| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Two Brothers by Honore de Balzac: poor fellow, misled like so many others, had lost his all in the Champ
d'Asile. A letter, which accompanied the bill, drove Agathe, Joseph,
and the Descoings to tears, and told of debts contracted in New York,
where his comrades in misfortunes had indorsed for him.
"It was I who made him go!" cried the poor mother, eager to divert the
blame from Philippe.
"I advise you not to send him on many such journeys," said the old
Descoings to her niece.
Madame Descoings was heroic. She continued to give the three thousand
francs a year to Madame Bridau, but she still paid the dues on her
trey which had never turned up since the year 1799. About this time,
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Iliad by Homer: Meriones; this at least is what I should myself wish."
King Agamemnon assented. So he gave the bronze spear to Meriones,
and handed the goodly cauldron to Talthybius his esquire.
BOOK XXIV
THE assembly now broke up and the people went their ways each to
his own ship. There they made ready their supper, and then
bethought them of the blessed boon of sleep; but Achilles still
wept for thinking of his dear comrade, and sleep, before whom all
things bow, could take no hold upon him. This way and that did he
turn as he yearned after the might and manfulness of Patroclus;
he thought of all they had done together, and all they had gone
The Iliad |
