| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Historical Lecturers and Essays by Charles Kingsley: science of History is more perfectly understood.
For instance, Cyrus could not have conquered the Median Empire at a
single blow, if first that empire had not been utterly rotten; and
next, if he and his handful of Persians had not been tempered and
sharpened, by long hardihood, to the finest cutting edge.
Yes, there were all the materials for the catastrophe--the cannon,
the powder, the shot. But to say that the Persians must have
conquered the Medes, even if Cyrus had never lived, is to say, as
too many philosophers seem to me to say, that, given cannon, powder,
and shot, it will fire itself off some day if we only leave it alone
long enough.
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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 Sportsman by Xenophon: they have found the right scent, with coaxing and encouragement. As
soon as the line of scent is clear,[36] off go the dogs, throwing
themselves on to it, springing from side to side, swarming together,
conjecturing, and giving signs to one another, and taking bearings[37]
they will not mistake--helter-skelter off they go in pursuit. Once
they dart off along the line of scent thus hotly, the huntsman should
keep up but without hurrying, or out of zeal they will overshoot the
line. As soon as they are once more in close neighbourhood of the
hare, and once again have given their master clear indications of the
fact, then let him give what heed he can, she does not move off
farther in sheer terror of the hounds.
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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 Salammbo by Gustave Flaubert: Hamilcar was delighting himself with the spectacle of his vengeance,
but suddenly he started.
He saw, and all saw, some more Barbarians six hundred paces to the
left on the summit of a peak! In fact four hundred of the stoutest
Mercenaries, Etruscans, Libyans, and Spartans had gained the heights
at the beginning, and had remained there in uncertainty until now.
After the massacre of their companions they resolved to make their way
through the Carthaginians; they were already descending in serried
columns, in a marvellous and formidable fashion.
A herald was immediately despatched to them. The Suffet needed
soldiers; he received them unconditionally, so greatly did he admire
Salammbo |
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 Apology by Plato: using my name by way of illustration, as if he said, He, O men, is the
wisest, who, like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth
nothing. And so I go about the world, obedient to the god, and search and
make enquiry into the wisdom of any one, whether citizen or stranger, who
appears to be wise; and if he is not wise, then in vindication of the
oracle I show him that he is not wise; and my occupation quite absorbs me,
and I have no time to give either to any public matter of interest or to
any concern of my own, but I am in utter poverty by reason of my devotion
to the god.
There is another thing:--young men of the richer classes, who have not much
to do, come about me of their own accord; they like to hear the pretenders
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