| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Phaedo by Plato: Now there is a danger in the contemplation of the nature of things, as
there is a danger in looking at the sun during an eclipse, unless the
precaution is taken of looking only at the image reflected in the water, or
in a glass. (Compare Laws; Republic.) 'I was afraid,' says Socrates,
'that I might injure the eye of the soul. I thought that I had better
return to the old and safe method of ideas. Though I do not mean to say
that he who contemplates existence through the medium of ideas sees only
through a glass darkly, any more than he who contemplates actual effects.'
If the existence of ideas is granted to him, Socrates is of opinion that he
will then have no difficulty in proving the immortality of the soul. He
will only ask for a further admission:--that beauty is the cause of 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 Massimilla Doni by Honore de Balzac: "And I am a prince!"
As he spoke the words, Emilio Memmi tossed Marco Vendramin's letter
into the lagoon without even reading it to the end, and it floated
away like a paper boat launched by a child.
"But Emilio," he went on to himself, "is but three and twenty. He is a
better man than Lord Wellington with the gout, than the paralyzed
Regent, than the epileptic royal family of Austria, than the King of
France----"
But as he thought of the King of France Emilio's brow was knit, his
ivory skin burned yellower, tears gathered in his black eyes and hung
to his long lashes; he raised a hand worthy to be painted by Titian to
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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 Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum: dignity, "it seems to me fitting that a handsome king should be
handsomely attired, and an ugly one clothed simply. For years I have
been so terrible in feature that I dared not even look at my own image
in a mirror. But now, thanks to the gracious magic of my guest, I
have become like other men, and hereafter you will find my rule as
kind as it was formerly cruel. To-night, in honor of this joyous
occasion, we shall feast and make merry, and it is my royal command
that you all do honor and reverence to the illustrious Prince Marvel!"
A loud shout of approval greeted this speech, and the evening was
merry indeed. Terribus joined freely in the revelry, laughing as
gaily as the lightest-hearted damsel present.
The Enchanted Island of Yew |
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 A Legend of Montrose by Walter Scott: difficulty. But at this period, and for long afterwards, there
was no road or path whatsoever; and to add to the difficulty, the
mountains were already covered with snow. It was a sublime scene
to look up to them, piled in great masses, one upon another, the
front rank of dazzling whiteness, while those which arose behind
them caught a rosy tint from the setting of a clear wintry sun.
Ben Cruachan, superior in magnitude, and seeming the very citadel
of the Genius of the Region, rose high above the others, showing
his glimmering and scathed peak to the distance of many miles.
The followers of Montrose were men not to be daunted by the
sublime, yet terrible prospect before them. Many of them were of
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