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

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1411

By an anonymous Indian artist c. 1765-70, via the Victoria and Albert Museum and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Courage Under Fire by Thomas Babington Macaulay

Robert Clive turned seven hundred frightened recruits into crack troops by sheer force of personality.

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1412

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

‘Risoluto’ by Clay Lane

Despite setback after setback, Stanford was determined to hear his music played in public.

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1413

© David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Signing of the Great Charter by Clay Lane

King John promised his nobles respect, but he was not a man to regard his word as his bond.

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1414

© Stuart Fyffe-Collins, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

With the Compliments of Mr Collins by Jane Austen

There is an art to making one’s compliments seem artless.

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1415

© John Mavin, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

‘Nothing clears up one’s ideas like explaining them’ by H. G. Wells

Muddle-headed inventor Professor Cavor needs to think aloud, and for reasons of his own Mr Bedford is anxious to listen.

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1416

Photo by CrniBombarder!!!, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Welcome to Micklegarth by Orderic Vitalis

After the Norman Conquest, thousands of disappointed Englishmen departed for a new life in the Byzantine world.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 7 NS

April 24 OS

The Great Northern War : Peter the Great wanted Russia to join the nations of Western Europe, but the nations of Western Europe refused to make room for him.
To Make Greece a Nation : A headstrong Irish boy became part of the Greek resistance movement that won independence in 1832.
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.
Hardly : Tone down these bold assertions with ‘hardly’.
The Death of Julius Caesar : When Julius Caesar entered the Senate that day, a note warning him of treachery was clutched in his hand — unread.
Two Letters Home : A German soldier stopped the Great War so he could ask Captain Hulse to post a letter for him.
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.
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