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

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67

By Thomas Hudson (1701-1779), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Robbery With Respect by Charles Greville

A thief was reluctantly obliged to relieve King George II of his valuables.

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68

© Friedrich Böhringer, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Unfair Competition by Anonymous

Mousetraps are proof of human ingenuity, but also human ingratitude — so Tom does something about it.

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69

By an unknown photographer, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Invictus by W. E. Henley

A memorable poem about triumph over adversity.

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70

© Katie Thebeau, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic.

Tree of Life by Edith Louise Marsh

Jacques Cartier made history and made friends along the St Lawrence, but then threw all that goodwill away.

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71

© Tapas Kumar Halder, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Dilemma by Francis William Bain

Francis Bain’s alternative Adam and Eve story left its own question unanswered.

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72

© Dunstan, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Departure of Bede by Cuthbert, Abbot of Wearmouth and Jarrow

Bede died as he had lived, freely sharing all he had, and singing praises to God.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 7 NS

April 24 OS

A Royal Rescue : Despite failing health, Peter the Great of Russia leapt into Kronstadt Bay to save some young sailors from a watery grave.
‘Hail, Liberty!’ : Kipling borrowed from the Greek Independence movement to give thanks for the end of the Great War.
The First Traffic Lights : The busy crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament was the testing ground for a new technology.
Good Companions : Explain what these wise classical authors are telling us.
The Rule of the Road : Being a free citizen doesn’t mean that everyone else has to get out of your way.
Blind Courage : George Santayana reprimanded politicians and military men who thought war was good for the country’s soul.
Patience : Make a single sentence out of these three ideas.
The Angel Cried : A hymn sung in the weeks after Easter, imagining how Gabriel brought the news of Christ’s resurrection to Mary.
She was a Phantom of Delight : Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.
Hardly : Tone down these bold assertions with ‘hardly’.
The Death of Julius Caesar : When Julius Caesar entered the Senate that day, a note warning him of treachery was clutched in his hand — unread.
Two Letters Home : A German soldier stopped the Great War so he could ask Captain Hulse to post a letter for him.
Smile : Choose adjectives of praise for these nouns, at about the 7/10 level.
The Making of Mark : St Mark wrote his Gospel as a summary of the preaching of St Peter.
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