Part 3, Section 2 (p. 220)
“
Rumors of the cardinal’s popularity don’t make him glad, they make him afraid. The king has given Wolsey a pardon. But if he was offended once, he can be offended again. If they could think up forty-four charges, then—if fantasy is unconstrained by truth—they can think up forty-four more.
— Hilary Mantel
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Rumors of the cardinal’s popularity don’t make him glad, they make him afraid. The king has given Wolsey a pardon. But if he was offended once, he can be offended again. If they could think up forty-four charges, then—if fantasy is unconstrained by truth—they can think up forty-four more." in the context of "Part 3, Section 2 (p. 220)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Hilary Mantel" (Quotes, Wolf Hall (2009): All page numbers from the American trade paperback edition published by Picador in 2010, , 20th printing
Won the 2009 Booker Prize and the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
Italics and ellipses as in the book. Bold face added for emphasis. )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 19, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Hilary Mantel
Dame Hilary Mary Mantel DBE FRSL (/mænˈtɛl/ man-TEL; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories.
About Hilary Mantel
Dame Hilary Mary Mantel DBE FRSL (/mænˈtɛl/ man-TEL; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories.
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