The Legend Goes On
How We Could All Write a Book About Anything
Whether we knew anything about it or not.
From a book about:
Eleanor of Aquitaine,
Or,
How We could all write a book about anything. [maybe, perhaps, if, one might conjecture?.]
Introduction
The following phrases or words are gathered at random from page one through page fifty six where I finally saw no further reason to read. If one is interested, one may read or not read my excerpts for some time and stop when ones own patience runs thin as mine did on page 56. There are a further one hundred and sixty one pages of conjecture. And now, on to the meat of the book. Brace yourselves for "truths that burn like fire".
If only
so much information is now past recovery
there is far more that only Eleanor herself could tell
would Eleanor really have been
the question is unanswerable
one can imagine
she may even at an early age
end of p. 1
what they may suggest
having attempted to sift fact from fiction
truth was in any case infinitely malleable
is it possible
the matter is certainly worth considering
for it is not inconceivable [now there's a truth]
end of page 2
Chapter 1
there is no certainty as to the date
it is most commonly thought
doubtless
she may even have
end of p. 3
it has been claimed
end of p. 4
We can imagine
it seems
end of p. 7
It seems
it is more than likely
end of p. 8
it does appear
it is likely too
end of p. 10
We can imagine her [apparantly so]
end of p. 11
No doubt as
end of p. 12
Eleanor must have sensed that
end of p. 13
Chapter 2
One can imagine
was likely
does at least appear
is it pure coincidence
if
was he also
would she have thought
or might she have
we have no record of
it would be surprising if
but we're left to guess
end of p. 15
It would be surprising if
how far Eleanor participated... is impossible to say but there is reason to suppose that
she would have
end of p. 16
one is tempted... to ascribe to her
probably
it is... suggestive
it has been suggested
end of p. 17
The parallels... are striking. Do they amount to pure coincidence ?
Or?
it is even possible
what ever the truth
end of p. 19
he could not have shrugged off
Eleanor's involvement... is largely a matter of speculation.
She has been suspected of
it is however impossible to say
end of p. 20
It seems
end of p. 21
Why should Eleanor have accompanied him.... Some chroniclers suggest
and anyway
so it may not have been
although they may have
it could of course be said
perhaps
in all likelihood
if some
end of p. 22
An intriguing, but unprovable, possibility is
end of p. 23
Could not have failed to impress her
there was room for graver suspicions
some were to hint
end of p. 24
One can imagine
that seems to have
no doubt
we can only guess
end of p. 25
Of Eleanor?s activities... we know nothing
one must assume
there would still have been much
there was no reason for
it is tempting to
it might have
end of p. 26
the work was probably
perhaps
it is a reasonable assumption
one imagines
end of p. 27
Could hardly have failed to
would Eleanor herself have kept a straight face [can anyone?]
she it seems
who was no doubt
perhaps
if
end of p. 28
If she knew
was later to claim
on the other hand
he may have had
one should be wary of imagining
end of p. 30
others think
whenever the truth
we cannot know
so whether
end of p. 31
his new bride would certainly have
one wonders if
she might have
end of p. 32
A rich subject for speculation
might be thought
we do not know exactly how
it is likely to
one proof of
it has been suggested
Matilda doubtless
we may be sure that
end of p. 34
Probably
she was more likely to have
perhaps
end p. 37
But although there is nothing inherently improbable in this it cannot be proved
end of p. 38
he must have
a curious indirect indication
end of p. 39
Eleanor would no doubt have
a particular attraction would have been
would she have wondered
perhaps
Eleanor may have
presumably Eleanor's father
was probably told
seems to be
there is some doubt as to
but it is commonly believed that
which is most likely to
it is also problematic
end of p. 40
Smoke without fire?
Historical inaccuracies warn us
on the other hand
would not have been
however may never have
end p. 41
So on the likely assumption that
we can be sure
end of p. 42
one imagines her
but she may have felt
not that she would have been
if she appears to have
if we can believe
though he speaks in general terms it is easy to visualize
so she is unlikely to have
probably quite the reverse
in any case
end of p. 43
We can only guess at
probably
perhaps
even if reports... are to be discounted
end p. 44
one can imagine the
was it then with some regret that
he seems to have been
perhaps this is why
how often in the Queens company we cannot say
probably at Easter
end of p. 46
Eleanor remain tactfully in England... nursing her own thoughts [And I?m astonished we are not told what those thoughts were]
it is likely
and been no doubt privy to
but it is unlikely
end p. 47
the exceptional severity of that winter would have done nothing to raise her spirits.
Information... during this period is sparse [apparently]
one senses
one might think
it is possible that
presumably at
end of p. 48
It is not difficult to grasp... but it is impossible to know...
one may legitimately wonder how
was left to imagine
surely she must
if so might the result not have been
it would not be surprising if
end of p. 49
Eleanor's part in it, if any, is largely a matter of guesswork [Its hard not to have favorites but this is good]
she may not have felt
one detects
if we could observe
did she connive with
or did she secretly
end of p. 51 to
Becket may have been to some extent
whenever her private feelings
did this perhaps
it may not be too fanciful to think of
but we can never know
end of p. 52
We know little of Eleanor's activities [either before or after reading all this]
it is likely that
the King would hardly have
and if one wonders where
must have been
end p. 53
It must of been
there she would have
unlikely as the rumor is
end of p. 54
May have had brief meetings
in order perhaps to
are largely conjecturural, but there is some evidence
logic would seem to demand
why then
could this be
the explanation, if we could know it, might not be so
end of p. 55
One could invent a scenario
a more dramatically appealing if equally speculative theory has been advanced. It assumes that....
end of p. 56 [and end of my patience]