| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Aesop's Fables by Aesop: and put it in his bosom to warm while he hurried home. As soon as
he got indoors he put the Serpent down on the hearth before the
fire. The children watched it and saw it slowly come to life
again. Then one of them stooped down to stroke it, but thc
Serpent raised its head and put out its fangs and was about to
sting the child to death. So the Woodman seized his axe, and with
one stroke cut the Serpent in two. "Ah," said he,
"No gratitude from the wicked."
The Bald Man and the Fly
There was once a Bald Man who sat down after work on a hot
summer's day. A Fly came up and kept buzzing about his bald pate,
Aesop's Fables |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Enemies of Books by William Blades: from the window, as well as the fringe which dropped half-an-inch
from each shelf to keep out the dust, was just like tinder,
and in some parts actually fell to the ground by its own weight;
while the backs of the books upon the top shelves were perished,
and crumbled away when touched, being reduced to the consistency
of Scotch snuff. This was, of course, due to the sulphur in
the gas fumes, which attack russia quickest, while calf and morocco
suffer not quite so much. I remember having a book some years
ago from the top shelf in the library of the London Institution,
where gas is used, and the whole of the back fell off in my hands,
although the volume in other respects seemed quite uninjured.
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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 When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: it all. Of course they were in error, since even if I could have
been so base and selfish, this was no conduct that Yva would have
wished or even suffered. Still that was their thought.
Mastering the situation I reflected a little while and then
spoke straight out to them.
"My friends," I said, "as I see that you have guessed, Yva and
I are affianced to each other and love each other perfectly."
"Yes, Arbuthnot," said Bastin, "we saw that in your face, and
in hers as she bade us good night before she went into the cave,
and we congratulate you and wish you every happiness."
"We wish you every happiness, old fellow," chimed in Bickley.
When the World Shook |
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 Message by Honore de Balzac: medical advisers had put him on a very severe regimen, and the
ferocious hunger familiar to convalescents, sheer animal
appetite, had overpowered all human sensibilities. In that little
space I had seen frank and undisguised human nature under two
very different aspects, in such a sort that there was a certain
grotesque element in the very midst of a most terrible tragedy.
The evening that followed was dreary. I was tired. The canon
racked his brains to discover a reason for his niece's tears. The
lady's husband silently digested his dinner; content, apparently,
with the Countess' rather vague explanation, sent through the
maid, putting forward some feminine ailment as her excuse. We all
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