| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from At the Sign of the Cat & Racket by Honore de Balzac: personage had an eye to the till of the Cat and Racket. After quietly
observing the mute duel which was going on between his master and the
stranger, the eldest of the apprentices, having seen that the young
man was stealthily watching the windows of the third floor, ventured
to place himself on the stone flag where Monsieur Guillaume was
standing. He took two steps out into the street, raised his head, and
fancied that he caught sight of Mademoiselle Augustine Guillaume in
hasty retreat. The draper, annoyed by his assistant's perspicacity,
shot a side glance at him; but the draper and his amorous apprentice
were suddenly relieved from the fears which the young man's presence
had excited in their minds. He hailed a hackney cab on its way to a
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Elixir of Life by Honore de Balzac: away, and was only steered in a course of his own choosing. The
more he saw, the more he doubted. He watched men narrowly, and
saw how, beneath the surface, courage was often rashness; and
prudence, cowardice; generosity, a clever piece of calculation;
justice, a wrong; delicacy, pusillanimity; honesty, a modus
vivendi; and by some strange dispensation of fate, he must see
that those who at heart were really honest, scrupulous, just,
generous, prudent, or brave were held cheaply by their fellow-
men.
"What a cold-blooded jest!" said he to himself. "It was not
devised by a God."
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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 On Horsemanship by Xenophon: portion of the body which if large is partly a disfigurement and
partly tends to make the horse less strong and capable of carrying
weight.[26]
[26] Al. "more feeble at once and ponderous in his gait."
The quarters should be broad and fleshy in correspondence with the
sides and chest, and if they are also firm and solid throughout they
will be all the lighter for the racecourse, and will render the horse
in every way more fleet.
To come to the thighs (and buttocks):[27] if the horse have these
separated by a broad line of demarcation[28] he will be able to plant
his hind-legs under him with a good gap between;[29] and in so doing
On Horsemanship |
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 Love Songs by Sara Teasdale: Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.
Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like a curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.
Spend all you have for loveliness,
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