| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Complete Angler by Izaak Walton: last, one beggar craved audience; and told them that old father Clause,
whom Ben Jonson, in his Beggar's Bush, created King of their
corporation, was to lodge at an ale-house, called " Catch-her-by-the-
way," not far from Waltham Cross, and in the high road towards
London; and he therefore desired them to spend no more time about
that and such like questions, but refer all to father Clause at night, for
he was an upright judge, and in the meantime draw cuts, what song
should be next sung, and who should sing it. They all agreed to the
motion; and the lot fell to her that was the youngest, and veriest virgin
of the company. And she sung Frank Davison's song, which he made
forty years ago; and all the others of the company joined to sing the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: the best I cannot say. But sure am I, that I have fought knee-
deep in blood many a day for one that was ten degrees worse than
the worst of them all."
"And pray, Captain Dalgetty," said his lordship, "since the
pretensions of both parties seem to you so equal, will you please
to inform us by what circumstances your preference will be
determined?"
"Simply upon two considerations, my lord," answered the soldier.
"Being, first, on which side my services would be in most
honourable request;--And, secondly, whilk is a corollary of the
first, by whilk party they are likely to be most gratefully
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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 Forged Coupon by Leo Tolstoy: his mother's skirt, and looked intensely at his dead
father without blinking.
From a door near them an official, an officer, a
doctor, and a clerk with documents, entered.
After them came a soldier, the one who had shot
the man. He stepped briskly along behind his
superiors, but the instant he saw the corpse he
went suddenly pale, and quivered; and dropping
his head stood still. When the official asked him
whether that was the man who was escaping across
the frontier, and at whom he had fired, he was
The Forged Coupon |
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 Amy Foster by Joseph Conrad: the tide turned, the wreck must have shifted a little
and released some of the bodies, because a child
--a little fair-haired child in a red frock--
came ashore abreast of the Martello tower. By
the afternoon you could see along three miles of
beach dark figures with bare legs dashing in
and out of the tumbling foam, and rough-look-
ing men, women with hard faces, children, mostly
fair-haired, were being carried, stiff and dripping,
on stretchers, on wattles, on ladders, in a long
procession past the door of the 'Ship Inn,' to be
Amy Foster |
