The Copybook

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

955

By James Gillray (1756-1815), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Fact-Lovers Ralph Waldo Emerson

American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson saw the demand for hard evidence as a peculiarly English trait.

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956

© Stephen Richards, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Dead Man Walking John Buchan

Richard Hannay was finding life in London a little slow until a self-confessed dead man walked into his rooms.

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957

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

Wellington’s Cook William Howitt

The hero of Waterloo needed all his men to believe in him that day, but none believed in him more than his cook.

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958

© Alessandro57, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Life-Giving Spring Clay Lane

An obscure officer in the Roman Army gains a dizzying promotion after performing a simple act of kindness.

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959

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

Serjeant Munday William Howitt

William Howitt had some advice for Victorian tourists hoping for an authentic experience at the battlefield of Waterloo.

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960

© jmc4 - Church Explorer, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Consecration of Bishop Cuthbert St Bede of Jarrow

Cuthbert would not go to King Ecgfrith, so King Ecgfrith and his entire court had to go to Cuthbert.

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