The Copybook

Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.

May 21 ns May 8 os

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Read short passages similar to those NL Clay collected in his anthologies, to gain a feeling for the language, history and culture of the English-speaking world.

In The Copybook

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The Feast of Blessed Philotheos Zervakos

May 8 os

© Rene Boulay, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

A Personal Favour by Clay Lane

Over a hundred young Greeks were slated to be shot after resistance fighters and British forces sabotaged an airfield.

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The Feast of St John the Evangelist

May 8 os

© Vitum, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Miracle of St John of the Caves by Clay Lane

The story of an unexpected escape through the heart of a hill.

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The Battle of Vitoria

May 21

© Zarateman, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 1.0 Universal public domain dedication.

The Peninsular War by Clay Lane

Napoleon’s six-year-long campaign (1808-1814) to bring Spain and Portugal into his united Europe was frustrated by Arthur Wellesley.

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Featured

© Bahnfrend, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.

The Unselfishess of Free Trade by Richard Cobden

Victorian MP Richard Cobden pleaded for Britain to set the world an example as a nation open for business.

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1

© Rmsrga, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

A Mechanical Miracle by Charles Babbage

The father of computing believed his machine held the key to some of life’s greatest mysteries.

Read

2

© Marcia Berkowitz Maui Hawaii, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Follies of Youth by Robert Louis Stevenson

RL Stevenson was of the opinion that wrongthink was better than groupthink.

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3

By Eduard von Gebhardt (1838–1925), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Blind Guide by William Wirt

William Wirt recalls an overpowering sermon from a blind man in a little wooden chapel.

Read

4

© Marie-Lan Nguyen, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5.

It’s All in the Delivery by Marcus Tullius Cicero

Aeschines paid tribute to the oratory of his greatest rival — whether he meant to or not.

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5

© Ronnie Macdonald, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Road to Ruin by Bishop George Berkeley

George Berkeley warned that industry, not financial speculation, was the guarantee of a nation’s wealth.

Read

6

© Caroline Legg, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

My Native Notes by James Boswell

Scotsman James Boswell always spoke good English when in England, but he was careful to leave a little Scots in.

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Clay Lane The Copybook
About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 21 NS

May 8 OS

The Spy : In 1910, Constantine Zervakos, a young monk from the Greek island of Paros, found himself charged with espionage.
The Miracle of St John of the Caves : The story of an unexpected escape through the heart of a hill.
The Peninsular War : Napoleon’s six-year-long campaign (1808-1814) to bring Spain and Portugal into his united Europe was frustrated by Arthur Wellesley.
Kim’s Game : Test your memory with this mental agility game from the pages of Rudyard Kipling.
A Mechanical Miracle : The father of computing believed his machine held the key to some of life’s greatest mysteries.
Essential Nouns : Suggest nouns of essence, such as leadership or supremacy.
The Follies of Youth : RL Stevenson was of the opinion that wrongthink was better than groupthink.
Thick and Thin : Express each of these ideas as a single word.
Break : Explain what each of these common expressions means, and give examples.
Blind Guide : William Wirt recalls an overpowering sermon from a blind man in a little wooden chapel.
It’s All in the Delivery : Aeschines paid tribute to the oratory of his greatest rival — whether he meant to or not.
The Road to Ruin : George Berkeley warned that industry, not financial speculation, was the guarantee of a nation’s wealth.
Signs of Command : Suggest publicly-displayed commands, and say how many of them are sentences.
My Native Notes : Scotsman James Boswell always spoke good English when in England, but he was careful to leave a little Scots in.
Hidden Message : Reveal the hidden message in a letter, and write a coded letter of your own.
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