| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Plutarch's Lives by A. H. Clough: Hannibal or Pyrrhus or the Cimbri that we fight; Romans combat
here against Romans, and, whether we conquer or are defeated,
our country suffers and we commit a crime: victory, to whichever
it fall, is gained at her expense. Believe it many times over,
I can die with more honor than I can reign. For I cannot see at
all, how I should do any such great good to my country by
gaining the victory, as I shall by dying to establish peace and
unanimity and to save Italy from such another unhappy day."
As soon as he had done, he was resolute against all manner of
argument or persuasion, and taking leave of his friends and the
senators that were present, he bade them depart, and wrote to
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Desert Gold by Zane Grey: cowboy guide. At the end of a half hour this marked deliberation
changed, and the horses followed Ladd's at a gait that put Gale to
his best walking-paces.
Meanwhile the moon soared high above the black corrugated peaks.
The gray, the gloom, the shadow whitened. The clearing of the dark
foreground appeared to lift a distant veil and show endless aisles of
desert reaching down between dim horizon-bounding ranges.
Gale gazed abroad, knowing that as this night was the first time
for him to awake to consciousness of a vague, wonderful other
self, so it was one wherein he began to be aware of an encroaching
presence of physical things--the immensity of the star-studded sky,
Desert Gold |
| 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: that delights in being ridden, a splendid and showy animal, the joy of
all beholders.
[1] Al. "the animals are so scared that, the chances are, they are
thrown into disorder."
[2] {gorgoumenos}, with pride and spirit, but with a suggestion of
"fierceness and rage," as of Job's war-horse.
[3] "Mollia crura reponit," Virg. "Georg." iii. 76; Hom. "Hymn. ad
Merc."
How these desirable results are, in our opinion, to be produced, we
will now endeavour to explain. In the first place, then, you ought to
have at least two bits. One of these should be smooth, with discs of a
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 A Sentimental Journey by Laurence Sterne: her, had done me the honour to take me in her coach about two
leagues out of town. - Of all women, Madame de Rambouliet is the
most correct; and I never wish to see one of more virtues and
purity of heart. - In our return back, Madame de Rambouliet desired
me to pull the cord. - I asked her if she wanted anything - RIEN
QUE POUR PISSER, said Madame de Rambouliet.
Grieve not, gentle traveller, to let Madame de Rambouliet p-ss on.
- And, ye fair mystic nymphs! go each one PLUCK YOUR ROSE, and
scatter them in your path, - for Madame de Rambouliet did no more.
- I handed Madame de Rambouliet out of the coach; and had I been
the priest of the chaste Castalia, I could not have served at her
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