| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Laches by Plato: fights flying, instead of remaining?
LACHES: How flying?
SOCRATES: Why, as the Scythians are said to fight, flying as well as
pursuing; and as Homer says in praise of the horses of Aeneas, that they
knew 'how to pursue, and fly quickly hither and thither'; and he passes an
encomium on Aeneas himself, as having a knowledge of fear or flight, and
calls him 'an author of fear or flight.'
LACHES: Yes, Socrates, and there Homer is right: for he was speaking of
chariots, as you were speaking of the Scythian cavalry, who have that way
of fighting; but the heavy-armed Greek fights, as I say, remaining in his
rank.
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs: in which we then were, but we clung tenaciously to it. We stumbled
and fell; we sank through pure physical inability to retain our
feet; but always we managed to rise at last and go on. At first,
wherever it had been possible, we had walked hand in hand lest
we become separated, and later, when I saw that Ajor was
weakening rapidly, we went side by side, I supporting her with
an arm about her waist. I still retained the heavy burden of
my armament; but with the rifle slung to my back, my hands
were free. When I too showed indisputable evidences of
exhaustion, Ajor suggested that I lay aside my arms and
ammunition; but I told her that as it would mean certain death
The People That Time Forgot |
