MSGID: 2:221/6.0 5ec1c790   
   REPLY: 2:221/6.0 5ec1a576   
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   Dallas Hinton to Anton Shepelev:   
      
   > > > Then I bethought me of the ring of Eibon, which I had   
   > > > inherited from my fathers, who were also wizards. The ring   
   > > > had come down, it was said, from ancient Hyperborea; and it   
   > > > was made of a redder gold than any that the earth yields in   
   > > > latter cycles, and was set with a great purple gem, somber and   
   > > > smouldering, whose like is no longer to be found. And in the   
   > > > gem an antique demon was held captive, a spirit from   
   > > > pre-human worlds and ages, which would answer the   
   > > > interrogation of sorcerers.   
   >   
   > > Shall we conclude that the writer no longer possessed the said   
   > > the ring when he put his tale on paper?   
      
   > No, I don't think so. The next paragraph clearly says he brought   
   > it out and used it.   
      
   Naturally, he did it *before* recording the event, so my question   
   holds.   
      
   > There's no further reference after he uses it, so we've no   
   > knowledge of it being disposed of or kept.   
      
   Yes, no factual knowledge, but then do you explain the Past Simple   
   tense in: "demon was held captive ,which would answer the   
   interrogation of sorcerers." If the writer had still had the ring   
   in his posession at the time of writing, whould not he have written   
   "...demon is held captive, which will answer..."?   
      
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    * Origin: nntps://news.fidonet.fi (2:221/6.0)   
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