| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Pellucidar by Edgar Rice Burroughs: of a world--"the terror of the seas" was the way Perry
had occasionally described her.
We had to work fast; but before the tide came in
again we had stripped her of her sails and masts, righted
her, and filled her about a quarter full of rock ballast. If
she didn't stick too fast in the mud I was sure that she
would float this time right side up.
I can tell you that it was with palpitating hearts that
we sat upon the river-bank and watched that tide come
slowly in. The tides of Pellucidar don't amount to much
by comparison with our higher tides of the outer world,
Pellucidar |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Merry Men by Robert Louis Stevenson: all, the true description, when the road began to go down into the
narrow and naked chasm of a torrent. The waters thundered
tumultuously in the bottom; and the ravine was filled full of the
sound, the thin spray, and the claps of wind, that accompanied
their descent. The scene was certainly impressive; but the road
was in that part very securely walled in; the mule went steadily
forward; and I was astonished to perceive the paleness of terror in
the face of my companion. The voice of that wild river was
inconstant, now sinking lower as if in weariness, now doubling its
hoarse tones; momentary freshets seemed to swell its volume,
sweeping down the gorge, raving and booming against the barrier
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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 La Grenadiere by Honore de Balzac: softly colored once. Premature wrinkles had withered the delicately
modeled forehead beneath the coronet of soft, well-set chestnut hair,
invariably wound about her head in two plaits, a girlish coiffure
which suited the melancholy face. There was a deceptive look of calm
in the dark eyes, with the hollow, shadowy circles about them;
sometimes, when she was off her guard, their expression told of secret
anguish. The oval of her face was somewhat long; but happiness and
health had perhaps filled and perfected the outlines. A forced smile,
full of quiet sadness, hovered continually on her pale lips; but when
the children, who were always with her, looked up at their mother, or
asked one of the incessant idle questions which convey so much to a
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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 Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: "H. G." vii. 111.
[22] See "Hell." VII. v. 23.
[23] I am indebted to Professor Jebb for the following suggestions
with regard to this passage: "The words {oude touto eosin, all
apothousin e}, etc., contain some corruption. The sense ought
clearly to be roughly parallel with that of the phrase used a
little before, {ouden allo pragmateuontai e}, etc. Perhaps
{apothousin} is a corruption of {apothen ousin}, and this
corruption occasioned the insertion of {e}. Probably Xenophon
wrote {oude touto eosin, all apothen ousin antipalous}, etc.:
'while the enemy is still some way off, they turn their companies
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