| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by Sir John Mandeville: where the merchants of Venice come often for merchandise. And so
often went Mahomet to this hermit, that all his men were wroth; for
he would gladly hear this hermit preach and make his men wake all
night. And therefore his men thought to put the hermit to death.
And so it befell upon a night, that Mahomet was drunken of good
wine, and he fell on sleep. And his men took Mahomet's sword out
of his sheath, whiles he slept, and therewith they slew this
hermit, and put his sword all bloody in his sheath again. And at
morrow, when he found the hermit dead, he was full sorry and wroth,
and would have done his men to death. But they all, with one
accord, said that he himself had slain him, when he was drunken,
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Edition of The Ambassadors by Henry James: fastidious about the source--the apparent and public source--of his
income?"
Strether was able quite good-humouredly to entertain the
proposition. "The source of his grandfather's wealth--and thereby
of his own share in it--was not particularly noble."
"And what source was it?"
Strether cast about. "Well--practices."
"In business? Infamies? He was an old swindler?"
"Oh," he said with more emphasis than spirit, "I shan't describe
HIM nor narrate his exploits."
"Lord, what abysses! And the late Mr. Newsome then?"
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