| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Deserted Woman by Honore de Balzac: to the attractions of Mlle. de la Rodiere, a somewhat insignificant,
pink-and-white young person, as straight as a poplar. It is true that,
in accordance with the rules laid down for marriageable young ladies,
she scarcely opened her mouth, but her rent-roll of forty thousand
livres spoke quite sufficiently for her. Mme. de Nueil, with a
mother's sincere affection, tried to entangle her son in virtuous
courses. She called his attention to the fact that it was a flattering
distinction to be preferred by Mlle. de la Rodiere, who had refused so
many great matches; it was quite time, she urged, that he should think
of his future, such a good opportunity might not repeat itself, some
day he would have eighty thousand livres of income from land; money
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lesser Hippias by Plato: was afraid that the question might interrupt your exhibition. But now that
there are not so many of us, and my friend Eudicus bids me ask, I wish you
would tell me what you were saying about these two heroes, so that I may
clearly understand; how did you distinguish them?
HIPPIAS: I shall have much pleasure, Socrates, in explaining to you more
clearly than I could in public my views about these and also about other
heroes. I say that Homer intended Achilles to be the bravest of the men
who went to Troy, Nestor the wisest, and Odysseus the wiliest.
SOCRATES: O rare Hippias, will you be so good as not to laugh, if I find a
difficulty in following you, and repeat my questions several times over?
Please to answer me kindly and gently.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia by Samuel Johnson: observed its progress, and remarked many ingenious contrivances to
facilitate motion and unite levity with strength. The artist was
every day more certain that he should leave vultures and eagles
behind him, and the contagion of his confidence seized upon the
Prince. In a year the wings were finished; and on a morning
appointed the maker appeared, furnished for flight, on a little
promontory; he waved his pinions awhile to gather air, then leaped
from his stand, and in an instant dropped into the lake. His
wings, which were of no use in the air, sustained him in the water;
and the Prince drew him to land half dead with terror and vexation.
CHAPTER VII - THE PRINCE FINDS A MAN OF LEARNING.
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