| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: and unworthy in itself, to make him a citizen of Athens, and pay
him honors while he lived, and yet as soon as he fell by
another's hand, to set no bounds to their jollity, to insult
over him dead, and to sing triumphant songs of victory, as if by
their own valor they had vanquished him. I must at the same
time commend the behavior of Demosthenes, who, leaving tears and
lamentations and domestic sorrows to the women, made it his
business to attend to the interests of the commonwealth. And I
think it the duty of him who would be accounted to have a soul
truly valiant, and fit for government, that, standing always
firm to the common good, and letting private griefs and troubles
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Poems of Goethe, Bowring, Tr. by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Closely observe how the plant, by little and little progressing,
Step by step guided on, changeth to blossom and fruit!
First from the seed it unravels itself, as soon as the silent
Fruit-bearing womb of the earth kindly allows Its escape,
And to the charms of the light, the holy, the ever-in-motion,
Trusteth the delicate leaves, feebly beginning to shoot.
Simply slumber'd the force in the seed; a germ of the future,
Peacefully lock'd in itself, 'neath the integument lay,
Leaf and root, and bud, still void of colour, and shapeless;
Thus doth the kernel, while dry, cover that motionless life.
Upward then strives it to swell, in gentle moisture confiding,
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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 Ebb-Tide by Stevenson & Osbourne: A second bottle was broached. There were two cases standing
ready in a stateroom; these two were brought out, broken open,
and tested. Still with the same result: the contents were still
colourless and tasteless, and dead as the rain in a beached
fishing-boat.
'Crikey!' said Huish.
'Here, let's sample the hold!' said the captain, mopping his
brow with a back-handed sweep; and the three stalked out of
the house, grim and heavy-footed.
All hands were turned out; two Kanakas were sent below,
another stationed at a purchase; and Davis, axe in hand, took
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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 Records of a Family of Engineers by Robert Louis Stevenson: boats for their jackets and stockings, when, to their
astonishment, instead of three, they found only two boats, the
third being adrift with the SMEATON. Not a word was uttered
by any one, but all appeared to be silently calculating their
numbers, and looking to each other with evident marks of
perplexity depicted in their countenances. The landing-
master, conceiving that blame might be attached to him for
allowing the boat to leave the rock, still kept at a distance.
At this critical moment the author was standing upon an
elevated part of Smith's Ledge, where he endeavoured to mark
the progress of the SMEATON, not a little surprised that her
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