| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas: Van Baerle, who not only was, but also boasted of being, an
entire stranger to the science of government, which, in his
opinion, was more occult than alchemy itself?
It was undoubtedly a deposit which Cornelius de Witt,
already threatened by the unpopularity with which his
countrymen were going to honour him, was placing in the
hands of his godson; a contrivance so much the more cleverly
devised, as it certainly was not at all likely that it
should be searched for at the house of one who had always
stood aloof from every sort of intrigue.
And, besides, if the parcel had been made up of bulbs,
The Black Tulip |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs: so that they worked in unison, with only low, purring sounds
as signals.
For a moment they lay quite silent near their prey, and
then at a sign from the ape-man Sheeta sprang upon the
great back, burying his strong teeth in the bull's neck.
Instantly the brute sprang to his feet with a bellow of
pain and rage, and at the same instant Tarzan rushed in
upon his left side with the stone knife, striking repeatedly
behind the shoulder.
One of the ape-man's hands clutched the thick mane, and
as the bull raced madly through the reeds the thing striking
The Beasts of Tarzan |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Persuasion by Jane Austen: to complain of it, and lament her being ill-used, according to custom,
in being on the hedge side, while Anne was never incommoded on the other,
he dropped the arms of both to hunt after a weasel which he had
a momentary glance of, and they could hardly get him along at all.
This long meadow bordered a lane, which their footpath, at the end of it
was to cross, and when the party had all reached the gate of exit,
the carriage advancing in the same direction, which had been
some time heard, was just coming up, and proved to be Admiral Croft's gig.
He and his wife had taken their intended drive, and were returning home.
Upon hearing how long a walk the young people had engaged in,
they kindly offered a seat to any lady who might be particularly tired;
Persuasion |
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 Timaeus by Plato: taken as a whole was fairer than the intelligent taken as a whole; and that
intelligence could not be present in anything which was devoid of soul.
For which reason, when he was framing the universe, he put intelligence in
soul, and soul in body, that he might be the creator of a work which was by
nature fairest and best. Wherefore, using the language of probability, we
may say that the world became a living creature truly endowed with soul and
intelligence by the providence of God.
This being supposed, let us proceed to the next stage: In the likeness of
what animal did the Creator make the world? It would be an unworthy thing
to liken it to any nature which exists as a part only; for nothing can be
beautiful which is like any imperfect thing; but let us suppose the world
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