| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson: have gained, by your unsleeping watchfulness and admirable
pertinacity. And now here is a volume that goes into the world and
lacks your IMPRIMATUR: a strange thing in our joint lives; and the
reason of it stranger still! I have watched with interest, with
pain, and at length with amusement, your unavailing attempts to
peruse THE BLACK ARROW; and I think I should lack humour indeed, if
I let the occasion slip and did not place your name in the fly-leaf
of the only book of mine that you have never read - and never will
read.
That others may display more constancy is still my hope. The tale
was written years ago for a particular audience and (I may say) in
|
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 Heroes by Charles Kingsley: Medeia shrank and trembled, and her face grew pale with fear;
and Aietes knew that she was guilty, and whispered, 'If they
win the fleece, you die!'
But the Minuai marched toward their ship, growling like lions
cheated of their prey; for they saw that Aietes meant to mock
them, and to cheat them out of all their toil. And Oileus
said, 'Let us go to the grove together, and take the fleece
by force.'
And Idas the rash cried, 'Let us draw lots who shall go in
first; for, while the dragon is devouring one, the rest can
slay him and carry off the fleece in peace.' But Jason held
|