| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson: the family. Their kindness had continued till the end. It appears
they were privy to his flight, the camlet cloak had been lined
expressly for him, and he was the bearer of a letter from the
daughter of the house to his own daughter in Paris. The last
evening, when the time came to say good-night, it was tacitly known
to all that they were to look upon his face no more. He rose,
pleading fatigue, and turned to the daughter, who had been his
chief ally: 'You will permit me, my dear - to an old and very
unhappy soldier - and may God bless you for your goodness!' The
girl threw her arms about his neck and sobbed upon his bosom; the
lady of the house burst into tears; 'ET JE VOUS LE JURE, LE PERE SE
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon: by which they enter: thinking belike, that they
have the first sure, and now are ready for a new
purchase. The traitor in faction, lightly goeth
away with it; for when matters have stuck long in
balancing, the winning of some one man casteth
them, and he getteth all the thanks. The even car-
riage between two factions, proceedeth not always
of moderation, but of a trueness to a man's self,
with end to make use of both. Certainly in Italy,
they hold it a little suspect in popes, when they
have often in their mouth Padre commune: and
Essays of Francis Bacon |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Stories From the Old Attic by Robert Harris: 1. Outside Chance; 2. Also Ran; 3. Dotty's Trotter; 4. Sure Win; 5.
High Risk; 6. Looking Good; 7. King Alphonso.
While the girl burst into unrestrained sobbing, the boy, feeling the
full difficulty of the conflict between youth and manhood, choked
his tears back, and knowing his father to be a philosophical type,
tried to see the metaphorical application of this event. "This race
is an allegory, isn't it, Father?" he asked, "where we learn that to
succeed we must avoid what appears to be a 'Sure Win' and apply
ourselves instead to the 'Outside Chance.'"
"No, my boy," the man answered. "The lesson is that we should not
pay attention to names and appearances, but that we should penetrate
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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 The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: without any accident, and alighted at the tavern of Great St.
Martin, the same at which they had stopped on their first
journey.
The host, on seeing a young man followed by a lackey with two
extra horses, advanced respectfully to the door. Now, as they
had already traveled eleven leagues, D'Artagnan thought it time
to stop, whether Porthos were or were not in the inn. Perhaps it
would not be prudent to ask at once what had become of the
Musketeer. The result of these reflections was that D'Artagnan,
without asking information of any kind, alighted, commended the
horses to the care of his lackey, entered a small room destined
The Three Musketeers |
