| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen: may be chiefly on your person, you must put up with it,
and trust to his seeing as much beauty of mind in time."
Such language was so new to Fanny that it quite embarrassed her.
"Your uncle thinks you very pretty, dear Fanny--
and that is the long and the short of the matter.
Anybody but myself would have made something more of it,
and anybody but you would resent that you had not been
thought very pretty before; but the truth is, that your
uncle never did admire you till now--and now he does.
Your complexion is so improved!--and you have gained
so much countenance!--and your figure--nay, Fanny, do not
Mansfield Park |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Hiero by Xenophon: thanaton autois epoiese ten zemian}. Cf. "Cyrop." III. i. 39;
"Symp." viii. 20; Plut. "Sol." xxiii., {olos de pleisten ekhein
atopian oi peri ton gunaikon nomoi to Soloni dokousi. moikhon men
gar anelein tio labonti dedoken, ean d' arpase tis eleutheran
gunaika kai biasetai zemian ekaton drakhmas etaxe' kan proagogeue
drakhmas aikosi, plen osai pephasmenos polountai, legon de tas
etairas. autai gar emphanos phoitosi pros tous didontas}, "Solon's
laws in general about women are his strangest, for he permitted
any one to kill an adulterer that found him in the act; but if any
one forced a free woman, a hundred drachmas was the fine; if he
enticed her, twenty;--except those that sell themselves openly,
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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 Melmoth Reconciled by Honore de Balzac: what it is, youngster; why should I kill you? I can see a red line
round your neck--the guillotine is waiting for you. Yes, you will end
in the Place de Greve. You are the headsman's property! there is no
escape for you. You belong to a vendita, of the Carbonari. You are
plotting against the Government."
"You did not tell me that," cried the Piedmontese, turning to Leon.
"So you do not know that the Minister decided this morning to put down
your Society?" the cashier continued. "The Procureur-General has a
list of your names. You have been betrayed. They are busy drawing up
the indictment at this moment."
"Then was it you who betrayed him?" cried Aquilina, and with a hoarse
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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 Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson: the day of judgment;" rough, fierce, unscrupulous, and brutal;
and all this my poor cabin-boy had taught himself to admire as
something seamanlike and manly. He would only admit one flaw in
his idol. "He ain't no seaman," he admitted. "That's Mr. Shuan
that navigates the brig; he's the finest seaman in the trade,
only for drink; and I tell you I believe it! Why, look'ere;" and
turning down his stocking he showed me a great, raw, red wound
that made my blood run cold. "He done that -- Mr. Shuan done
it," he said, with an air of pride.
"What!" I cried, "do you take such savage usage at his hands?
Why, you are no slave, to be so handled!"
Kidnapped |
