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

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KJV Bible

691

By J. McNeven, via the V&A Museum and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

An Exhibition of Fair Play by Joseph Paxton

After Joseph Paxton won the competition to design the venue for the Great Exhibition of 1851, he recalled how his rival had helped him.

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692

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

The Cats’ Tea Party by Gertrude Jekyll

Gertrude Jekyll throws a tea party for her nine-year-old niece and some very special guests.

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693

© Ian Capper, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Artist Gardener by Gertrude Jekyll

Gertrude Jekyll explains the difference between a garden and a collection of plants.

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694

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

‘Prove Your Enemies Wrong’ by Colonel the Hon. Aubrey Herbert

Aubrey Herbert MP was called upon to make a speech to Albanians itching to avenge the crimes of neighbouring Montenegro.

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695

By Thomas Eakins(1844-1916), from the Metropolitan Museum of Art via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

A Chess Problem by A. A. Milne

Milne felt that chess was a game deserving of its place in the gallery of sports, but also that it had a drawback.

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696

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

The Wolf, the Fox and the Monkey by Clay Lane

A Wolf and a Fox go to court over a petty theft, but they have a hard time getting the Judge to believe them.

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© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 10 NS

April 27 OS

Merchants of Muscovy : In 1553, Richard Chancellor set out on a perilous voyage to Russia in order to bypass the Hanseatic League’s customs union.
The Indian Mutiny : The Indian Mutiny began with a revolt among disgruntled soldiers, and ended with the making of the British Raj.
A Thousand Commas : Assess the punctuation of this sentence, according to the author’s own principles.
Batter My Heart : John Donne gives God a free hand to do whatever needs to be done.
Window Seat : Describe the view from one of the following vantage points.
Repeat Offender :
In Two Minds : Join these ideas together to a form a single sentence, in at least two different ways.
The First Traffic Lights : The busy crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament was the testing ground for a new technology.
Good Companions : Explain what these wise classical authors are telling us.
The Rule of the Road : Being a free citizen doesn’t mean that everyone else has to get out of your way.
Blind Courage : George Santayana reprimanded politicians and military men who thought war was good for the country’s soul.
Patience : Make a single sentence out of these three ideas.
The Angel Cried : A hymn sung in the weeks after Easter, imagining how Gabriel brought the news of Christ’s resurrection to Mary.
She was a Phantom of Delight : Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.
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