| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli: heard of his return, knowing that he would lose no time, they decided
to intercept him with their forces in the Val di Nievole, under the
belief that by doing so they would cut off his road to Pistoia.
Assembling a great army of the supporters of the Guelph cause, the
Florentines entered the Pistoian territories. On the other hand,
Castruccio reached Montecarlo with his army; and having heard where
the Florentines' lay, he decided not to encounter it in the plains of
Pistoia, nor to await it in the plains of Pescia, but, as far as he
possibly could, to attack it boldly in the Pass of Serravalle. He
believed that if he succeeded in this design, victory was assured,
although he was informed that the Florentines had thirty thousand men,
The Prince |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Tanach: Job 42: 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.
Job 42: 14 And he called the name of the first, Jemimah; and the name of the second, Keziah; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.
Job 42: 15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.
Job 42: 16 And after this Job lived a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations.
Job 42: 17 So Job died, being old and full of days.
Proverbs 1: 1 THE PROVERBS of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Proverbs 1: 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the words of understanding;
Proverbs 1: 3 To receive the discipline of wisdom, justice, and right, and equity;
Proverbs 1: 4 To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion;
Proverbs 1: 5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning, and the man of understanding may attain unto wise counsels;
Proverbs 1: 6 To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
The Tanach |
