| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Plain Tales from the Hills by Rudyard Kipling: much, and jumped to the wildest conclusions.
But it was good for her. It spoilt her life, as she had spoilt the
life of the Laplaces. She had lost her faith in the Colonel, and--
here the creed-suspicion came in--he might, she argued, have erred
many times, before a merciful Providence, at the hands of so
unworthy an instrument as Mrs. Larkyn, had established his guilt.
He was a bad, wicked, gray-haired profligate. This may sound too
sudden a revulsion for a long-wedded wife; but it is a venerable
fact that, if a man or woman makes a practice of, and takes a
delight in, believing and spreading evil of people indifferent to
him or her, he or she will end in believing evil of folk very near
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Maid Marian by Thomas Love Peacock: accustomed to the baron's chiming in with a stormy capriccio,
which was usually charmed into silence by some sudden turn
in the witching melodies of Matilda. They had therefore
naturally calculated, as far as their wild spirits calculated at all,
on the same effects from the same causes. But the circumstances
of the preceding day had made an essential alteration in the case.
The baron knew well, from the intelligence he had received,
that the earl's offence was past remission: which would
have been of less moment but for the awful fact of his castle
being in the possession of the king's forces, and in those days
possession was considerably more than eleven points of the law.
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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 Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne: existed in the world--it put the corporal to a stand: for not caring to
retract his epithet--and less to explain it--and least of all, to twist his
tale (like men of lore) to serve a system--he looked up in my uncle Toby's
face for assistance--but seeing it was the very thing my uncle Toby sat in
expectation of himself--after a hum and a haw, he went on--
The King of Bohemia, an' please your honour, replied the corporal, was
unfortunate, as thus--That taking great pleasure and delight in navigation
and all sort of sea affairs--and there happening throughout the whole
kingdom of Bohemia, to be no sea-port town whatever--
How the duce should there--Trim? cried my uncle Toby; for Bohemia being
totally inland, it could have happen'd no otherwise--It might, said Trim,
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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 Euthydemus by Plato: have been ashamed of your friend--his conduct was so very strange in
placing himself at the mercy of men who care not what they say, and fasten
upon every word. And these, as I was telling you, are supposed to be the
most eminent professors of their time. But the truth is, Crito, that the
study itself and the men themselves are utterly mean and ridiculous.' Now
censure of the pursuit, Socrates, whether coming from him or from others,
appears to me to be undeserved; but as to the impropriety of holding a
public discussion with such men, there, I confess that, in my opinion, he
was in the right.
SOCRATES: O Crito, they are marvellous men; but what was I going to say?
First of all let me know;--What manner of man was he who came up to you and
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