The Copybook

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

May 10 ns April 27 os

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Read short passages similar to those NL Clay collected in his anthologies, to gain a feeling for the language, history and culture of the English-speaking world.

In The Copybook

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Richard Chancellor goes to Russia

May 10

By Konstantin Korovin (1861-1939), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Merchants of Muscovy by Clay Lane

In 1553, Richard Chancellor set out on a perilous voyage to Russia in order to bypass the Hanseatic League’s customs union.

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Indian Mutiny

May 10

From the Royal Archives, Windsor Collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Indian Mutiny by Jawaharlal Nehru

The Indian Mutiny began with a revolt among disgruntled soldiers, and ended with the making of the British Raj.

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Featured

© Erlend Schei, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Penicillin by Clay Lane

An improbable chain of coincidences led to one of the great medical revolutions just when it was most needed.

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1

By Antoine Vérard (fl. 1485-1512), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Batter My Heart by John Donne

John Donne gives God a free hand to do whatever needs to be done.

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2

© Tamara Menzi, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The First Traffic Lights from The Express

The busy crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament was the testing ground for a new technology.

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3

By Boris Grigoriev (1886-1939), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Rule of the Road by A. G. Gardiner

Being a free citizen doesn’t mean that everyone else has to get out of your way.

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4

Ministry of Information, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Blind Courage by George Santayana

George Santayana reprimanded politicians and military men who thought war was good for the country’s soul.

Read

5

By Alfred Wordsworth Thompson (1840-1896), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

She was a Phantom of Delight by William Wordsworth

Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.

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6

By Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Death of Julius Caesar by Plutarch

When Julius Caesar entered the Senate that day, a note warning him of treachery was clutched in his hand — unread.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 10 NS

April 27 OS

Merchants of Muscovy : In 1553, Richard Chancellor set out on a perilous voyage to Russia in order to bypass the Hanseatic League’s customs union.
The Indian Mutiny : The Indian Mutiny began with a revolt among disgruntled soldiers, and ended with the making of the British Raj.
A Thousand Commas : Assess the punctuation of this sentence, according to the author’s own principles.
Batter My Heart : John Donne gives God a free hand to do whatever needs to be done.
Window Seat : Describe the view from one of the following vantage points.
Repeat Offender :
In Two Minds : Join these ideas together to a form a single sentence, in at least two different ways.
The First Traffic Lights : The busy crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament was the testing ground for a new technology.
Good Companions : Explain what these wise classical authors are telling us.
The Rule of the Road : Being a free citizen doesn’t mean that everyone else has to get out of your way.
Blind Courage : George Santayana reprimanded politicians and military men who thought war was good for the country’s soul.
Patience : Make a single sentence out of these three ideas.
The Angel Cried : A hymn sung in the weeks after Easter, imagining how Gabriel brought the news of Christ’s resurrection to Mary.
She was a Phantom of Delight : Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.
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