| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle: dozed off into a loose sleep, that was more like waking than
sleep, being possessed continually by the most vivid and
distasteful dreams, from which he would awaken only to doze off
and to dream again.
It was from the midst of one of these extravagant dreams that he
was suddenly aroused by the noise of a pistol shot, and then the
noise of another and another, and then a great bump and a
grinding jar, and then the sound of many footsteps running across
the deck and down into the great cabin. Then came a tremendous
uproar of voices in the great cabin, the struggling as of men's
bodies being tossed about, striking violently against the
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates |
The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from Men of Iron by Howard Pyle: such positions as body-squires, cup-bearers, carvers, and
sometimes the office of chamberlain. But Devlen, like some other
of the princely castles of the greatest nobles, was more like a
military post or a fortress than an ordinary household. Only
comparatively few of the esquires could be used in personal
attendance upon the Earl; the others were trained more strictly
in arms, and served rather in the capacity of a sort of
body-guard than as ordinary squires. For, as the Earl rose in
power and influence, and as it so became well worth while for the
lower nobility and gentry to enter their sons in his family, the
body of squires became almost cumbersomely large. Accordingly,
Men of Iron |
| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: little holes, about as big as I might put my arm out at. In the
inside of this I thickened my wall to about ten feet thick with
continually bringing earth out of my cave, and laying it at the
foot of the wall, and walking upon it; and through the seven holes
I contrived to plant the muskets, of which I took notice that I had
got seven on shore out of the ship; these I planted like my cannon,
and fitted them into frames, that held them like a carriage, so
that I could fire all the seven guns in two minutes' time; this
wall I was many a weary month in finishing, and yet never thought
myself safe till it was done.
When this was done I stuck all the ground without my wall, for a
Robinson Crusoe |
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 Silverado Squatters by Robert Louis Stevenson: hopeful miners have thus flowed and ebbed about the mountain,
coming and going, now by lone prospectors, now with a rush.
Last, in order of time came Silverado, reared the big mill,
in the valley, founded the town which is now represented,
monumentally, by Hanson's, pierced all these slaps and shafts
and tunnels, and in turn declined and died away.
"Our noisy years seem moments in the wake
Of the eternal silence."
As to the success of Silverado in its time of being, two
reports were current. According to the first, six hundred
thousand dollars were taken out of that great upright seam,
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