| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Symposium by Xenophon: [3] The {anakrisis}, or "previous inquiry" (before one of the archons)
of parties concerned in a suit, to see whether the action lay. Cf.
Plat. "Charm." 176 C. See Gow, "Companion," xiv. 74.
Crit. Do you be good enough yourself to put your questions.
Soc. Do you consider that the quality of beauty is confined to man, or
is it to be found in other objects also? What is your belief on this
point?
Crit. For my part, I consider it belongs alike to animals--the horse,
the ox--and to many things inanimate: that is to say, a shield, a
sword, a spear are often beautiful.
Soc. How is it possible that things, in no respect resembling one
The Symposium |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Gobseck by Honore de Balzac: "I was the one creature with whom he had any communication, socially
speaking; he would come in to ask for a light, to borrow a book or a
newspaper, and of an evening he would allow me to go into his cell,
and when he was in the humor we would chat together. These marks of
confidence were the results of four years of neighborhood and my own
sober conduct. From sheer lack of pence, I was bound to live pretty
much as he did. Had he any relations or friends? Was he rich or poor?
Nobody could give an answer to these questions. I myself never saw
money in his room. Doubtless his capital was safely stowed in the
strong rooms of the Bank. He used to collect his bills himself as they
fell due, running all over Paris on a pair of shanks as skinny as a
Gobseck |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from A treatise on Good Works by Dr. Martin Luther: that they would by their works gain much merit, but that they do
it all in the confidence of divine favor (in which all merits are
to be found), purely for nothing, out of the love and good-will
toward God which grows out of such confidence. And all such works
they should think of as an exercise and exhortation ever to
strengthen their faith and confidence more and more. For, as has
now been frequently said, this faith makes all works good, yea,
it must do them and be the master-workman.
XIX. On the other hand, the masters and mistresses should not
rule their servants, maids and workingmen roughly, not look to
all things too closely, occasionally overlook something, and for
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