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

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679

By John Hoppner (1758–1810).

A Tale of a Garter by William Harrison

Following the Battle of Crécy in 1346, Edward III instituted an order of chivalry in honour of St George, inspired (some said) by something he picked up in the street.

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680

© Richard Webb, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Homeward Bound by St Adamnán

The monks of the monastery on Iona are all keeping the same secret from one another.

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681

© Maigheach-gheal, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

St George and the Dragon by Sabine Baring-Gould

In one of the world’s most popular legends, bold hero St George rides to the rescue of a maiden in distress.

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682

© Espresso Addict, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Bread and Scorpions by Robert Dunlop

In 1846, Daniel O’Connell stood up in the House of Commons to draw attention to the Great Hunger in Ireland, and to plead for a swift response.

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683

© Kgbo, Wikimmedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Battle of Vienna by Colonel John Sobieski

With Christian Europe tearing itself apart over the Protestant Reformation, the Ottoman Turks saw an opportunity for Europe-wide domination.

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684

By Nicholas Chevalier (1828-1902), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Unbroken Amity by John Bright

The Foreign Office had a long tradition of regarding a strong Russian Empire as ‘not in the British interest,’ but John Bright saw only mutual benefit in it.

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© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 29 NS

May 16 OS

The Last Commandment : Anglo-Saxon poet Cynewulf imagines the farewell between Jesus and his Apostles, forty days after his resurrection.
The Fall of Constantinople : Hospitality and sympathy, but no help - the Byzantine Emperor learns a bitter lesson about western diplomacy.
The Royal Oak : In 1680, Samuel Pepys sat down with Charles II to record how, many years before, a bold double-bluff saved the King from Cromwell’s men.
Lost and Found : What would you in these difficult situations?
They Might Not Need Me : Read these lines of verse out aloud.
The Turn : Ben Jonson tells us how we should measure a life well lived.
Music Video : Julius Benedict, Piano Concerto in E flat: II. Andante,
The Character of George Washington : Thomas Jefferson recalls the virtues (and a few faults) of the first US President.
Amen to That : John Bright declared it was time stop fighting wars around the world for ‘British interests’.
Arena : Use these nouns in sentences of at least ten words in length.
Q & A :
Deep Harmony : In the midst of the US Civil War, a simple melody briefly brought the warring factions together.
Thirty Minutes : Describe half an hour in one of these places.
And is there Care in Heaven? : Sir Guyon lies in an enchanted swoon, but he is not without help.
Pirate : For each of these words, suggest others that seem to go with it, and use them to bring a scene to life.
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