| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from An International Episode by Henry James: "We have been here three," said Mrs. Westgate.
"Have you been here three months?" the young man asked again of Bessie.
"It seems a long time," Bessie answered.
"I say, after that you had better not call me a humbug!" cried Lord Lambeth.
"I have only been in town three weeks; but you must have been hiding away;
I haven't seen you anywhere."
"Where should you have seen us--where should we have gone?"
asked Mrs. Westgate.
"You should have gone to Hurlingham," said Willie Woodley.
"No; let Lord Lambeth tell us," Mrs. Westgate insisted.
"There are plenty of places to go to," said Lord Lambeth;
|
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad: To be so great and to remain so accessible to the affection of
one's fellow-men is the mark of exceptional humanity. Lord
Nelson's greatness was very human. It had a moral basis; it needed
to feel itself surrounded by the warm devotion of a band of
brothers. He was vain and tender. The love and admiration which
the navy gave him so unreservedly soothed the restlessness of his
professional pride. He trusted them as much as they trusted him.
He was a seaman of seamen. Sir T. B. Martin states that he never
conversed with any officer who had served under Nelson "without
hearing the heartiest expressions of attachment to his person and
admiration of his frank and conciliatory manner to his
The Mirror of the Sea |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Reign of King Edward the Third by William Shakespeare: But all in vain, he cannot free him self.
KING EDWARD.
Audley, content; I will not have a man,
On pain of death, sent forth to succour him:
This is the day, ordained by destiny,
To season his courage with those grievous thoughts,
That, if he breaketh out, Nestor's years on earth
Will make him savor still of this exploit.
DARBY.
Ah, but he shall not live to see those days.
KING EDWARD.
|
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 Vicar of Tours by Honore de Balzac: "The deed is in my library," replied Birotteau.
"Do you know the tenor of it?" said Monsieur de Bourbonne to the
lawyer.
"No, monsieur," said Caron, stretching out his hand to regain the
fatal document.
"Ha!" thought the old man; "you know, my good friend, what that deed
contains, but you are not paid to tell us," and he returned the paper
to the lawyer.
"Where can I put my things?" cried Birotteau; "my books, my beautiful
book-shelves, and pictures, my red furniture, and all my treasures?"
The helpless despair of the poor man thus torn up as it were by the
|
