Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
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© ceridwen, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Dr Johnson’s cat left James Boswell cold, but the great man himself would do anything to avoid hurting the little fellow’s feelings.
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© Colin Park, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Beneath a clutter of mediaeval legend lies a heartwarming tale of a Russian Prince and his peasant bride.
By JMW Turner (1775-1851), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
A doctor is wondering how to apologise for being drunk on the job, when he receives a letter from his patient.
© Photography pfeffel, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Legend tells how Richard the Lionheart’s favourite singer found where Leopold of Austria had stowed him.
© Jonathan Cardy, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
A conspiracy of European monarchs sought to delay Richard the Lionheart’s homecoming long enough for John to steal his crown.
By Severo Calzetta da Ravenna (1465–1543), via the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
The flamboyant English poet went to extreme lengths to get a refund on an unsatisfactory purchase.