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

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583

By Liborio Prosperi (1854–1920), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Better than a Play by Karl Philipp Moritz

During his tour of England in 1782, Karl Philipp Moritz dropped in on the House of Commons, and thought the histrionics in the Chamber better than any play.

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584

© David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Old House by Mrs Molesworth

In the opening lines of The Cuckoo Clock, Mrs Molesworth paints a word-picture of a house so old that Time itself seemed to have stopped.

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585

By John Singer Sargeant, via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ? Public domain.

Padgett, MP by Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl Cromer

Lord Cromer, a former Consul-General of Egypt, expressed his frustration at politicians who set too much store by Foreign Office briefings.

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586

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

The Uganda Railway by Winston Spencer Churchill

When it opened in 1901, the Uganda Railway still wasn’t in Uganda, and Westminster’s MPs were still debating whether or not to build it.

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587

By William Hogarth (1697-1764), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Return of King Charles II by John Evelyn

Almost nine years after Oliver Cromwell’s army drove him from England, King Charles II returned at their invitation, and John Evelyn was there to see it.

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588

By Christian Wilhelm Allers (1857–1915), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Sharp’s the Word from The Musical World

On realising that he had the edge on his rivals, music publisher John Brand moved quickly to secure one of Haydn’s peerless Quartets.

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© 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.
To Make Greece a Nation : A headstrong Irish boy became part of the Greek resistance movement that won independence in 1832.
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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