The Copybook

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

1321

© Brian Robert Marshall, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

With Hymns and Sweet Perfumes by Elfric of Eynsham

Elfric imagines how the Virgin Mary went to her eternal home.

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1322

© Stanley Howe, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Flodden Edge by Clay Lane

The Scots paid a heavy price for honouring their ‘Auld Alliance’ with France.

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1323

© Alfie Tait, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Kings of Northumbria by Clay Lane

Out of a restless alliance between two 6th century kingdoms came a civilisation that defined Englishness.

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1324

© Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Vinland by Clay Lane

Scandinavian warrior Leif Ericson was sent to bring Christianity to Greenland, but accidentally discovered North America instead.

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1325

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

King Arthur’s Last Request by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The legendary British warrior makes ready for his final journey, leaving Sir Bedivere with one last duty to perform.

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1326

© Brian Robert Marshall, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Last Days of Charles II by Clay Lane

James calls Fr Huddleston to his brother’s deathbed, ready for a most delicate task.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 5 NS

April 22 OS

When the Cat’s Away... : A Victorian artist and avid bird-watcher banished cats from his country cottage, but soon wished he hadn’t.
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.
Confusables : Compose sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between these words.
Jill and I : Include yourself in these sentences about Jill.
Saddled : Use these words in sentences, and see if you can use one of them as a verb.
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