| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne: thought and study to meet upon; they discussed every topic of
ethics and religion, of public affairs, and private character;
they talked much, on both sides, of matters that seemed personal
to themselves; and yet no secret, such as the physician fancied
must exist there, ever stole out of the minister's consciousness
into his companion's ear. The latter had his suspicions, indeed,
that even the nature of Mr.
152 THE SCARLET LETTER
The Scarlet Letter |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: at the door.'
While the men were at work, Michael concealed himself in the
closet among the debris of the barrel and the wires of the piano;
and as soon as the coast was clear the pair sallied forth by the
lane, jumped into a hansom in the King's Road, and were driven
rapidly toward town. It was still cold and raw and boisterous;
the rain beat strongly in their faces, but Michael refused to
have the glass let down; he had now suddenly donned the character
of cicerone, and pointed out and lucidly commented on the sights
of London, as they drove. 'My dear fellow,' he said, 'you don't
seem to know anything of your native city. Suppose we visited the
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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 Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: out of a tree into the tribal latrine and was unavailable for any
further discussion.
Substantially taken aback but firm in his resolution, the doctor
decided to take his offer directly to the natives. Most received
him with laughter, contempt, or violence; many ignored him; a few
beat him up; some said he just wanted to get at their firewood;
most said they, like the chief, felt fine. But a dozen or so
natives came to him privately where he had been tossed into the
bushes after his most recent beating, and asked him for the medicine.
"We are somehow not really happy living like this," they said, "even
though it is the way of the world." The doctor gladly gave them the
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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 On Horsemanship by Xenophon: all beholders.
[1] Al. "the animals are so scared that, the chances are, they are
thrown into disorder."
[2] {gorgoumenos}, with pride and spirit, but with a suggestion of
"fierceness and rage," as of Job's war-horse.
[3] "Mollia crura reponit," Virg. "Georg." iii. 76; Hom. "Hymn. ad
Merc."
How these desirable results are, in our opinion, to be produced, we
will now endeavour to explain. In the first place, then, you ought to
have at least two bits. One of these should be smooth, with discs of a
good size; the other should have heavy and flat discs[4] studded with
On Horsemanship |
