The Copybook

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

April 19 ns April 6 os

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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William Adams in Japan

April 19

© shikibane taro, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Will Adams by Clay Lane

An Elizabethan mariner reaches Japan under terrible hardships, only to find himself under sentence of death at the hands of his fellow Europeans.

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Easter-Even

April 6 os

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

The Harrowing of Hell by William Langland

Will Langland tells how after the crucifixion, the soul of Christ went down to Hades to fetch Piers the Ploughman and the rest of hopeless humanity.

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Passiontide

April 6 os

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

Brightest Beacon by Cynewulf

Christ’s cross promises to take away the fear of Judgment Day.

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Featured

© Deutsche Fotothek (picture by Roger and Renate Rössing), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0 Germany.

Inquire Within by John Stuart Mill

Philosopher and social activist John Stuart Mill discusses the most liberating kind of education.

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1

© Dasrath Shrestha Beejukchhen (Bablu), Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

If I Had But Two Little Wings by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.

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2

By William Conor (1881-1968), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore

Irish poet Thomas Moore believed a life given for his country’s freedom was not given in vain.

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3

By Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh (?1610-1670), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

A ’Tivity Trick by Thomas Hardy

William Dewy runs into a menacing bull, but his soothing music doesn’t seem to be soothing enough.

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4

By Roland Vivian Pitchforth (1895-1982), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Marks of a Tyrant by Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle explains what it is that defines a tyranny.

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5

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

In This Sign Conquer by Eusebius of Caesarea

Eusebius remembers the banner that Emperor Constantine carried into battle on the day he won his crown.

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6

By Henry Bellagnome, Wikimedia COmmons. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic.

Time Is by Henry van Dyke

Henry van Dyke wrote this for the sundial at Katrina Trask’s community retreat at Yaddo, New York.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

April 19 NS

April 6 OS

Will Adams : An Elizabethan mariner reaches Japan under terrible hardships, only to find himself under sentence of death at the hands of his fellow Europeans.
The Harrowing of Hell : Will Langland tells how after the crucifixion, the soul of Christ went down to Hades to fetch Piers the Ploughman and the rest of hopeless humanity.
Brightest Beacon : Christ’s cross promises to take away the fear of Judgment Day.
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.
Red Eye : Reconstruct the speaker’s original words from these reports.
Responsible : Combine each group of ideas into a single sentence, in as many ways as you can.
Opposites : Suggest words that seem opposite in meaning to the words in this list.
Three of a Kind : For each of these things, think of three different varieties of it.
The Son of God Goes Forth to War : A hymn in praise of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Peace Plan : Report this brief exchange between Anna and M. Pierre and Tolstoy’s War and Peace
Metaphors : Choose one of these words and use it metaphorically, not literally.
The Marks of a Tyrant : Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle explains what it is that defines a tyranny.
Scrambled : Rewrite these sentences so that they do not use the word ‘and’.
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