| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: many of the provincial cities, enough to satisfy moderate needs
without excess of wealth. And in order that the kings also might camp
and mess in public he appointed them public quarters; and he honoured
them with a double portion[3] each at the evening meal, not in order
that they might actually eat twice as much as others, but that the
king might have wherewithal to honour whomsoever he desired. He also
granted as a gift to each of the two kings to choose two mess-fellows,
which same are called Puthioi. He also granted them to receive out of
every litter of swine one pig, so that the king might never be at a
loss for victims if in aught he wished to consult the gods.
[2] I.e. a Heracleid, in whichever line descended, and, through
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: life, and how little way this would go towards settling me in the
world, I resolved to go to Lisbon, and see if I might not come at
some information of the state of my plantation in the Brazils, and
of what was become of my partner, who, I had reason to suppose, had
some years past given me over for dead. With this view I took
shipping for Lisbon, where I arrived in April following, my man
Friday accompanying me very honestly in all these ramblings, and
proving a most faithful servant upon all occasions. When I came to
Lisbon, I found out, by inquiry, and to my particular satisfaction,
my old friend, the captain of the ship who first took me up at sea
off the shore of Africa. He was now grown old, and had left off
Robinson Crusoe |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Of The Nature of Things by Lucretius: And a perpetual fall of frost doth rob
From mortal kind. And what is left to till,
Even that the force of nature would o'errun
With brambles, did not human force oppose,-
Long wont for livelihood to groan and sweat
Over the two-pronged mattock and to cleave
The soil in twain by pressing on the plough.
. . . . . .
Unless, by the ploughshare turning the fruitful clods
And kneading the mould, we quicken into birth,
[The crops] spontaneously could not come up
Of The Nature of Things |
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 Fables by Robert Louis Stevenson: "All is lost now," said the priest.
"I wonder if it is too late to make it up with the devil?" said the
virtuous person.
"Oh, I hope not," said the priest. "And at any rate we can but
try. But what are you doing with your axe?" says he to the rover.
"I am off to die with Odin," said the rover.
XVIII. - THE TOUCHSTONE.
THE King was a man that stood well before the world; his smile was
sweet as clover, but his soul withinsides was as little as a pea.
He had two sons; and the younger son was a boy after his heart, but
the elder was one whom he feared. It befell one morning that the
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