The Copybook

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

313

© Anne Dirkse, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Written in the Skies by Thomas Wright

Though some other sciences may seem to destroy it, astronomy restores a sense of religious awe.

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314

© Salvatore Capuano, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain image.

A Surfeit of Lampreys by Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus

Augustus, the Roman Emperor, invited himself to dine at the luxury Naples villa of Publius Vedius Pollio, but a broken goblet thoroughly spoilt the evening.

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315

© Graham Robertson, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

A Rush to Judgment by Samuel Smiles

As a young man, surveyor Thomas Telford was a red-hot political activist who yearned for revolution, but admittedly he had read just one book on the matter.

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316

© LenskiyS, wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

‘We are Free Men of Novgorod’ by Clay Lane

The politicians of Novgorod, angry at Moscow’s interference, thought they would teach her a lesson by selling out to Poland.

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317

© Roger Butterfield, Geograph. Licence CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Brutus of Britain by Clay Lane

Back in the days of the prophet Samuel, so the story goes, a grandson of Trojan hero Aeneas brought civilisation to the British Isles.

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318

© AleXXw, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: public domain.

When the Cat’s Away... by Harrison Weir

A Victorian artist and avid bird-watcher banished cats from his country cottage, but soon wished he hadn’t.

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© 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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