| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Ebb-Tide by Stevenson & Osbourne: and the sea being exceeding high outside, and the reef close to
where the schooner lay, the clamour of the surf hung round her
like the sound of battle.
'Ohe la goelette!' sang out the doctor, with his best voice.
Instantly, from the house where they had been stowing away
stores, first Davis, and then the ragamuffin, swarthy crew made
their appearance.
'Hullo, Hay, that you?' said the captain, leaning on the rail.
'Tell the old man to lay her alongside, as if she was eggs.
There's a hell of a run of sea here, and his boat's brittle.'
The movement of the schooner was at that time more than
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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 Enchanted Island of Yew by L. Frank Baum: For a time Prince Marvel could not think what to do. Such magic was
all unknown to him, and how to free the imprisoned forms of his
friends was a real problem. He walked around the castle, but no one
was in sight, the Rogue having given orders to all his people to keep
away. Only the tethered horses did he see, and these raised their
heads and whinnied as if in sympathy with his perplexity.
Then he went back into the hall and searched all the rooms of the
castle without finding a single person. On his return he stopped in
front of the mirror and sorrowfully regarded the faces of his friends,
who again seemed to plead for relief.
And while he looked a sudden fit of anger came over him at being
The Enchanted Island of Yew |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from The Sportsman by Xenophon: converging points of tracks and footpaths;[14] he must attach the
border-ropes to the ground, draw together the elbows or side ends of
the nets, fix the forked props between the upper meshes,[15] adjust
the skirting ropes upon the tops, and close up gaps.
[9] See Pollux, v. 35.
[10] Al. "of the game to be hunted up."
[11] {omou}, "e propinquo." Schn. cf. "Cyrop." III. i. 2; VI. iii. 7.
[12] Or, "giving the funnel or belly a lift in the middle."
{kekruphalon}, Pollux, v. 31.
[13] This sentence according to Lenz is out of its place, referring
solely to the haye nets; the order of the words should be {ta de
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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 When the Sleeper Wakes by H. G. Wells: ways of the anthill he knew that the revolution
triumphed, that black everywhere carried the day, black
favours, black banners, black festoons across the
streets. And out here, under the fresh sunlight,
beyond the crater of the fight, as if nothing had
happened to the earth, the forest of Wind Vanes that had
grown from one or two while the Council had ruled,
roared peacefully upon their incessant duty.
Far away, spiked, jagged and indented by the wind
vanes, the Surrey Hills rose blue and faint; to the
north and nearer, the sharp contours of Highgate and
When the Sleeper Wakes |
