| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) by Dante Alighieri: v. 120. A Salterello and Cianghella.] The latter a shameless
woman of the family of Tosa, married to Lito degli Alidosi of
Imola: the former Lapo Salterello, a lawyer, with whom Dante was
at variance.
v. 125. Mary.] The Virgin was involved in the pains of
child-birth Purgatory, Canto XX. 21.
v. 130 Valdipado.] Cacciaguida's wife, whose family name was
Aldighieri; came from Ferrara, called Val di Pado, from its being
watered by the Po.
v. 131. Conrad.] The Emperor Conrad III who died in 1152.
See G. Villani, 1. iv. 34.
The Divine Comedy (translated by H.F. Cary) |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from McTeague by Frank Norris: elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands, her eyes wide
and fixed. Old Grannis listened to her attentively.
"There wa'n't a piece that was so much as scratched," Maria
was saying. "Every piece was just like a mirror, smooth and
bright; oh, bright as a little sun. Such a service as that
was--platters and soup tureens and an immense big punch-
bowl. Five thousand dollars, what does that amount to? Why,
that punch-bowl alone was worth a fortune."
"What a wonderful story!" exclaimed Old Grannis, never for
an instant doubting its truth. "And it's all lost now, you
say?"
McTeague |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Off on a Comet by Jules Verne: thoroughly ingrained into his hard nature ever to be eradicated,
and secure in his knowledge that he was under the protection
of a French officer, who, except under the most urgent necessity,
would not permit him to be molested in retaining his property,
he determined to wait for some emergency to arise which should
enable him to use his present situation for his own profit.
On the one hand, the Jew took it into account that although the chances
of returning to the earth might be remote, yet from what he had heard from
the professor he could not believe that they were improbable; on the other,
he knew that a considerable sum of money, in English and Russian coinage,
was in the possession of various members of the little colony, and this,
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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 Twilight Land by Howard Pyle: very proud of his own greatness. "That is not so," said he,
pointing to the words on the wall. "Let them be painted out, and
these words written in their place:
All Things are as Man does."
Now, the chief councillor was a grave old man, and had been
councillor to the young king's father. "Do not be too hasty, my
lord king," said he. "Try first the truth of your own words
before you wipe out those that your father has written."
"Very well," said the young king, "so be it. I will approve the
truth of my words. Bring me hither some beggar from the town whom
Fate has made poor, and I will make him rich. So I will show you
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