| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Barlaam and Ioasaph by St. John of Damascus: everlasting felicity in the glorious distribution of his rewards.
Ay, and in this world he exhorteth us to let our `light so shine
before men, that they may see,' he saith, `your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven.'
"For the law of Moses, formerly given to the Israelites, saith,
'Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt
not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness:' but Christ saith
'Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in
danger of the judgement; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool,
shall be in danger of hell fire:' and, `if thou bring thy gift to
the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays & Lectures by Oscar Wilde: (13) He makes one exception.
(14) Polybius, viii. 4.
(15) Polybius, xvi. 12.
(16) Polybius, viii. 4: [Greek text which cannot be reproduced]
(17) Polybius resembled Gibbon in many respects. Like him he held
that all religions were to the philosopher equally false, to the
vulgar equally true, to the statesman equally useful.
(18) Cf. Polybius, xii. 25, [Greek text which cannot be reproduced]
(19) Polybius, xxii. 8.
(20) I mean particularly as regards his sweeping denunciation of
the complete moral decadence of Greek society during the
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Light of Western Stars by Zane Grey: lost mine of the padres. It will give us all pleasure, make us
understand something of the thrall in which this land held the
Spaniards who discovered it so many years ago. It will be
especially interesting now, because this mountain hides somewhere
under its crags the treasures of the lost mine of the padres."
'In the sixteenth century," Florence began, in her soft, slow
voice so suited to the nature of the legend, "a poor young padre
of New Spain was shepherding his goats upon a hill when the
Virgin appeared before him. He prostrated himself at her feet,
and when he looked up she was gone. But upon the maguey plant
near where she had stood there were golden ashes of a strange and
The Light of Western Stars |
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 Great God Pan by Arthur Machen: read out the paragraph to Villiers as the uproar in the street
rose and fell. The window was open and the air seemed full of
noise and terror.
"Another gentleman has fallen a victim to the terrible
epidemic of suicide which for the last month has prevailed in
the West End. Mr. Sidney Crashaw, of Stoke House, Fulham, and
King's Pomeroy, Devon, was found, after a prolonged search,
hanging dead from the branch of a tree in his garden at one
o'clock today. The deceased gentleman dined last night at the
Carlton Club and seemed in his usual health and spirits. He
left the club at about ten o'clock, and was seen walking
The Great God Pan |
