| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: Vesalius back to his native country and Louvain; and in 1535 we hear
of him as a surgeon in Charles V.'s army. He saw, most probably,
the Emperor's invasion of Provence, and the disastrous retreat from
before Montmorency's fortified camp at Avignon, through a country in
which that crafty general had destroyed every article of human food,
except the half-ripe grapes. He saw, perhaps, the Spanish soldiers,
poisoned alike by the sour fruit and by the blazing sun, falling in
hundreds along the white roads which led back into Savoy, murdered
by the peasantry whose homesteads had been destroyed, stifled by the
weight of their own armour, or desperately putting themselves, with
their own hands, out of a world which had become intolerable. Half
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Droll Stories, V. 1 by Honore de Balzac: the constable, of death, of life, of everything.
Meanwhile the watchman at the porch had gone to inform the constable
of the arrival of the gallant, and to tell him how the infatuated
gentleman had taken no notice of the winks which, during Mass and on
the road, the countess had given him in order to prevent his
destruction. They met their master arriving in great haste at the
postern, because on their side the archers of the quay had whistled to
him afar off, saying to him--
"The Sire de Savoisy has passed in."
And indeed Savoisy had come at the appointed hour, and like all the
lovers, thinking only of his lady, he had not seen the count's spies
Droll Stories, V. 1 |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Riverman by Stewart Edward White: "That depends on you," returned Orde squarely, but with perfect
good-humour.
They eyed each other a moment. Then the girl closed her fan, and
leaned forward to touch him on the arm with it.
"You are quite right not to allow me to say mean things about your
friends, and I am a nasty little snip."
Orde bowed with sudden gravity.
"And they do throw bread," said he.
They both laughed. She leaned back with a movement of satisfaction,
seeming to sink into the shadows.
"Now, tell me; what do you do?"
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