The Copybook

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

1285

© Michael E. Cumpston, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Duel Charles Dickens

Sir Mulberry Hawk’s coarse conduct towards Kate Nickleby has awoken a spark of decency in Lord Frederick Verisopht.

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1286

© Tony Esopi, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Heracles and the Augean Stables Clay Lane

Heracles shows his capacity for thinking outside the box, but spoils it by trying to be just a little bit too clever.

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1287

By Konstantin Korovin (1861-1939), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Merchants of Muscovy Clay Lane

In 1553, Richard Chancellor set out on a perilous voyage to Russia in order to bypass the Hanseatic League’s customs union.

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1288

© Гондарева Илга (Ilga Gondareva), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Not a Scratch! Clay Lane

Hapless extremists try to wipe out a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary.

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1289

Via Wikimedia Commons.

Wellington’s Secret Samuel Smiles

The future hero of Waterloo dealt with political ambush as comfortably as he dealt with the military kind.

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1290

© Jakub-Hałun, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

A True Gentleman of Verona Samuel Smiles

A young man from the Italian city on the Adige River demonstrates that class has nothing to do with wealth.

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