The Copybook

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

781

By the circle of Andrey Rublev (1408), via the Russian State Museum in St Petersburg and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Candlemas by Clay Lane

A February celebration for which the faithful have brought candles to church since Anglo-Saxon times.

Read

782

© Derek Harper, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Setting of Edith’s Star by Goscelin of Canterbury

Edith left behind her a distraught Archbishop Dunstan, but also a legacy of love for the suffering.

Read

783

By Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

St Edith’s Rebuke by Goscelin of Canterbury

King Canute could not believe that his hard-living predecessor Edgar could father a saint.

Read

784

© Derek Harper, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

St Edith’s Thumb by Goscelin of Canterbury

The way Edith kept tracing little crosses with her thumb made a great impression on Archbishop Dunstan.

Read

785

© Peter I. Vardy, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.

The Character of St Edith of Wilton by Goscelin of Canterbury

Edith of Wilton may have been the daughter of King, but she did not behave like one in the Abbey or the town.

Read

786

By Sergei Gribkov (1822-1893), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Apparel Oft Proclaims the Man by William of Malmesbury

An austere Bishop of Winchester scolded St Edith for her comely nun’s habit, but the young woman’s eyes saw further than his.

Read

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.
Latest

Clay Lane Home

Search

Blog

The Copybook

Think and Speak

Comfortable Words

Word Games

Featured Authors

Featured Subjects

Search The Copybook

About Clay Lane

Close Menu