| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum: lesson in an instant; if he took a Spelling Pill he at
once knew his spelling lesson, and an Arithmetic Pill
enabled the student to do any kind of sum without
having to think about it.
These useful pills made the college very popular and
taught the boys and girls of Oz their lessons in the
easiest possible way. In spite of this, Professor
Wogglebug was not a favorite outside his college, for
he was very conceited and admired himself so much and
displayed his cleverness and learning so constantly,
that no one cared to associate with him. Ozma found him
 Glinda of Oz |
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle: to find any satisfactory cause of death. My evidence showed that
the door had been fastened upon the inner side, and the windows
were blocked by old-fashioned shutters with broad iron bars,
which were secured every night. The walls were carefully sounded,
and were shown to be quite solid all round, and the flooring was
also thoroughly examined, with the same result. The chimney is
wide, but is barred up by four large staples. It is certain,
therefore, that my sister was quite alone when she met her end.
Besides, there were no marks of any violence upon her."
"How about poison?"
"The doctors examined her for it, but without success."
 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from On Horsemanship by Xenophon: his foot well round, plant himself firmly on his seat.[7]
[1] Reading {otan . . . paradexetai . . . os anabesomenos}. Or,
reading {otan paradexetai ton ippea (sc. o. ippos) ws
anabesomenon}, transl. "the horse has been brought round ready for
mounting."
[2] So Courier, "la muserolle." It might be merely a stitched leather
strap or made of a chain in part, which rattled; as
{khrusokhalinon patagon psalion} (Aristoph. "Peace," 155) implies.
"Curb" would be misleading.
[3] "Near the withers."
[4] Or, "as soon as he has got the springing poise preliminary to
 On Horsemanship |