Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
What were the Scots thinking back in 1290, when they asked King Edward I of England, of all people, to choose them a king?
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By John Charles Maggs (1819–1896), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
On a visit to England in 1782, young German author Karl Philipp Moritz was very excited about riding on an English stage.
© Peter McDermott, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
A contributor to the ‘Annual Review’ shared a flurry of facts about the new Liverpool and Manchester Railway, showing what a blessing it already was.
© Jonathan Billinger, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
When Robert Southey called for a fairer and greener economy, Thomas Macaulay warned that only politicians and bureaucrats would thank him.
By James Walter Chapman-Taylor (1878-1958), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
An unemployed French labourer was amazed when a friend suggested becoming a French master to refined English ladies.
From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
When Lili Dehn was bundled out of the Alexander Palace in the Spring of 1917, Empress Alix reassured her that they would meet again.