Re: Help!

--- Joe <joe@...> wrote:
> No, it's not a fixed phrase, "would that xxx" is
> quite flexible.  It's not
> used any more, of course, but Boromir, in Lord of
> the Rings, uses it.
It filled about the same discourse function as "If
only X" does now.  I still use "would that" for
overblow silly effect in my conversation.

Adam