| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Nana, Miller's Daughter, Captain Burle, Death of Olivier Becaille by Emile Zola: to good Catholics, whom the fear of hell torments in the midst of
their sin.
At this moment Father Barillot's voice was heard outside the door.
"May I give the knocks, madame? The house is growing impatient."
"All in good time," answered Nana quietly.
She had dipped her paint brush in a pot of kohl, and with the point
of her nose close to the glass and her left eye closed she passed it
delicately along between her eyelashes. Muffat stood behind her,
looking on. He saw her reflection in the mirror, with her rounded
shoulders and her bosom half hidden by a rosy shadow. And despite
all his endeavors he could not turn away his gaze from that face so
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Mosses From An Old Manse by Nathaniel Hawthorne: given her husband a drink at bedtime and let him sleep his last
sleep in her bosom; how beardless youths have made haste to
inherit their fathers' wealth; and how fair damsels--blush not,
sweet ones--have dug little graves in the garden, and bidden me,
the sole guest to an infant's funeral. By the sympathy of your
human hearts for sin ye shall scent out all the places--whether
in church, bedchamber, street, field, or forest--where crime has
been committed, and shall exult to behold the whole earth one
stain of guilt, one mighty blood spot. Far more than this. It
shall be yours to penetrate, in every bosom, the deep mystery of
sin, the fountain of all wicked arts, and which inexhaustibly
Mosses From An Old Manse |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Within the Tides by Joseph Conrad: death?"
"No doubt for the sake of your excellency's coat buttons," said
politely the saturnine Gonzales. "We found those of the dead
mariner concealed on her person. But your excellency may rest
assured that everything that is fitting has been done on this
occasion."
Byrne asked no more questions. There was still another death which
was considered by Gonzales as "fitting to the occasion." The one-
eyed Bernardino stuck against the wall of his wine-shop received
the charge of six escopettas into his breast. As the shots rang
out the rough bier with Tom's body on it went past carried by a
Within the Tides |
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 A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: age, though well mounted, and arrayed in complete proof. It may
easily be conceived, therefore, that their ranks could not be
broken by the disorderly charge of Highland infantry armed for
close combat only, with swords, and ill furnished with missile
weapons, and having no artillery whatever.
This habit of fight was in a great measure changed by the
introduction of muskets into the Scottish Lowland service, which,
not being as yet combined with the bayonet, was a formidable
weapon at a distance, but gave no assurance against the enemy who
rushed on to close quarters. The pike, indeed, was not wholly
disused in the Scottish army; but it was no longer the favourite
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