Our torments also may in length of time

Become our elements.

John Milton (1608-1674): Paradise Lost. Book ii. Line 274.

She walks the waters like a thing of life,

And seems to dare the elements to strife.

Lord Byron 1788-1824: The Corsair. Canto i. Stanza 3.

I tax not you, you elements, with unkindness.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): King Lear. Act iii. Sc. 2.

Large elements in order brought,

And tracts of calm from tempest made,

And world-wide fluctuation sway'd,

In vassal tides that follow'd thought.

Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892): In Memoriam. cxii. Stanza 4.

His life was gentle, and the elements

So mix'd in him, that Nature might stand up

And say to all the world, "This was a man!"

William Shakespeare (1564-1616): Julius Caesar. Act v. Sc. 5.

I'm weary of conjectures,—this must end 'em.

Thus am I doubly armed: my death and life,

My bane and antidote, are both before me:

This in a moment brings me to an end;

But this informs me I shall never die.

The soul, secured in her existence, smiles

At the drawn dagger, and defies its point.

The stars shall fade away, the sun himself

Grow dim with age, and Nature sink in years;

But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth,

Unhurt amidst the war of elements,

The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719): Cato. Act v. Sc. 1.