The Copybook

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

385

Photo by George E. Koronais, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Liberty of Athens by Thomas Babington Macaulay

The supreme arts and literature of ancient Athens all sprang from the State’s refusal to interfere in the life of the citizen.

Read

386

By Helen Allingham (1848-1926), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Duties of Government by John Bright

John Bright told his Birmingham constituents that if Britain was indeed a great nation, it was because her public was contented and not because her empire was wide.

Read

387

By Henri Jannin (1816-?), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

International Intermeddling by John Bright

John Bright asked the people of Birmingham to spread the word that a great nation, like any good citizen and neighbour, does not meddle officiously in the affairs of others.

Read

388

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

The Foolish Emperor by Theodoret of Cyrus

Emperor Julian cast off his Christian upbringing to gain the favour of Rome’s pagan gods, but in the heat of battle they deserted him.

Read

389

By Charles West Cope (1811–1890), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Truth By Statute? by John Milton

John Milton reminded Parliament that the Truth wasn’t what they and their fact-checkers in Stationers’ Hall made it.

Read

390

© T. L. Thompson, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Zenana Mission by Hannah Catherine Mullens

Hannah Mullens describes her battle to reach out to wealthy Indian ladies with nothing to do, nothing to think about and nowhere to go.

Read

Clay Lane The Copybook
About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

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.
Latest

Clay Lane Home

Search

Blog

The Copybook

Think and Speak

Comfortable Words

Word Games

Featured Authors

Featured Subjects

Search The Copybook

About Clay Lane

Close Menu