Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© John S. Turner, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0.
William Gladstone urges Government not to take away from people the things they have a right to do for themselves.
Read
From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
A headstrong Irish boy became part of the Greek resistance movement that won independence in 1832.
© Alexandr Podgorchuk/Klops.ru, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lucy Cazalet gives an overview of the remarkable Russian ruler, who showed the courage of a prince and the humility of a saint.
© Sachkv, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Scottish department store near the Bolshoi Theatre inspired an affection that contrasted sharply with Westminster’s Russophobia.
Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Young Thomas Cochrane learned early on that for a sailor, making a pet of a parrot could be surprisingly hazardous.
© Aladsair Macneill, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Sir Walter Scott tells the story of how a distinguished Scottish professor nearly became Little John to Scotland’s Robin Hood.