| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: all his governance, to wit if it were such as we heard say that it
was. And truly we found it more noble and more excellent, and
richer and more marvellous, than ever we heard speak of, insomuch
that we would never have lieved it had we not seen it. For I trow,
that no man would believe the noblesse, the riches ne the multitude
of folk that be in his court, but he had seen it; for it is not
there as it is here. For the lords here have folk of certain
number as they may suffice; but the great Chan hath every day folk
at his costage and expense as without number. But the ordinance,
ne the expenses in meat and drink, ne the honesty, ne the
cleanness, is not so arrayed there as it is here; for all the
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Lysis by Plato: vessel which contains them, equally with his son? Is not this rather the
true state of the case? All his anxiety has regard not to the means which
are provided for the sake of an object, but to the object for the sake of
which they are provided. And although we may often say that gold and
silver are highly valued by us, that is not the truth; for there is a
further object, whatever it may be, which we value most of all, and for the
sake of which gold and all our other possessions are acquired by us. Am I
not right?
Yes, certainly.
And may not the same be said of the friend? That which is only dear to us
for the sake of something else is improperly said to be dear, but the truly
Lysis |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Under the Red Robe by Stanley Weyman: touch of my old self. 'I am here to pay the penalty.'
'And do you think that I do not know why?' he retorted, striking
one hand on the arm of his chair with a force that startled me.
'Because you have heard, sir, that my power is gone! Because you
have heard that I, who was yesterday the King's right hand, am
to-day dried up, withered and paralysed! Because you have heard
--but have a care! have a care!' he continued with
extraordinary vehemence, and in a voice like a dog's snarl. 'You
and those others! Have a care, I say, or you may find yourselves
mistaken yet.'
'As Heaven shall judge me,' I answered solemnly, 'that is not
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