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Augustine doubts the Manichees after meeting Faustus, a charming speaker and modest man, but unable to answer Augustine’s questions. He goes to Rome to teach against his mother’s wishes, and ponders on God (good) and evil as two antagonistic masses of greater and lesser infinity. Then he teaches in Milan where Ambrose the bishop and other learned catholics interpret the Old Testament figuratively and spiritually

Black Ajah revealed in the Tower. Elayne plans to build an army of Queen’s Guards, and she is reborn as Aviendha’s first sister. 50 Aes sedai are bonded prisoners to the Ashaman, and Logain sleeps with a brown sister. He has his own faction that rivals Taim’s in the Black Tower. The “steamwagon,” electricity, and other wonders are being made at the Academy. Rand plans to cleanse Saidin and kill traitors.

End of Part 1
"I take an easier and, I think, the wisest course, which is to revile women's fickleness, their inconstancy, their double dealing, their worthless promises, their broken faith, and, in short, their lack of judgement in bestowing their affections. And this is the explanation, gentlemen, of the way in which I spoke to this goat earlier: since she's a female I don't have a very high opinion of her..."

Book IV: Augustine calls living with his mistress, "A bargain struck for lust." He hated sorcerers but respected Astrologers because they didn't sacrifice or pray to spirits to conduct their divination. His friend died, and only tears comforted him, but "What madness, to love a man as something more than human!" The key is to love everyone through God. Intelligence only made it harder for him to find God. Aristotle L

A ponderous and quaint tale. I love seeing Tom Birkin slowky become part of the Oxgodby community. His chats with Moon about death and life after the War are simple yet very evocative. "We went in and we came out. That's good enough for me." Seeing the mural restored is also so satisfying, the author describes it in great detail but only bit by bit as Birkin works throughout the summer. Nice religious commentary too.

Book III: Studies in Carthage. He used to enjoy the theatre but believes the fake sorrow elicited by the imaginary scenarios is dangerous, because the person derives a sense of pleasure from pity. He read Cicero, who's work made him love philosophy and seek truth, and thought the Scriptures to be too simple by comparison. The Manichees led him astray, but his mother had a dream of his return to Christianity.

Book II: Augustine's teenage years. He wonders if children and marriage would have saved him from his lustful behavior, and recalls that his dad did not care about his sinning and was instead excited at the prospect of grandkids. Both parents let him sin as long as he did well in his studies. He stole from a pear tree with friends. He concludes that the thieving itself and having partners in sin was pleasurable.

Book I: St Augustine recalls the sins of infants and his own boyhood. Disobeying his parents and teachers and enjoying things that took focus away from God. He loved literature too much, using his knowledge of reading to distract himself with poetry and myth. “But it is true that I learned all these things gladly and took a sinful pleasure in them. And for this very reason I was called a promising boy” (37).

May I never be presented in heaven,’ cried the extra barber, ‘if you aren’t wrong, the whole lot of you, and as sure as i hope my soul will appear before God this looks to me like a pack-saddle and not a caparison, but then it’s the lords that make the laws, and I’ll say no more—and I’m not drunk, honestly I’m not, because I haven’t had my breakfast yet and there’s nothing inside me but my sins.

Rand and his army of Illianers, Tairens, Cairhienin, and Legionnaires confront Seanchan forces with in the mountains of Altara winning a bloody victory. He loses control when wielding Callandor and kills many of his own allies. Ashaman note that Saidin is strange. A darkfriend and Salidar rebels are unveiled in the White Tower. Logain has joined the black tower and catches White Tower Aes Sedai sent to destroy them.

The enslaved Spaniard and Zoraida’s story comes to and end. It was intriguing to see how christians and muslims interacted during this period and in the broad region consisting of Spain and North Africa. This portrayal I believe should be seemingly realistic since it’s loosely based on Cervantes’ life. To be honest though i’m ready to get into some good old fashioned Don Quixote adventuring now.

Egwene essentially shifts the border between Andor and Murandy when parlaying with their nobles. She also has a brief conversation with Talmanes (the goat). Her arc of coming into true power as the Amyrlin seat instead of just being a puppet is incredibly satisfying, culminating in her ascension to full control of the Tower by invoking the Law of War after convincing the Hall to declare war against Elaida.

“Weiramon entered the council tent, shouldering aside Gregorin and Tolmeran, trying to shoulder aside Rosana and Semaradrid, the lot of them eager to tell Rand the men in the trees had decided wisely after all. They found him laughing till tears rolled down his face. Lews Therin had come back. Or else he really was mad already. Either way, it was reason to laugh” (343).

Perrin saves Morgase and her party, who join his army without revealing their identities. Elyas also comes to join Perrin. Alliandre, Queen of Ghealdan, swears fealty to him as well. Rand ordered for the Prophet to be brought under control, but some believe he should be executed. A mysterious storm passes through the camp.

The tales of Cardenio, Lucinda, Don Fernando, and Dorotea are truly encapsulating. Don Quixotes self imposed penance in the mountains is hilarious. His argument on “men of letters” vs “men of arms” is logically well built, making his unique madness seem all the more tragic when compared to the soundness of mind he sometimes displays. The tale of the converted moorish woman and the captive are intriguing.

The Borderlands make a blood pact. The Aes Sedai, The Kin, and the Seafolk reach the Kin’s farm and use the bowl of the winds. Pillars of white light wrapped in Saidin and Saidar shoot into the sky, high enough for the Seanchan in Ebou Dar to see and pursue. Elayne creates a gateway to Caemlyn and everyone escapes, but she tries to unweave the gate to keep the technique hidden, causing a huge explosion.

That’s the kind of love, said Sancho, that I’ve heard in sermons we’re supposed to feel for our Lord — for his own sake, without being moved by hopes of glory or fears of punishment. Though I must say I’d prefer to love him and serve him for what he can do for me.
The devil take you, you peasant! said Don Quixote. What good sense you sometimes speak! Anyone would think you’d been to university! (285).

Update IV: In which Daniel acknowledges how genius and entertaining this book is, how deserving indeed it is of its time transcendent praise. Cervantes really is a comedic genius, and each new misadventure wholly captures my attention every time. So far my favorite chapters have been the barber and priest who burned Don Quixote’s books, the demise of the love stricken shepherd, and the battle at the castle (inn).

“But since Don Quixote’s sense of smell was as acute as his sense of hearing, and since Sancho was clinging so very close to him, it was inevitable that some of the fumes, rising almost in a straight line, would reach his nostrils, whereupon he went to their rescue by squeezing them between finger and thumb, and said in somewhat nasal tones:
‘It seems to me Sancho, that you are very frightened’” (160-161).

“‘Sir, do you think this might be that enchanted Moor come to punish us again, with some extra punches he forgot to throw the first time?’
‘It cannot be the Moor,’ replied Don Quixote, ‘because those who are enchanted do not allow anyone to see them.’
‘Maybe they don’t let anyone see them, but they let them feel them alright,’ said Sancho. ‘And if you don’t believe me, just ask my ribs’”

“‘Oh sir,’ cried the niece, ‘please have them burned like the rest, because it could well happen that once my uncle gets over his chivalry illness he starts reading all these other books and takes it into his head to become a shepherd and wander about the forests and meadows singing and playing music and, what would be even worse than that, turn into a poet, which they say is catching an incurable disease’

Cantar tercero: the Infantes are humiliated after fleeing when a lion breaks out of its “net.” The Cid’s vassals protect him while he sleeps but when he awakens, the lion bows its head to him and is meekly led to its net by the scruff of its neck. The infantes also prove themselves cowards in battle. As revenge, the brothers beat and desert the Cid’s daughters in an oak forest, but their cousin saves them.

El cantar segundo revolves around The Cid’s conquest of Valencia, taking it from King Yusuf of Morocco and installing a Christian bishop Jerome from France. King Alfonso allows his wife and daughters to join him in Valencia after proving vassalage, and Yusuf returns with 50k soldiers but is defeated again. The King finally pardons the Cid, and his daughters are married to the Infantes of Carrion.

El Cantar primero ends with the defeat of the Count of Barcelona. After the victory, The Cid promises to free the count if he will eat and drink wine or else he will never see Christendom again. For three days the count resists, but finally relents when The Cid allows him to ride away with two of his men as well. The count promises not to return for vengeance, he has already lost a year’s worth of booty to the cid

The Cid Ruy Diaz, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, who was knighted at a fortunate hour, is exiled from Castille by King Alfonso of Leon (and now Castille). He makes a deal with some moneylenders, leaves his wife and daughters at a monastery, and sets off. He wins at Castejon de Henares and then he defeats two moorish leaders commanding over 3000 men at Alcocer with 300 of his own. He sends 30 horses to the king with Minaya.

“I once saw a soldier with a leg wound, whose first thoughts were of the hole in his sheepskin coat, and a calvary man who crawled out from under his horse that had just been killed and unbuckled the girths to save the saddle” (65).

There aren’t enough sources to conjure up an academically satisfying history on early medieval Wales (6th-11th centuries). Tribal chiefs eventually became the welsh princes. roughly 4 major kingdoms: Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed, and Deheubarth. Roman influence from the past. No equivalent to Irish ruiri or Anglo-saxon bretwalda. Ruling dynasty of Gwynedd highlighted. Hywell Dda and law. Saints, discipline, christianity

Sammael and Graendal (Caddar and Miasia) essentially finish off the Shaido by tricking them into portals that send some into Rand’s army and others spread out from Illian to Ghealdan. Sammael does give Sevanna an Oath Rod though, and she currently holds Galina along with all having all of the Wise Ones that can channel with her.