| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Letters of Two Brides by Honore de Balzac: it which does not allow it to steal from other affections, or
interfere with the claims of friendship. I miss your letters, I long
for a sight of your dear, sweet face. Oh! Louise, my heart has only
conjecture to feed upon!
As regards ourselves, I will try and tell you everything as briefly as
possible.
On reading your last letter but one, I find some stinging comments on
our political situation. You mocked at us for keeping the post in the
Audit Department, which, as well as the title of Count, Louis owed to
the favor of Charles X. But I should like to know, please, how it
would be possible out of an income of forty thousand livres, thirty
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Dreams by Olive Schreiner: clearly, and the boat was far from shore, but it seemed almost as if there
was another figure sitting in the stern. Faster and faster it glided over
the water away, away. She ran along the shore; she came no nearer it. The
garment she had held closed fluttered open; she stretched out her arms, and
the moonlight shone on her long loose hair.
Then a voice beside her whispered, "What is it?"
She cried, "With my blood I bought the best of all gifts for him. I have
come to bring it him! He is going from me!"
The voice whispered softly, "Your prayer was answered. It has been given
him."
She cried, "What is it?"
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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 Economist by Xenophon: Critobulus retorted: I see, Socrates, you are doing your very best to
escape an irksome task: you would rather not, if you can help it,
stretch out so much as your little finger to help me to bear my
necessary burthens more easily.
Soc. No, upon my word, I am not trying to escape: on the contrary, I
shall be ready, as far as I can, to expound the matter to you.[12]
. . . Still it strikes me, if you had come to me for fire, and I had
none in my house, you would not blame me for sending you where you
might get it; or if you had asked me for water, and I, having none to
give, had led you elsewhere to the object of your search, you would
not, I am sure, have disapproved; or did you desire to be taught music
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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 A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe: messages and fetched them such things as they wanted or not. And if
they answered in the affirmative, all was well; but if they complained
that they were ill supplied, and that the officer did not do his duty, or
did not treat them civilly, they (the officers) were generally removed,
and others placed in their stead.
It is true such complaint might be unjust, and if the officer had such
arguments to use as would convince the magistrate that he was right,
and that the people had injured him, he was continued and they
reproved. But this part could not well bear a particular inquiry, for the
parties could very ill be well heard and answered in the street from the
windows, as was the case then. The magistrates, therefore, generally
A Journal of the Plague Year |
