| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Miracle Mongers and Their Methods by Harry Houdini: in the rose-water above specified.
To conclude all, and to show you what
a man of might he is, he has an instrument
made of tin, which he puts between his
lips and teeth; this instrument has three
several pipes, out of which, his arms
a-kimbo, a putting forth himself, he will
throw forth water from him in three
pipes, the distance of four or five yards.
This is all clear water, which he does with
so much port and such a flowing grace,
Miracle Mongers and Their Methods |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Poems by Oscar Wilde: They are not dead, thine ancient votaries;
Some few there are to whom thy radiant smile
Is better than a thousand victories,
Though all the nobly slain of Waterloo
Rise up in wrath against them! tarry still, there are a few
Who for thy sake would give their manlihood
And consecrate their being; I at least
Have done so, made thy lips my daily food,
And in thy temples found a goodlier feast
Than this starved age can give me, spite of all
Its new-found creeds so sceptical and so dogmatical.
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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 Aeneid by Virgil: Couldst thou presume to scape, when I pursue?"
He said, and downward by the feet he drew
The trembling dastard; at the tug he falls;
Vast ruins come along, rent from the smoking walls.
Thus on some silver swan, or tim'rous hare,
Jove's bird comes sousing down from upper air;
Her crooked talons truss the fearful prey:
Then out of sight she soars, and wings her way.
So seizes the grim wolf the tender lamb,
In vain lamented by the bleating dam.
Then rushing onward with a barb'rous cry,
Aeneid |
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 An International Episode by Henry James: "Liked for yourself? Yes; but not so very much!" He had, at any rate,
the constant hope of being liked more.
It may seem, perhaps, a trifle singular--but it is nevertheless true--
that Bessie Alden, when he struck her as dull, devoted some time,
on grounds of conscience, to trying to like him more.
I say on grounds of conscience because she felt that he had
been extremely "nice" to her sister, and because she reflected
that it was no more than fair that she should think as well
of him as he thought of her. This effort was possibly sometimes
not so successful as it might have been, for the result
of it was occasionally a vague irritation, which expressed
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