| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Confessio Amantis by John Gower: "O king, be whom that I schal regne,
Yif me wisdom, that I my regne,
Forth with thi poeple which I have,
To thin honour mai kepe and save."
Whan Salomon his bone hath taxed,
The god of that which he hath axed
Was riht wel paid, and granteth sone
Noght al only that he his bone
Schal have of that, bot of richesse,
Of hele, of pes, of hih noblesse, 3910
Forth with wisdom at his axinges,
Confessio Amantis |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Eryxias by Platonic Imitator: virtue?
CRITIAS: Yes.
SOCRATES: But can a man learn any kind of knowledge which is imparted by
word of mouth if he is wholly deprived of the sense of hearing?
CRITIAS: Certainly not, I think.
SOCRATES: And will not hearing be useful for virtue, if virtue is taught
by hearing and we use the sense of hearing in giving instruction?
CRITIAS: Yes.
SOCRATES: And since medicine frees the sick man from his disease, that art
too may sometimes appear useful in the acquisition of virtue, e.g. when
hearing is procured by the aid of medicine.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from At the Sign of the Cat & Racket by Honore de Balzac: an old fox like me? When you knew that I had scented the Lecocq
bankruptcy?"
"What, monsieur?" replied Joseph Lebas, looking at his master as
keenly as his master looked at him, "you knew that I was in love?"
"I know everything, you rascal," said the worthy and cunning old
merchant, pulling the assistant's ear. "And I forgive you--I did the
same myself."
"And you will give her to me?"
"Yes--with fifty thousand crowns; and I will leave you as much by
will, and we will start on our new career under the name of a new
firm. We will do good business yet, my boy!" added the old man,
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