Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Adrian Cable, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
St Pega welcomed a royal servant with a serious eye condition to the monastery founded by her brother, St Guthlac.
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© Clément Bardot, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.
The villagers of Mabutso in Southern Africa begged Dr David Livingstone to rid them of a menacing pride of lions.
By Amedeo Preziosi (1816–1882), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Diplomat William Eton warns his fellow Englishmen that shutting down debate does not make for a more united society.
By Barbara Krafft (1764–1825), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The offices of the Cheeryble Brothers are humming with excitement over two upcoming weddings, and Tim Linkinwater finds the mood is catching.
By Harold Copping (1863-1932), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Mill owner William Grant was deeply hurt by a scurrilous pamphlet circulated by a fellow businessman, and vowed the miscreant would live to regret it.
From the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
William Jerrold saw the new-fangled sewing machine as an opportunity to get women into the professions — but time was of the essence.