Today's Stichomancy for Steve Martin
| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift: For first, as I have already observed, it would greatly lessen
the number of Papists, with whom we are yearly over-run, being
the principal breeders of the nation, as well as our most
dangerous enemies, and who stay at home on purpose with a design
to deliver the kingdom to the Pretender, hoping to take their
advantage by the absence of so many good Protestants, who have
chosen rather to leave their country, than stay at home and pay
tithes against their conscience to an episcopal curate.
Secondly, The poorer tenants will have something valuable of
their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and
help to pay their landlord's rent, their corn and cattle being
A Modest Proposal |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from My Aunt Margaret's Mirror by Walter Scott: It was about to be celebrated in the principal church of the
city, when it was interrupted by a singular occurrence.
Captain Falconer having been detached to Rotterdam to bring up a
part of the brigade of Scottish auxiliaries, who were in quarters
there, a person of consideration in the town, to whom he had been
formerly known, proposed to him for amusement to go to the high
church to see a countryman of his own married to the daughter of
a wealthy burgomaster. Captain Falconer went accordingly,
accompanied by his Dutch acquaintance, with a party of his
friends, and two or three officers of the Scotch brigade. His
astonishment may be conceived when he saw his own brother-in-law,
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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 Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: in their skullcaps, and who think themselves above us, and who come
for the purpose of humiliating us, and to bring us `clothes,'
as they say! old duds that are not worth four sous! And bread!
That's not what I want, pack of rascals that they are, it's money!
Ah! money! Never! Because they say that we would go off and
drink it up, and that we are drunkards and idlers! And they!
What are they, then, and what have they been in their time! Thieves!
They never could have become rich otherwise! Oh! Society ought to
be grasped by the four corners of the cloth and tossed into the air,
all of it! It would all be smashed, very likely, but at least,
no one would have anything, and there would be that much gained!
Les Miserables |
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 Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne: CERTES, replied he, you'll be sent to the Bastile or the Chatelet
AU MOINS. - Poo! said I, the King of France is a good natur'd soul:
- he'll hurt nobody. - CELA N'EMPECHE PAS, said he - you will
certainly be sent to the Bastile to-morrow morning. - But I've
taken your lodgings for a month, answer'd I, and I'll not quit them
a day before the time for all the kings of France in the world. La
Fleur whispered in my ear, That nobody could oppose the king of
France.
PARDI! said my host, CES MESSIEURS ANGLOIS SONT DES GENS TRES
EXTRAORDINAIRES; - and, having both said and sworn it, - he went
out.
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