he said, and sighed.
"Oh, Clement," she said, "I cannot bear it! I cannot bear to
lose you! I always knew you were in the world somewhere--and now
that I have found you it is only to give you up! It is too
much!"
Cleggett was silent for a moment. When he spoke it was slowly
and gently, but earnestly.
"No point of honor is a barren one, dear," he said. "What the
man lying there may be matters nothing. It is not to him that I
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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 Lesson of the Master by Henry James: talk, it promised confidences - having visibly received so many -
and had tragic literary elbows. "Ah we're practical - we're
practical!" St. George said as he saw his visitor look the place
over. "Isn't it a good big cage for going round and round? My
wife invented it and she locks me up here every morning."
Our young man breathed - by way of tribute - with a certain
oppression. "You don't miss a window - a place to look out?"
"I did at first awfully; but her calculation was just. It saves
time, it has saved me many months in these ten years. Here I
stand, under the eye of day - in London of course, very often, it's
rather a bleared old eye - walled in to my trade. I can't get away
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