| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift: rising about five inches higher than the handkerchief, served as
ledges on each side. When I had finished my work, I desired the
emperor to let a troop of his best horses twenty-four in number,
come and exercise upon this plain. His majesty approved of the
proposal, and I took them up, one by one, in my hands, ready
mounted and armed, with the proper officers to exercise them. As
soon as they got into order they divided into two parties,
performed mock skirmishes, discharged blunt arrows, drew their
swords, fled and pursued, attacked and retired, and in short
discovered the best military discipline I ever beheld. The
parallel sticks secured them and their horses from falling over
Gulliver's Travels |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson: Englishman was either a very honest fellow, or else extremely
thirsty, and at last contrived to advertise me of his new position.
Now, the English sentry in Castile, and the wounded hero in the
Durham public-house, were one and the same person; and if he had
been a little less drunk, or myself less lively in getting away,
the travels of M. St. Ives might have come to an untimely end.
I suppose this woke me up; it stirred in me besides a spirit of
opposition, and in spite of cold, darkness, the highwaymen and the
footpads, I determined to walk right on till breakfast-time: a
happy resolution, which enabled me to observe one of those traits
of manners which at once depict a country and condemn it. It was
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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 Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas: used to be, `Good Lord, do me the favor to cause me to
digest what I have eaten.'"
"Nevertheless he died of indigestion, in spite of his
grace," said D'Artagnan.
"What can you expect?" replied Aramis, in a tone of
resignation. "Every man that's born must fulfil his
destiny."
"If it be not an indelicate question," resumed D'Artagnan,
"have you grown rich?"
"Oh, Heaven! no. I make about twelve thousand francs a year,
without counting a little benefice of a thousand crowns the
Twenty Years After |
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 Polity of Athenians and Lacedaemonians by Xenophon: aspect.
[6] See Plut. "Lycurg." 22 (Clough, i. 114).
So furnished and accoutred, he divided his citizen soldiers into six
morai[7] (or regimental divisions) of cavalry[8] and heavy infantry.
Each of these citizen regiments (political divisions) has one
polemarch[9] (or colonel), four lochagoi (or captains of companies),
eight penteconters (or lieutenants, each in command of half a
company), and sixteen enomotarchs (or commanders of sections). At the
word of command any such regimental division can be formed readily
either into enomoties (i.e. single file) or into threes (i.e. three
files abreast), or into sixes (i.e. six files abreast).[10]
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