The Copybook

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

265

By Francis Holman (1729–1784), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Private Prudence, Public Folly Adam Smith

Adam Smith contrasted the Government’s handling of the national economy with the way most families handled theirs.

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266

© Eric Jones, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Wise Man of Pencader Gerald of Wales

During his Welsh campaign, Henry II asked one of his allies what he thought the future of Wales would look like.

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267

Thomas Pennant (1726-1798), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Battle of Coleshill Jamieson Boyd Hurry

It rankled with Henry II that Wales did not pay to him the honour she had paid to his great-grandfather, William the Conqueror.

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268

By Ernest Goupil (1814-1841), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Earthquake in Concepcion Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was on hand in 1836 to witness the catastrophic effects of a series of earthquakes in Chile.

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269

By Edwin Landseer (1802–1873), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Vige, the Viking’s Dog Snorro Sturluson

Vige was the inseparable companion of swashbuckling Viking warlord Olaf Tryggvason, who picked him up in Ireland.

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270

By Richard Burchett (1815–75), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Fair and Loving Words Edward Hall

On the night when Edward IV won his crown back from Henry VI, he had to decide how to deal with those who had still been backing Henry during the day.

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