History throws a golden sheen on events, a pale filtering sunshine that softens the harsh edges, blurs them to an indistinctive-ness, allows the luxury of selection, of dark and light, that real time do not. So that randomly or quite by choice: events, sequences, people, can be highlighted or played down. In a sense an ultimate play with words, with presentation, use one or another, add a mite here or an easing off there, or word a statement from quite another perspective, and meanings can change or be hinted at, distanced, quite at will. This then, is the force, the power of it all, majestic in its sweep, and with a turn of phrase or a casual word, interpretations can be created or reputations shaken.