The Copybook

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

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KJV Bible

1429

© Karl and Ali, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

‘This England’ by William Shakespeare

John of Gaunt watches in despair as his country is milked for its wealth and shared out among the king’s favourites.

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1430

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

Cragside: the Home of Modern Living by Clay Lane

Lord Armstrong’s home was an Aladdin’s cave of Victorian technology.

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1431

© Paul Buckingham, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Adam and Eve by Clay Lane

Adam and Eve are set in a Garden of carefree delight, but the Snake swears they are victims of a cruel deception.

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1432

From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Alfred Learns To Read by Charles Dickens

Even as a child, King Alfred couldn’t resist a challenge.

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1433

© Paul Buckingham, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

King Edwin and the Hand of Destiny by Clay Lane

Forced from his throne and threatened with murder, Edwin makes a curious bargain for his deliverance.

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1434

© Paul Buckingham, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Caedmon Learns to Sing by Clay Lane

A shy and unmusical stable-hand suddenly began to sing wise and moving hymns.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 13 NS

April 30 OS

St Erkenwald, Light of London : The seventh-century Bishop of London helped kings and clergy to shine Christian light into the darkness of mere religion.
The Martyrdom of St James the Great : James, brother of John the Evangelist, was executed for his faith by a close friend of the Emperor Caligula.
Better By Example : Gregory urged the persecuted Christians of Nazianzus to be the better men.
Speed Clues : Help a friend to guess five words in under a minute.
A Proper Game of Cricket : Mary Mitford makes an appeal for the traditional village cricket match.
Mini Bios : Write a short paragraph about a prominent person, but don’t start any sentence with he or she.
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.
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