| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Black Dwarf by Walter Scott: wayward fancy. He had renounced the Catholic religion, but
perhaps some of its doctrines continued to influence a mind, over
which remorse and misanthropy now assumed, in appearance, an
unbounded authority. His life has since been that alternately of
a pilgrim and a hermit, suffering the most severe privations, not
indeed in ascetic devotion, but in abhorrence of mankind. Yet no
man's words and actions have been at such a wide difference, nor
has any hypocritical wretch ever been more ingenious in assigning
good motives for his vile actions, than this unfortunate in
reconciling to his abstract principles of misanthropy, a conduct
which flows from his natural generosity and kindness of feeling."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Fanny Herself by Edna Ferber: heartedly, and he was patting her with little comforting
love pats, and whispering words of tenderness.
"Forgive you? Forgive you what?"
"The years of suffering. The years you've had to spend with
her. With that horrible woman--"
"Don't--" He sucked his breath between his teeth. His face
had gone haggard again. Fanny, direct as always, made
up her mind that she would have it all. And now.
"There's something you haven't told me. Tell me all of it.
You're my brother and I'm your sister. We're all we have in
the world." And at that, as though timed by some miraculous
Fanny Herself |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from King Henry VI by William Shakespeare: Be buckled with: the over-daring Talbot
Hath sullied all his gloss of former honor
By this unheedful, desperate, wild adventure:
York set him on to fight and die in shame,
That, Talbot dead, great York might bear the name.
CAPTAIN.
Here is Sir William Lucy, who with me
Set from our o'er-match'd forces forth for aid.
[Enter Sir William Lucy.]
SOMERSET.
How now, Sir William! whither were you sent?
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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 Enemies of Books by William Blades: examination of old covers, i 16.--how to dust them, 134.
-injured by hacking, i x i.--lost at sea, 17, 18.--margin reduced
to size, i 11.--mildew in, 136.--from monasteries destroyed, 9.--
restoration when injured, 114.--restored after a fire, 15.--
scarce before printing, 2.--sold to a cobbler, 52, 149.--too tight
on shelves, 137.--their claims to be preserved, 151.--used to bake
"pyes," 10.--which scratch one another, 134.
Book-sale in Derbyshire, 145.
Bookworm, the, 67-93.
--attempt to breed, 81-3.--from Greece, 82.--in paper box, 89.--
in United States, gi. Bookworms' progress through books, 84.--
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