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

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163

By John William Waterhouse (1849-1917), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Koré by John Buchan

Sir Edward Leithen finds himself revising his opinion of the ‘detestable’ Koré Arabin.

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164

© Francesca Grossi, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

To the Last I Grapple With Thee by Herman Melville

Ahab, his mind broken by an obsession, at last confronts the enemy he has hunted so long.

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165

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

An Invasion of Privacy by Dorothy L. Sayers

Perhaps European harmonisation would make life easier, but that would be only the beginning.

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166

By Friedrich Graetz, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Brigands and Imbeciles by John Bright

John Bright dismissed fears that digging a tunnel under the English Channel would encourage a French invasion.

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167

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

Out of Reach by Homer

Odysseus recalls meeting Tantalus and Sisyphus, for whom relief was everlastingly beyond their grasp.

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168

By Mary Beale (?-1699), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ? Public domain.

Robinson Crusoe Goes to Sea by Daniel Defoe

Hours after running away to sea, Robinson Crusoe was sorry he ever left home.

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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.
Filioque : It started as an honest mistake, became a diplomatic standoff, and brought down an Empire.
The Return of King Charles II : Almost nine years after Oliver Cromwell’s army drove him from England, King Charles II returned at their invitation, and John Evelyn was there to see it.
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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