The Copybook

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

1471

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

‘God Save the King!’ by Clay Lane

The simple melody of the United Kingdom’s national anthem has stirred the souls of some great composers.

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1472

© Eric Jones, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

St Dwynwen by Clay Lane

St Dwynwen was a 5th century princess regarded by some as Wales’s answer to St Valentine.

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1473

© No Swan So Fine, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Martyrdom of St Alban by Clay Lane

Alban voluntarily swapped places with a priest, and was executed for being a member of a banned religious sect.

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1474

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

Earl Stanhope and the Re-Invention of Printing by Clay Lane

Britain never knew she was a nation of voracious readers until printing entered the steam age.

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1475

© Penny Mayes, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

First Contact by Clay Lane

Julius Caesar came over from France expecting to silence the noisy neighbours, but things did not go according to plan.

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1476

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

Daffodils by William Wordsworth

A poem about the blessing of fond memories.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 6 NS

April 23 OS

St George, Patron Saint of England : George served in the Roman army and lies buried in Israel, yet he makes an ideal patron for England.
Full Merrily : On July 5th, 1535, the night before he was to be executed by order of King Henry VIII, it seemed that Sir Thomas More was the only man in the Tower of London who was happy.
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.
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.
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