| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Second Home by Honore de Balzac: susceptibilities, "we shall find it hard to escape a tumble."
"But, my dear sir, I am no more than fifty-five, unfortunately for
me," replied the Comte de Granville. "A physician of your celebrity
must know that at that age a man is still hale and strong."
"Then you are in waiting on a lady, I suppose," replied Horace
Bianchon. "You are not, I imagine, in the habit of going about Paris
on foot. When a man keeps such fine horses----"
"Still, when I am not visiting in the evening, I commonly return from
the Courts or the club on foot," replied the Count.
"And with large sums of money about you, perhaps!" cried the doctor.
"It is a positive invitation to the assassin's knife."
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: but on cheek and chin and lip was the curl of adolescent beard
--soft, yellow, and silky. His eyes were as blue as steel, and
quick and sharp in glance as those of a hawk; and as he walked,
his arms swung from his broad, square shoulders, and his body
swayed with pent-up strength ready for action at any moment.
If little Lady Alice, hearing much talk of his doings and of his
promise in these latter times, thought of him now and then it is
a matter not altogether to be wondered at.
Such were the changes that three years had wrought. And from now
the story of his manhood really begins.
Perhaps in all the history of Devlen Castle, even at this, the
Men of Iron |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Sylvie and Bruno by Lewis Carroll: Viewed as a portion of one's own biography, it is, I must admit, very
distressing!" He groaned, but instantly added, with a chuckle,
"As to myself, I think you mentioned that I am--"
"Oo're the Professor!" Bruno shouted in his ear. "Didn't oo know that?
Oo've come from Outland! And it's ever so far away from here!"
The Professor leapt to his feet with the agility of a boy.
"Then there's no time to lose!" he exclaimed anxiously.
"I'll just ask this guileless peasant, with his brace of buckets
that contain (apparently) water, if he'll be so kind as to direct us.
Guileless peasant!" he proceeded in a louder voice.
"Would you tell us the way to Outland?"
Sylvie and Bruno |
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 The Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: the bottom of this horrid conspiracy against me; and that culprit
aforesaid is a popish emissary, has paid his visits to St.
Germains, and is now in the measures of Lewis XIV. That in
attempting my reputation, there is a general massacre of learning
designed in these realms; and through my sides there is a wound
given to all the Protestant almanack-makers in the universe.
Vivat Regina.
___________________________________________
A vindication of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq; against what is objected
to him by Mr. Partridge in his almanack for the present year
1709.
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