The Copybook

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

241

By George Townshend (1724-1807), via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ? Public domain.

Pontiac’s War Duncan A. McArthur

Following the disastrous Seven Years’ War, France agreed to quit Canada and leave it to the British, which was not at all what the local tribesmen wanted.

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242

By an anonymous photographer, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Hudson Bay Duncan A. McArthur

Canada’s Hudson Bay has been a cause of war and an engine of prosperity, but long before that it was the scene of cold treachery.

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243

Abigail Brodsky, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Abduction of Tarzan Edgar Rice Burroughs

John Clayton, a British colonial official lost in the African jungle, is caught unawares by Kerchak, the gorilla.

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244

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

The Boldness of Junius Mauricus Pliny the Younger

Pliny admired Julius Mauricus because he spoke his mind, and Emperor Nerva because he let him.

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245

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

A Ransom of Iron Anonymous (‘A. H.’)

When Brennus the Gaul broke through the gates of Rome, Marcus Furius Camillus was far away in exile.

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246

By Francesco de’ Rossi (1510–1563), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

An Execrable Crime Anonymous (‘A. H.’)

Marcus Furius Camillus knew he must make the Falisci submit to Rome, but the method one man proposed was more than he could stomach.

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