Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© John Fielding, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Our peculiar brand of democracy and liberty is a noble thing, but we should be wary of recommending it to other countries.
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From the Royal Archives, Windsor Collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The Indian Mutiny began with a revolt among disgruntled soldiers, and ended with the making of the British Raj.
Photo by the Smithsonian Museum, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Incompetence, arrogance and some mischievous propaganda all conspired to throw India into chaos.
© Flocci Nivis, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
A young Nathaniel Hawthorne recalls a confidential conversation with a tired old horse.
By Georg Braun (?-1622) and Frans Hogenberg (<1540-1590)
Robert Tomson was a typical Englishman and it nearly killed him, but it also made him a fortune and won him a bride.
© Boris Sakic, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
We English would not hand out so much unsolicited advice to foreign countries if we knew more about their history.