| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Red Seal by Natalie Sumner Lincoln: alias John Smith, in your house on Tuesday morning, Miss McIntyre,"
directed the coroner, seating himself at his table, on which were
writing materials.
"I was sitting up to let in my sister, who had gone to a dance,"
she began, "and fearing I would fall asleep I went down into the
library, intending to sit in one of the window recesses and watch
for her arrival. As I entered the library I saw a figure steal
across the room and disappear inside a closet. I was very
frightened, but had sense enough left to cross softly to the
closet and lock the door." She paused in her rapid recital and
drew a long breath, then continued more slowly:
The Red Seal |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Laches by Plato: among ourselves; which is the reason why he who fancies that he can write a
tragedy does not go about itinerating in the neighbouring states, but
rushes hither straight, and exhibits at Athens; and this is natural.
Whereas I perceive that these fighters in armour regard Lacedaemon as a
sacred inviolable territory, which they do not touch with the point of
their foot; but they make a circuit of the neighbouring states, and would
rather exhibit to any others than to the Spartans; and particularly to
those who would themselves acknowledge that they are by no means firstrate
in the arts of war. Further, Lysimachus, I have encountered a good many of
these gentlemen in actual service, and have taken their measure, which I
can give you at once; for none of these masters of fence have ever been
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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 Alcibiades II by Platonic Imitator: SOCRATES: And you regard those as sensible who know what ought to be done
or said?
ALCIBIADES: Yes.
SOCRATES: The senseless are those who do not know this?
ALCIBIADES: True.
SOCRATES: The latter will say or do what they ought not without their own
knowledge?
ALCIBIADES: Exactly.
SOCRATES: Oedipus, as I was saying, Alcibiades, was a person of this sort.
And even now-a-days you will find many who (have offered inauspicious
prayers), although, unlike him, they were not in anger nor thought that
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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 Turn of the Screw by Henry James: quickened vision of what was rare in my little companion.
It was indeed as if he had found even now--as he had so often
found at lessons--still some other delicate way to ease me off.
Wasn't there light in the fact which, as we shared our solitude,
broke out with a specious glitter it had never yet quite worn?--
the fact that (opportunity aiding, precious opportunity which had
now come) it would be preposterous, with a child so endowed,
to forego the help one might wrest from absolute intelligence?
What had his intelligence been given him for but to save him?
Mightn't one, to reach his mind, risk the stretch of an angular
arm over his character? It was as if, when we were face
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