The Copybook

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

April 25 ns April 12 os

Read short passages similar to those NL Clay collected in his anthologies, to gain a feeling for the language, history and culture of the English-speaking world.

In The Copybook

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Feast of the Life-Giving Spring

April 12 os

© Alessandro57, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Life-Giving Spring by Clay Lane

An obscure officer in the Roman Army gains a dizzying promotion after performing a simple act of kindness.

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The Gallipoli Landings

April 25

Australian War Memorial Collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

A Great Human Effort by John Masefield

The Gallipoli landings in 1915 did not achieve the Admiralty’s goals, but for John Masefield they remained one of the proudest moments of the Great War.

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ANZAC Day

April 25

By Ernest Brooks (1878–1957), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Avengers by John Buchan

John Buchan was moved by the way the nations of the British Empire volunteered for service in the Great War.

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A Bill to tax dogs is thrown out

April 25

Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873), Victroia and Albert Museum, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

A Tax on Companionship by William Windham MP

William Windham MP was appalled at the idea of levying a tax on man’s best friend.

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Eastertide

April 12 os

© Christos Klearchos, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 generic.

Christ is Risen! by Felicia Skene

Felicia Skene recalls the Easter celebrations on one emotionally-charged night in Athens

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Featured

Attributed to Michael Lupi de Çandiu (fl. 1297-1305), via the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Imma’s Bonds by Clay Lane

Imma claimed to be a harmless peasant, but there was something about him that Ecgfrith, King of Northumbria, found downright uncanny.

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1

By Yevgeny Khaldei (1916-1997), viua Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Russia’s Heroic Stand from Compton’s Encyclopedia

In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.

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2

US Department of Defense, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

VE Day by Clay Lane

On May 8th, 1945, Winston Churchill took to the radio to tell the British public that almost six years of war were ended.

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3

© Dasrath Shrestha Beejukchhen (Bablu), Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

If I Had But Two Little Wings by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.

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4

By William Conor (1881-1968), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore

Irish poet Thomas Moore believed a life given for his country’s freedom was not given in vain.

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5

By Hendrik Martenszoon Sorgh (?1610-1670), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

A ’Tivity Trick by Thomas Hardy

William Dewy runs into a menacing bull, but his soothing music doesn’t seem to be soothing enough.

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6

By Roland Vivian Pitchforth (1895-1982), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Marks of a Tyrant by Aristotle

Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle explains what it is that defines a tyranny.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

April 25 NS

April 12 OS

The Life-Giving Spring : An obscure officer in the Roman Army gains a dizzying promotion after performing a simple act of kindness.
A Great Human Effort : The Gallipoli landings in 1915 did not achieve the Admiralty’s goals, but for John Masefield they remained one of the proudest moments of the Great War.
The Avengers : John Buchan was moved by the way the nations of the British Empire volunteered for service in the Great War.
A Tax on Companionship : William Windham MP was appalled at the idea of levying a tax on man’s best friend.
Christ is Risen! : Felicia Skene recalls the Easter celebrations on one emotionally-charged night in Athens
Saddled : Use these words in sentences, and see if you can use one of them as a verb.
Russia’s Heroic Stand : In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.
Approachable : Replace the verb ‘can’ with these alternatives, and explain how the meaning of the sentence has changed.
The First Easter : In a translation from the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, St Mark recounts the discovery of Christ’s empty tomb.
A Collect for Easter Day : A short prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, for the day of Christ’s resurrection.
The Gambler : Which well-known expression is Dr Johnson talking about here?
If I Had But Two Little Wings : Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.
Red Eye : Reconstruct the speaker’s original words from these reports.
Responsible : Combine each group of ideas into a single sentence, in as many ways as you can.
Opposites : Suggest words that seem opposite in meaning to the words in this list.
Three of a Kind : For each of these things, think of three different varieties of it.
The Son of God Goes Forth to War : A hymn in praise of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
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