| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Lay Morals by Robert Louis Stevenson: will spend my money as I please and for my own intimate
personal gratification, and should count myself a nincompoop
indeed to lay out the colour of a halfpenny on any fancied
social decency or duty. I shall not wear gloves unless my
hands are cold, or unless I am born with a delight in them.
Dress is my own affair, and that of one other in the world;
that, in fact and for an obvious reason, of any woman who
shall chance to be in love with me. I shall lodge where I
have a mind. If I do not ask society to live with me, they
must be silent; and even if I do, they have no further right
but to refuse the invitation! There is a kind of idea abroad
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Charmides by Plato: nature of their subjects. Is not that true?
Quite true.
And medicine is distinguished from other sciences as having the subject-
matter of health and disease?
Yes.
And he who would enquire into the nature of medicine must pursue the
enquiry into health and disease, and not into what is extraneous?
True.
And he who judges rightly will judge of the physician as a physician in
what relates to these?
He will.
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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 The Wrong Box by Stevenson & Osbourne: failed; when it became clear to Harker that he, the blushing
debutant, was actually giving a lesson to this full-grown
flutist--and the flutist under his care was not very brilliantly
progressing--how am I to tell what floods of glory brightened the
autumnal countryside; how, unless the reader were an amateur
himself, describe the heights of idiotic vanity to which the
carrier climbed? One significant fact shall paint the situation:
thenceforth it was Harker who played, and the military gentleman
listened and approved.
As he listened, however, he did not forget the habit of soldierly
precaution, looking both behind and before. He looked behind and
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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 Apology by Plato: thought at the time that I ought not to do anything common or mean when in
danger: nor do I now repent of the style of my defence; I would rather die
having spoken after my manner, than speak in your manner and live. For
neither in war nor yet at law ought I or any man to use every way of
escaping death. Often in battle there can be no doubt that if a man will
throw away his arms, and fall on his knees before his pursuers, he may
escape death; and in other dangers there are other ways of escaping death,
if a man is willing to say and do anything. The difficulty, my friends, is
not to avoid death, but to avoid unrighteousness; for that runs faster than
death. I am old and move slowly, and the slower runner has overtaken me,
and my accusers are keen and quick, and the faster runner, who is
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