| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare: Maids, and cut off their heads
Greg. The heads of the Maids?
Sam. I, the heads of the Maids, or their Maiden-heads,
Take it in what sence thou wilt
Greg. They must take it sence, that feele it
Samp. Me they shall feele while I am able to stand:
And 'tis knowne I am a pretty peece of flesh
Greg. 'Tis well thou art not Fish: If thou had'st, thou
had'st beene poore Iohn. Draw thy Toole, here comes of
the House of the Mountagues.
Enter two other Seruingmen.
Romeo and Juliet |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin: to observe the extraordinary influence of his oratory on his hearers,
and bow much they admir'd and respected him, notwithstanding his
common abuse of them, by assuring them that they were naturally half
beasts and half devils. It was wonderful to see the change soon
made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless
or indifferent about religion, it seem'd as if all the world
were growing religious, so that one could not walk thro' the town
in an evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of
every street.
And it being found inconvenient to assemble in the open air,
subject to its inclemencies, the building of a house to meet in was
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The White Moll by Frank L. Packard: forget that I owe you very much for what you did. And that is
one reason why I warn you at once that, as far as the necklace is
concerned, it will do you no good to build any hopes on the
supposition that we are fellow-thieves, and that I am likely either
to part with it, or, through gratitude, share it. In spite of
appearances last night, I was not a thief."
"And to-night, Miss Gray - in spite of appearances?" he challenged.
He was regarding her with eyes that, while they appraised shrewdly,
held a lurking hint of irony in their depths. And somehow, suddenly,
self-proclaimed crook though she held him to be, she found herself
seized with an absurd, unreasonable, but nevertheless passionate,
|
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 On Horsemanship by Xenophon: may have as free a grip as possible.
[6] Lit. "The gods, we must suppose, gave . . ."
[7] Lit. "as defences or protective bulwarks."
[8] Insects, etc.
Mane, forelock, and tail are triple gifts bestowed by the gods upon
the horse for the sake of pride and ornament,[9] and here is the
proof: a brood mare, so long as her mane is long and flowing, will not
readily suffer herself to be covered by an ass; hence breeders of
mules take care to clip the mane of the mare with a view to
covering.[10]
[9] {aglaias eneka} (a poetic word). Cf. "Od." xv. 78; xvii. 310.
On Horsemanship |
