The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Art of War by Sun Tzu: great state has once been defeated (before she has had time to
summon her allies), then the lesser states will hold aloof and
refrain from massing their forces." Ch`en Hao and Chang Yu take
the sentence in quite another way. The former says: "Powerful
though a prince may be, if he attacks a large state, he will be
unable to raise enough troops, and must rely to some extent on
external aid; if he dispenses with this, and with overweening
confidence in his own strength, simply tries to intimidate the
enemy, he will surely be defeated." Chang Yu puts his view thus:
"If we recklessly attack a large state, our own people will be
discontented and hang back. But if (as will then be the case)
 The Art of War |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin: beating Nancy about the head? If he cannot, he is no bishop, though
he had a mitre as high as Salisbury steeple; he is no bishop,--he
has sought to be at the helm instead of the masthead; he has no
sight of things. "Nay," you say, "it is not his duty to look after
Bill in the back street." What! the fat sheep that have full
fleeces--you think it is only those he should look after while (go
back to your Milton) "the hungry sheep look up, and are not fed,
besides what the grim wolf, with privy paw" (bishops knowing nothing
about it), "daily devours apace, and nothing said"?
"But that's not our idea of a bishop." {7} Perhaps not; but it was
St. Paul's; and it was Milton's. They may be right, or we may be;
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