The Copybook

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

49

By Georges de la Tour (1593–1652), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

And We Beheld his Glory by St Bede of Jarrow

In a sermon for Christmas Day, St Bede confronts his brethren with the truth about Mary’s wonderful child.

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50

By Arthur Hughes (1832-1915), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

It’s Good to be Merry and Wise by A. G. Gardiner

‘Alpha of the Plough’ thought the Victorians understood Christmas and New Year better than we do.

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51

© Michael Garlick, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Christmas at Coverley Hall by Joseph Addison

Sir Roger explains why he makes Christmas such a special time for all his neighbours.

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52

© Julian Paren, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Death of Baldur by Snorro Sturluson

Baldur was the toast of Valhalla, but Loki was determined to take him down.

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53

© Martin Falbisoner (1978-), Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Always Keep A-Hold of Nurse by Hilaire Belloc

In this ‘Cautionary Tale’, we hear what happened when naughty Jim gave his nurse the slip.

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54

© Auckland Museum, Wikimedia COmmons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Picking on Cotton by William Lecky

The politicians of Georgian England went to surprising lengths to shield domestic businesses from overseas competition.

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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.
The Gallipoli Landings : By 1915, the Allies were struggling to break through Germany’s Western Front, and so began looking for another line of attack.
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.
The Day of Resurrection : An eighth-century hymn of the Greek Church, for Easter Day
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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