| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Herodias by Gustave Flaubert: gods. These hyperboles were expressed in Latin, and Vitellius accepted
them impassively.
He replied that the great Herod was the honour and glory of the
nation; that the Athenians had chosen him to direct the Olympian
games; that he had built temples in the honour of Augustus; had been
patient, ingenious, terrible; and was faithful to all the Caesars.
Between the two marble columns, with bronze capitals, Herodias could
now be seen advancing with the air of an empress, in the midst of a
group of women and eunuchs carrying perfumed torches set in sockets of
silver-gilt.
The proconsul advanced three steps to meet her. She saluted him with
Herodias |
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 Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum: fetch Dorothy, and she dressed her in one of the prettiest gowns,
made of green brocaded satin. Dorothy put on a green silk apron
and tied a green ribbon around Toto's neck, and they started
for the Throne Room of the Great Oz.
First they came to a great hall in which were many ladies and
gentlemen of the court, all dressed in rich costumes. These
people had nothing to do but talk to each other, but they always
came to wait outside the Throne Room every morning, although they
were never permitted to see Oz. As Dorothy entered they looked at
her curiously, and one of them whispered:
"Are you really going to look upon the face of Oz the Terrible?"
The Wizard of Oz |
