| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Mistress Wilding by Rafael Sabatini: to the mansion of the squire. Had Your Grace but given me time, as I
entreated you, and as you promised me, you might have marched to
Whitehall with scarce the shedding of a drop of blood; had Your Grace
but waited until we were ready, England would have so trembled at your
landing that your uncle's throne would have toppled over `neath the
shock. As it is..." He shrugged his shoulders, sighed and spread his
hands, leaving his sentence uncompleted.
Monmouth sat sobered by these sober words; the intoxication that had
come to him from the little measure of success that had attended the
opening of the listing on Church Cliffs, deserted him now; he saw the
thing stark and in its true proportions, and not even the shouting of
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) by Dante Alighieri: Mine eye perceived those creatures beautiful
Had rested from the strewing of the flowers;
And, still but little reassured, mine eyes
Saw Beatrice turned round towards the monster,
That is one person only in two natures.
Beneath her veil, beyond the margent green,
She seemed to me far more her ancient self
To excel, than others here, when she was here.
So pricked me then the thorn of penitence,
That of all other things the one which turned me
Most to its love became the most my foe.
The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Astoria by Washington Irving: nothing wherewith to make a fire, but a scanty growth of sage, or
wormwood, and were fain to wrap themselves up in their blankets,
and huddle themselves in their "nests," at an early hour. In the
course of the evening, Mr. M'Lellan, who had now regained his
strength, killed a buffalo, but it was some distance from the
camp, and they postponed supplying themselves from the carcass
until the following morning.
The next day (October 21st) , the cold continued, accompanied by
snow. They set forward on their bleak and toilsome way, keeping
to the east northeast, towards the lofty summit of a mountain,
which it was necessary for them to cross. Before they reached its
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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 Ball at Sceaux by Honore de Balzac: Maximilien's head the hereditary plumes of the French peer's hat. His
fortune matched his learning and his merits; only the day before his
youthful and fervid eloquence had dazzled the Assembly. At this moment
he stood before the Countess, free, and graced with all the advantages
she had formerly required of her ideal. Every mother with a daughter
to marry made amiable advances to a man gifted with the virtues which
they attributed to him, as they admired his attractive person; but
Emilie knew, better than any one, that the Vicomte de Longueville had
the steadfast nature in which a wise woman sees a guarantee of
happiness. She looked at the admiral who, to use his favorite
expression, seemed likely to hold his course for a long time yet, and
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