| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Ham. Make you a wholsome answere: my wits diseas'd.
But sir, such answers as I can make, you shal command:
or rather you say, my Mother: therfore no more
but to the matter. My Mother you say
Rosin. Then thus she sayes: your behauior hath stroke
her into amazement, and admiration
Ham. Oh wonderfull Sonne, that can so astonish a
Mother. But is there no sequell at the heeles of this Mothers
admiration?
Rosin. She desires to speake with you in her Closset,
ere you go to bed
Hamlet |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from New Arabian Nights by Robert Louis Stevenson: engaged upon a work of private justice. Bound by an unhappy oath,
too lightly sworn, he finds it necessary, without the help of law,
to rid the earth of an insidious and bloody villain. Already two
of our friends, and one of them my own born brother, have perished
in the enterprise. He himself, or I am much deceived, is taken in
the same fatal toils. But at least he still lives and still hopes,
as this billet sufficiently proves."
And the speaker, no other than Colonel Geraldine, proffered a
letter, thus conceived:-
"Major Hammersmith, - On Wednesday, at 3 A.M., you will be admitted
by the small door to the gardens of Rochester House, Regent's Park,
|
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Four Arthurian Romances by Chretien DeTroyes: take. Thus, the emperor hears his men giving him advice and
counselling him to take a wife; and daily they so exhort and urge
him that by their very insistence they persuade him to break his
oath, and to accede to their desire. But he insists that she who
is to be mistress of Constantinople must be gentle, fair, wise,
rich, and noble. Then his counsellors say that they wish to
prepare to go away to the German land, and seek the daughter of
the emperor. She is the choice they propose to him; for the
emperor of Germany is very rich and powerful, and his daughter is
so charming that never was there a maid of her beauty in
Christendom. The emperor grants them full authority, and they
|
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 The Underground City by Jules Verne: I must and will know who he is and whence he comes."
"For the sake of the new works did you say?" asked Jack,
considerably surprised.
"I said so, Jack," returned Harry. "I may be mistaken,
but, to me, all that has happened proves the existence
of an interest in this mine in strong opposition to ours.
Many a time have I considered the matter; I feel almost sure of it.
Just consider the whole series of inexplicable circumstances,
so singularly linked together. To begin with, the anonymous letter,
contradictory to that of my father, at once proves that some
man had become aware of our projects, and wished to prevent
|
