The Copybook

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

349

By Laurits Andersen Ring (1854–1933), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Last Voyage of Scyld of the Sheaf from Beowulf

The Old English epic ‘Beowulf’ tells how Scyld, beloved King of the Danes, was committed to the ocean at his death — just as he had been at his birth.

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350

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

The Trouble With Men by Aristophanes

The exasperated women of Athens challenge the men of the City to decide whether women are a blessing or a curse.

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351

By Lovis Corinth (1858–1925), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Mrs Nickleby’s Cold Cure by Charles Dickens

Charmed by their attentions to her daughter Kate, Mrs Nickleby rewards Mr Pyke and Mr Pluck with a reminiscence about her favourite home remedy for colds.

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352

© Ryzhkov Sergey, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

‘Your Child Shall Be Healed’ by St Bede of Jarrow

When the plague once again visited Northumbria, Bishop Cuthbert of Lindisfarne left his island retreat and brought comfort and healing to the suffering.

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353

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

A Quick Study by St Bede of Jarrow

After the monastery of St Paul in Jarrow was devasted by an epidemic, the Abbot had only a boy in his early teens to rely on.

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354

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

The Firebird’s Nest attributed to Cynewulf

Like the legendary phoenix, the Christian must spend his life making a nest fit for his rebirth in fire.

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April 29 NS

April 16 OS

A Literary Mystery : In 1798, ‘Plays on the Passions’ appeared in London bookstores, but no one seemed to know who had written them.
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.
Zheng He and the Rise of Malacca : Malacca became a refuge from the overbearing empires of the Far East, thanks to a celebrated Chinese admiral.
Confusables : Compose sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between these words.
Jill and I : Include yourself in these sentences about Jill.
Saddled : Use these words in sentences, and see if you can use one of them as a verb.
Russia’s Heroic Stand : In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.
Approachable : Replace the verb ‘can’ with these alternatives, and explain how the meaning of the sentence has changed.
The First Easter : In a translation from the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, St Mark recounts the discovery of Christ’s empty tomb.
A Collect for Easter Day : A short prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, for the day of Christ’s resurrection.
The Gambler : Which well-known expression is Dr Johnson talking about here?
If I Had But Two Little Wings : Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.
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