| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Euthydemus by Plato: or sell or offer in sacrifice, as you pleased?
I did admit that, Euthydemus, and I have no way of escape.
Well then, said he, if you admit that Zeus and the other gods are yours,
can you sell them or give them away or do what you will with them, as you
would with other animals?
At this I was quite struck dumb, Crito, and lay prostrate. Ctesippus came
to the rescue.
Bravo, Heracles, brave words, said he.
Bravo Heracles, or is Heracles a Bravo? said Dionysodorus.
Poseidon, said Ctesippus, what awful distinctions. I will have no more of
them; the pair are invincible.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley: with a contemptuous smile, and begun some flippant speech about the
progress of intellect, and the triumphs of science, and our
benighted ancestors? They would have done so, doubt it not, if
they belonged to the many who gaze on those very triumphs as on a
raree-show to feed their silly wonder, or use and enjoy them
without thankfulness or understanding, as the ox eats the clover
thrust into his rack, without knowing or caring how it grew. But
if any of them were of the class by whom those very triumphs have
been achieved; the thinkers and the workers, who, instead of
entering lazily into other men's labors, as the mob does, labor
themselves; who know by hard experience the struggles, the self-
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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 Euthydemus by Plato: I escaped making a laughing-stock of ourselves to the strangers.
Why do you say so?
Why, because we have already spoken of good-fortune, and are but repeating
ourselves.
What do you mean?
I mean that there is something ridiculous in again putting forward good-
fortune, which has a place in the list already, and saying the same thing
twice over.
He asked what was the meaning of this, and I replied: Surely wisdom is
good-fortune; even a child may know that.
The simple-minded youth was amazed; and, observing his surprise, I said to
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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 Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: "This cheese is not bad. Shall I give you some?" said the master
of the house. "Why, have you been going in for gymnastics again?"
he asked Levin, pinching his muscle with his left hand. Levin
smiled, bent his arm, and under Stepan Arkadyevitch's fingers the
muscles swelled up like a sound cheese, hard as a knob of iron,
through the fine cloth of the coat.
"What biceps! A perfect Samson!"
"I imagine great strength is needed for hunting bears," observed
Alexey Alexandrovitch, who had the mistiest notions about the
chase. He cut off and spread with cheese a wafer of bread fine as
a spider-web.
Anna Karenina |
