| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: 'Notes on the Corinthians,' and Dr. Robinson's 'Notes on the
Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians,' just saved the character
of the place, in spite of a girl's doll's-house standing above
them, a marine aquarium in the window, and Elfride's hat hanging
on its corner.
'Business, business!' said Mr. Swancourt after breakfast. He began
to find it necessary to act the part of a fly-wheel towards the
somewhat irregular forces of his visitor.
They prepared to go to the church; the vicar, on second thoughts,
mounting his coal-black mare to avoid exerting his foot too much
at starting. Stephen said he should want a man to assist him.
A Pair of Blue Eyes |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Riverman by Stewart Edward White: "Well," said Denning slowly, and with a certain grim joy, "I don't
bet those Saginaw river-pigs are any more two-fisted than the boys
on this river. I'd go up and clean 'em out."
"Won't do," negatived Orde briefly. "In the first place, as you
know very well, we're short-handed now, and we can't spare the men
from the work. In the second place, we'd hang up sure, then; to go
up in that wilderness, fifty miles from civilisation, would mean a
first-class row of too big a size to handle. Won't do!"
"Suppose you get a lawyer," suggested Denning sarcastically.
Orde laughed with great good-humour
"Where'd our water be by the time he got an injunction for us?"
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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 A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy: 'How is that?'
'Hedgers and ditchers by rights. But once in ancient times one of
'em, when he was at work, changed clothes with King Charles the
Second, and saved the king's life. King Charles came up to him
like a common man, and said off-hand, "Man in the smock-frock, my
name is Charles the Second, and that's the truth on't. Will you
lend me your clothes?" "I don't mind if I do," said Hedger
Luxellian; and they changed there and then. "Now mind ye," King
Charles the Second said, like a common man, as he rode away, "if
ever I come to the crown, you come to court, knock at the door,
and say out bold, 'Is King Charles the Second at home?' Tell your
A Pair of Blue Eyes |
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 An Open Letter on Translating by Dr. Martin Luther: work of the law. Now it is Christ's death and resurrection alone
which saves and frees us from sin, as Paul writes in Rom. 4: "He
died for our sin and arose for our righteousness." Tell me more!
What is the work by which we take hold of Christ's death and
resurrection? It must not be an external work but only the
eternal faith in the heart that alone, indeed all alone, which
takes hold of this death and resurrection when it is preached
through the gospel. Then why all this ranting and raving, this
making of heretics and burning of them, when it is clear at its
very core, proving that faith alone takes hold of Christ's death
and resurrection, without any works, and that his death and
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