| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Caesar's Commentaries in Latin by Julius Caesar: armis ius suum exequi conaretur multitudinemque hominum ex agris
magistratus cogerent, Orgetorix mortuus est; neque abest suspicio, ut
Helvetii arbitrantur, quin ipse sibi mortem consciverit.
Post eius mortem nihilo minus Helvetii id quod constituerant facere
conantur, ut e finibus suis exeant. Ubi iam se ad eam rem paratos esse
arbitrati sunt, oppida sua omnia, numero ad duodecim, vicos ad
quadringentos, reliqua privata aedificia incendunt; frumentum omne,
praeter quod secum portaturi erant, comburunt, ut domum reditionis spe
sublata paratiores ad omnia pericula subeunda essent; trium mensum molita
cibaria sibi quemque domo efferre iubent. Persuadent Rauracis et Tulingis
et Latobrigis finitimis, uti eodem usi consilio oppidis suis vicisque
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Hellenica by Xenophon: brought the news to Agesilaus of the enemy's advance, he would have
captured the city of Sparta like a nest of young birds absolutely
bereft of its natural defenders. As it was, Agesilaus, being
forewarned, had time to return to the city before the Thebans came,
and here the Spartans made distribution of their scanty force and
maintained watch and ward, albeit few enough in numbers, since the
whole of their cavalry were away in Arcadia, and so was their foreign
brigade, and so were three out of their twelve regiments.[6]
[3] Or, "dull obscurity in place of renown."
[4] Pellene (or Pellana), a town of Laconia on the Eurotas, and on the
road from Sparta to Arcadia; in fact the frontier fortress on the
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Talisman by Walter Scott: sumpter-camels have afforded unworthy of your wearing?"
"Not unworthy, surely, but unfitting for it," replied the Scot.
"Give me the dress of a slave, noble Ilderim, and I will don it
with pleasure; but I cannot brook to wear the habit of the free
Eastern warrior with the turban of the Moslem."
"Nazarene," answered the Emir, "thy nation so easily entertain
suspicion that it may well render themselves suspected. Have I
not told thee that Saladin desires no converts saving those whom
the holy Prophet shall dispose to submit themselves to his law?
violence and bribery are alike alien to his plan for extending
the true faith. Hearken to me, my brother. When the blind man
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