The Copybook

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

1663

© Erin Clark, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Emperor’s New Clothes Clay Lane

A telling satire on fashionable thinking among the elite.

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1664

© David Corby, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.5.

The Cat’s Wedding Clay Lane

It’s easier to change how you look than to hide who you are.

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1665

© Andy Dolman, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Ape and the Fox Clay Lane

A valuable lesson when dealing with practised liars.

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1666

© Simon, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Goose with the Golden Egg Clay Lane

Don’t get greedy when things are going well.

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1667

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

The Dog and the Bell Clay Lane

Notoriety is often mistaken for fame.

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1668

© Bibi St-Pol, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Debtor and his Pig Clay Lane

There are no lengths to which some people won’t go.

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