The Copybook

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

13

By Antoine Vérard (fl. 1485-1512), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Batter My Heart John Donne

John Donne gives God a free hand to do whatever needs to be done.

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14

© Tamara Menzi, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The First Traffic Lights The Express

The busy crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament was the testing ground for a new technology.

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15

By Boris Grigoriev (1886-1939), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Rule of the Road A. G. Gardiner

Being a free citizen doesn’t mean that everyone else has to get out of your way.

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16

Ministry of Information, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Blind Courage George Santayana

George Santayana reprimanded politicians and military men who thought war was good for the country’s soul.

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17

By Alfred Wordsworth Thompson (1840-1896), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

She was a Phantom of Delight William Wordsworth

Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.

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18

By Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Death of Julius Caesar Plutarch

When Julius Caesar entered the Senate that day, a note warning him of treachery was clutched in his hand — unread.

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