The Copybook

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

301

© Israeli Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.5

St Mary of Egypt The Syon Abbey Martyrology

Back in the 6th century, Mary was consumed by an addiction so compulsive that she would use and discard anyone to satisfy it.

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302

Photo by NASA, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Night Vesuvius Blew Pliny the Younger

Pliny was only about nine when his uncle left to go and help rescue the terrified townspeople of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

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303

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

St John Damascene Clay Lane

John’s enduring influence is evident today in the rich sights and sounds of Christian liturgy.

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304

By William Hamilton (1751–1801), via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ? Public domain.

Body and Soul John Wesley

John Wesley urged the medical profession (and his fellow clergy) to remember that drugs are not the answer to every sickness.

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305

© Roger Templeman, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Trial of the Tolpuddle Six George Loveless

When farmhand and lay preacher George Loveless was convicted of conspiracy, both charge and sentence made the country gasp.

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306

By John Morgan (1822–1885), via Buckinghamshire County Museum and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Twelve Good Men and Tory Francis Wharton

In 1844, Daniel O’Connell was hauled before a Dublin court to answer charges of seditious conspiracy, and he didn’t stand a chance.

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