The Copybook

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

85

By an anonymous artist, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Three Poems of Po Chu-i Po Chu-i

One of China’s greatest poets reflects on silence, on speech, and on a song in the heart of a friend.

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86

From the Bayeux Tapestry, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Oath of Harold Godwinson Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall

William the Conqueror’s chaplain used to tell this story to those who doubted his master’s claim to the English crown.

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87

By an anonymous artist, 16th century. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Dignities of God and Man Mencius

The honours that come from God and those that come from men need to be put in the right order.

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88

By Jean Froissart (1337-1410), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

The Peasants’ Revolt H. W. Dulcken

In 1381, young King Richard II was faced with a popular uprising against tax rises.

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89

© Udit Kapoor, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Commons Versus the People GK Chesterton

The Peasants’ Revolt was a turning point in the relationship between the people and their elected representatives.

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90

© Peter Jeffery, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Jack Cade’s Revolt Charles Dickens

Jack Cade brought a protest to London with right on his side, but then threw it all away.

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