| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: Although Mr. Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire, where his
father dwelt, yet I have heard him say his family came from
Oxfordshire; to confirm which, I have observed in the churchyard
at Banbury in that county, several tombs and monuments of the
Gullivers.
Before he quitted Redriff, he left the custody of the following
papers in my hands, with the liberty to dispose of them as I
should think fit. I have carefully perused them three times.
The style is very plain and simple; and the only fault I find is,
that the author, after the manner of travellers, is a little too
circumstantial. There is an air of truth apparent through the
Gulliver's Travels |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: To this end he devotes his efforts, living well in his lodgings,
and giving and spending liberally, as is fitting in one so rich,
and as his heart dictates. The entire court wonders where he got
all the wealth that he bestows; for on all sides he presents the
valuable horses which he had brought from his own land. So much
did Alexander do, in the performance of his service, that the
King, the Queen, and the nobles bear him great affection. King
Arthur about this time desired to cross over into Brittany. So
he summons all his barons together to take counsel and inquire to
whom he may entrust England to be kept in peace and safety until
his return. By common consent, it seems, the trust was assigned
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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 The Mansion by Henry van Dyke: wonderfully prospered. There's a great deal in that text
'Honesty is
the best'--but no, that's not from the Bible, after all, is it?
Wait a moment; there is something of that kind, I know."
"May I light a cigar, father," said Harold, turning away to hide
a smile,
"while you are remembering the text?"
"Yes, certainly," answered the elder man, rather shortly; "you
know
I don't dislike the smell. But it is a wasteful, useless habit,
and therefore I have never practised it. Nothing useless is
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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 Charmides by Plato: for we admitted that there was a science of science, although the argument
said No, and protested against us; and we admitted further, that this
science knew the works of the other sciences (although this too was denied
by the argument), because we wanted to show that the wise man had knowledge
of what he knew and did not know; also we nobly disregarded, and never even
considered, the impossibility of a man knowing in a sort of way that which
he does not know at all; for our assumption was, that he knows that which
he does not know; than which nothing, as I think, can be more irrational.
And yet, after finding us so easy and good-natured, the enquiry is still
unable to discover the truth; but mocks us to a degree, and has gone out of
its way to prove the inutility of that which we admitted only by a sort of
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