Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
At first, John Milton struggled to come to terms with the loss of his eyesight.
Read
© A. N. Mironov, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Three servants are engaged to invest their master’s money in the markets.
© Ethan Doyle White, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Embarrassed by the behaviour of his Norman bishops and abbots, King William I asked monk Guitmond to come over and set an example.
Charles Dickens tells the story of Hereward the Wake, the last Englishman to stand up to William the Conqueror.
By Anonymous, via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ?Public domain.
Jack Curran’s career as a defender of victims of political prejudice got off to a stuttering start.
© Andrew Curtis, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
The Sheriff of Northumberland allows wealth and power to go to his head — and his digestion.