| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Lesser Bourgeoisie by Honore de Balzac: illusions, and I envy them. Madame, I have the honor--" added the
mayor, with a respectful bow to Madame Phellion.
And each party took its way.
CHAPTER II
THE PROVENCAL'S PRESENT POSITION
The information acquired by the mayor of the 11th arrondissement was
by no means incorrect. In the Thuillier salon, since the emigration to
the Madeleine quarter, might be seen daily, between the tart Brigitte
and the plaintive Madame Thuillier, the graceful and attractive figure
of a woman who conveyed to this salon an appearance of the most
unexpected elegance. It was quite true that through the good offices
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Astoria by Washington Irving: live hard, lie hard, sleep hard, eat dogs! - in a word they were
ready to do and suffer anything for the good of the enterprise.
With all this profession of zeal and devotion, Mr. Astor was not
overconfident of the stability and firm faith of these mercurial
beings. He had received information, also, that an armed brig
from Halifax, probably at the instigation of the Northwest
Company, was hovering on the coast, watching for the Tonquin,
with the purpose of impressing the Canadians on board of her, as
British subjects, and thus interrupting the voyage. It was a time
of doubt and anxiety, when the relations between the United
States and Great Britain were daily assuming a more precarious
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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 Euthyphro by Plato: opinions; and if you approve of him you ought to approve of me, and not
have me into court; but if you disapprove, you should begin by indicting
him who is my teacher, and who will be the ruin, not of the young, but of
the old; that is to say, of myself whom he instructs, and of his old father
whom he admonishes and chastises. And if Meletus refuses to listen to me,
but will go on, and will not shift the indictment from me to you, I cannot
do better than repeat this challenge in the court.
EUTHYPHRO: Yes, indeed, Socrates; and if he attempts to indict me I am
mistaken if I do not find a flaw in him; the court shall have a great deal
more to say to him than to me.
SOCRATES: And I, my dear friend, knowing this, am desirous of becoming
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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 Apology by Xenophon: dizo e se theon manteusomai e anthropon.
all' eti kai mallon theon elpomai, o Lukoorge.}
Cf. Plut. "Lyc." 5 (Clough, i. 89).
[27] Or, "gave judgment beforehand that I far excelled."
"Still I would not have you accept this even on the faith of the god
too rashly; rather I would have you investigate, point by point, what
the god has said. I ask you, is there any one[28] else, you know of,
less enslaved than myself to the appetites[29] of the body? Can you
name another man of more independent spirit than myself, seeing that I
accept from no one either gifts or pay? Whom have you any right to
believe to be more just[30] than one so suited with what he has, that
The Apology |
