| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Twilight Land by Howard Pyle: go not near the queen again, for she seeks to destroy thy life."
"But tell me, O Talisman!" said the Wise Man, "what then shall I
do with all that vast treasure of the kings of Egypt?"
"Fly from it while there is yet chance to escape!" said the
Talisman; "but go not into the treasure-house again, for in the
farther door, where thou hast not yet looked, is that which will
destroy him who possesses the treasure."
"But Zadok," said Aben Hassen; "what of Zadok?"
"Fly from the monster while there is yet time to escape," said
the Talisman, "and have no more to do with thy Demon slave, for
already he is weaving a net of death and destruction about thy
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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 Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: Wales, who, if he offers to attempt anything against England,
shall miscarry as he did before. Lambert Symnele is the name of a
young man, noted in our histories for personating the son (as I
remember) of Edward the fourth.
And Norway's Pryd, etc. I cannot guess who is meant by Norway's
Pride, perhaps the reader may, as well as the sense of the two
following lines.
Reaums shall, etc. Reums, or, as the word is now, realms, is the
old name for kingdoms: And this is a very plain prediction of our
happy Union, with the felicities that shall attend it. It is
added that Old England shall be no more, and yet no man shall be
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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 Mayflower Compact: for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance
of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof do enact,
constitute, and frame, such just and equall Laws, Ordinances,
Acts, Constitutions, and Offices, from time to time,
as shall be thought most meete and convenient for the
Generall Good of the Colonie; unto which we promise
all due Submission and Obedience.
In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names
at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Raigne of our
Sovereigne Lord, King James of England, France, and Ireland,
the eighteenth, and of Scotland, the fiftie-fourth,
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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 Master and Man by Leo Tolstoy: the contrary he felt wide awake and animated. Again he began
counting his gains and the debts due to him, again he began
bragging to himself and feeling pleased with himself and his
position, but all this was continually disturbed by a
stealthily approaching fear and by the unpleasant regret that
he had not remained in Grishkino.
'How different it would be to be lying warm on a bench!'
He turned over several times in his attempts to get into a more
comfortable position more sheltered from the wind, he wrapped
up his legs closer, shut his eyes, and lay still. But either
his legs in their strong felt boots began to ache from being
Master and Man |
