| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes: redemption. Her uncle kept her in great seclusion and retirement,
but for all that the fame of her great beauty spread so that, as
well for it as for her great wealth, her uncle was asked, solicited,
and importuned, to give her in marriage not only by those of our
town but of those many leagues round, and by the persons of highest
quality in them. But he, being a good Christian man, though he desired
to give her in marriage at once, seeing her to be old enough, was
unwilling to do so without her consent, not that he had any eye to the
gain and profit which the custody of the girl's property brought him
while he put off her marriage; and, faith, this was said in praise
of the good priest in more than one set in the town. For I would
Don Quixote |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Deputy of Arcis by Honore de Balzac: and can cut the finest figure in the Chamber. They even talk of
getting up a candidacy for him; and on some of their enthusiastic days
they go so far as to assert that he bears a distant likeness to
Danton."
"But this is getting burlesque," said Emile Blondet.
I don't know if you have ever remarked, my dear Monsieur Gaston, that
in men of real talent there is always great leniency of judgment. In
this, Joseph Bridau is pre-eminent.
"I think with you," he said, "that if Dorlange takes this step, and
enters politics, he will be lost to art. But, after all, why should he
not succeed in the Chamber? He expresses himself with great facility,
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: much afraid of his vagaries. I spat out, and affirmed it tasted
detestably - I would not take it on any account.
'Oh!' said he, releasing me, 'I see that hideous little villain is
not Hareton: I beg your pardon, Nell. If it be, he deserves
flaying alive for not running to welcome me, and for screaming as
if I were a goblin. Unnatural cub, come hither! I'll teach thee
to impose on a good-hearted, deluded father. Now, don't you think
the lad would be handsomer cropped? It makes a dog fiercer, and I
love something fierce - get me a scissors - something fierce and
trim! Besides, it's infernal affectation - devilish conceit it is,
to cherish our ears - we're asses enough without them. Hush,
Wuthering Heights |
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 Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians by Martin Luther: render unto God.
Let your faith supplant reason. Abraham mastered reason by faith in the Word
of God. Not as though reason ever yields meekly. It put up a fight against
the faith of Abraham. Reason protested that it was absurd to think that Sarah
who was ninety years old and barren by nature, should give birth to a son.
But faith won the victory and routed reason, that ugly beast and enemy of
God. Everyone who by faith slays reason, the world's biggest monster, renders
God a real service, a better service than the religions of all races and all
the drudgery of meritorious monks can render.
Men fast, pray, watch, suffer. They intend to appease the wrath of God and to
deserve God's grace by their exertions. But there is no glory in it for God,
|
