The Copybook

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

283

Wandernder Weltreisender 3.0.

‘I Have No Quarrel With Any Man’ Elizabeth Wilson Grierson

Magnus, Earl of Orkney, disappointed King Magnus of Norway by refusing to get involved in somebody else’s war.

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284

© Samyan Bahga, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Goat and the Lion P. V. Ramaswami Raju

A herd of goats is threatened by a pride of lions, and it falls to one brave billy to face the danger alone.

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285

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

The Glow Worm and the Jackdaw P. V. Ramaswami Raju

In this fable from India, a sly little insect teaches a jackdaw that all that glisters is not necessarily edible.

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286

© Israeli Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.5

St Mary of Egypt The Syon Abbey Martyrology

Back in the 6th century, Mary was consumed by an addiction so compulsive that she would use and discard anyone to satisfy it.

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287

Photo by NASA, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Night Vesuvius Blew Pliny the Younger

Pliny was only about nine when his uncle left to go and help rescue the terrified townspeople of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

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288

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

St John Damascene Clay Lane

John’s enduring influence is evident today in the rich sights and sounds of Christian liturgy.

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