| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Lamentable Tragedy of Locrine and Mucedorus by William Shakespeare: What, plain Mouse?
MOUSE.
Aye, plain mouse with out either welt or guard. But
do you hear, sir, I am but a very young mouse, for my
tail is scarce grown out yet; look you here else.
SEGASTO.
But, I pray thee, who gave thee that name?
MOUSE.
Faith, sir, I know not that, but if you would fain know,
ask my father's great horse, for he hath been half a year
longer with my father than I have.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Kenilworth by Walter Scott: philosophical charlatanry."
"My son Varney," said the alchemist, "the unbelief, gathered
around thee like a frost-fog, hath dimmed thine acute perception
to that which is a stumbling-block to the wise, and which yet, to
him who seeketh knowledge with humility, extends a lesson so
clear that he who runs may read. Hath not Art, thinkest thou,
the means of completing Nature's imperfect concoctions in her
attempts to form the precious metals, even as by art we can
perfect those other operations of incubation, distillation,
fermentation, and similar processes of an ordinary description,
by which we extract life itself out of a senseless egg, summon
Kenilworth |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: "Ho, Falworth!" he cried. "Wilt thou hold truce whiles we parley
with ye?"
"Aye," answered Myles.
"Wilt thou give me thine honor that ye will hold your hands from
harming us whiles we talk together?"
"Yea," said Myles, "I will pledge thee mine honor."
"I accept thy pledge. See! here we throw aside our stones and lay
down our knives. Lay ye by your clubs, and meet us in parley at
the horse- block yonder."
"So be it," said Myles, and thereupon, standing his cudgel in the
angle of the wall, he stepped boldly out into the open
Men of Iron |
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 Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott: wonderingly at her with their soft, bright eyes, and still sang on;
the flowers nodded wisely on their stems, but did not speak,
while butterfly and bee buzzed and fluttered away, one far too busy,
the other too idle, to stay and tell her what she asked.
Then she went through broad fields of yellow grain, that waved
around her like a golden forest; here crickets chirped, grasshoppers
leaped, and busy ants worked, but they could not tell her what
she longed to know.
"Now will I go among the hills," said Annie, "she may be there."
So up and down the green hill-sides went her little feet; long she
searched and vainly she called; but still no Fairy came. Then
Flower Fables |
