“She was so afflicted that her father and others thought she was going to die, and they ’caused the passing bell to be tolled for her'”(p.57)

I think it is curious how Anne almost died, but her father still decided to go on with the con. He seems overly into their act, and I don’t see why people continue to go on with it, including himself. He wanted to go through all of this to get back at the Gregory family. I wish we could know what happened at the football game. It appears that the father didn’t lose any family members in that fight, but the Gregory family did. He is upset because the Gregory family tried to have him punished for what he did. I feel that the dad is causing too many problems in this town. I think it is problematic that people go along with and support his activity. People need to watch what they are being lead into doing.

One part of the story of Elizabeth I was how she used different royal titles in different situations. She seems to have often used the title of King or Prince whenever she wanted to stress her professionalism and her authority, and to have used the titles of Queen and Princess in more casual or affectionately themed settings. She appears to have also used the title of Prince to separate herself from her cousin Mary, who was also a princess; this is discussed in the chapter of “Elizabeth as King and Queen”. I think her use of the masculine titles shows not only the part of her that, as heir to the throne, was willing to conform to the traditional role of a monarch, but also the more daring womanly side of her. I do  not know whether other queens in the past had ever called themselves by the male titles or not, but the emphasis based on how Elizabeth used titles in this book leads me to believe the other ruling women refrained from such actions. Elizabeth appears to have been a clever and daring ruler, and those two traits seem to have helped her appear to the subjects she ruled over in a more appealing way than either of the previous two queens of England.

“And I began to write out a list of all the churches which are in the gift of the abbot, both on our manors and on his, and the right values of the same, according as they might be placed at firm at a time when the price of corn was moderate. And when the beginning of the next year came, I gave to the abbot that schedule as my gift to him, and he received it with great pleasure.” (HOW THE AUTHOR MADE A LIST OF THE ABBOT’S CHURCHES AS A GIFT TO THE ABBOT, AND THE NAMES OF THOSE CHURCHES) 

This quote demonstrates the relationship of Jocelyn and Samson. He has created a list of everything the abbot owns and gave it to him as a present. He liked the abbot enough to make this text about him. I believe that the level of affection that Jocelyn has for the abbot, displayed by this action, is reason for the reader to wonder if any stories have been left out due to the authors fear that they may be too distasteful. Jocelyn knows a lot about the life of the abbot, and I think it could be possible that he has tailored his story. Jocelyn created a diary-like chronicle of the time that Abbot Samson spent in charge of a monastery, and there are many stories of daily events and disagreements, I feel that there wasn’t a lot that made the abbot seem antagonistic. When looking at the character of Samson, I feel that the author should be taken into consideration because of this quote and the message I find in it.

“Even thou, it is not easy for thee. Thou art perplexed in thy counting, my little Cuchulain,” quoth Laeg. “Not perplexed,” answered Cuchulain; “it is easier for me than for thee. For I have three magical virtues: Gift of sight, gift of understanding, and gift of reckoning. For I know the number wherewith the hosts went past us, namely, eighteen cantreds. Nay more: the eighteenth cantred has been distributed among the entire host of the men of Erin, so that their number is not clear, namely, that of the cantred of Leinstermen.” This here is the third cunningest and most difficult reckoning that ever was made in Erin.

This excerpt from the Táin is just one of the many scenes throughout the story where we see the use of Cuchulain’s exceptional wits. Even though Cuchulain displays many admirable traits consecutively through this tale, he is most often recognized for his strength, yet he is much more than a fighter. In this scene, Cuchulain not only flaunts his ability to reason, but he describes his ability in a particular way. In the beginning of his dialogue here, he explains he has “magical virtues.” Although this quote could either be taken literally or figuratively, when I read it, I interpreted it figuratively, however, supernatural abilities are not uncommon in epic tales so perhaps it was meant to be interpreted as the former. Continuing, he says because of these gifts, he knows eighteen cantreds have passed them from simply looking at the tracks left by the carts and people of the passing parties. The tracks in the dirt probably sat on top of each other, so the task of answering this question seems impossible, but Cuchulain appears to have solved it. I would like to know whether he solved it through an advanced set of reasoning skills and equations or whether he used magic.