The Copybook

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

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KJV Bible

697

© Roy Parkhouse, Geograph. Licence CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Character of the Conqueror from The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle looks back on the reign of King William I.

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698

© Jungpionier, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Hugh Hammer-King by Sabine Baring-Gould

Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln, was kind to children and animals but Kings merited firmer handling.

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699

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

One Man and his Dog by Edmund Lockyer

English explorer Major Edmund Lockyer tries to buy a puppy in Queensland, but ends up paying the owner to keep him.

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700

By Paul Sandy, via Wikimedia-Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Virtue in Rags and Patches by Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens explains to the young men of Boston MA what it is that motivates him to write.

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701

Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

‘To the Heights!’ by Clay Lane

St Gregory Palamas struggled all his life to stand up for the principle that the Bible means what it says.

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702

© Valeria23, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 Romania.

The Beautiful Side of the Picture by Sabine Baring-Gould

Heathen prince Boris I of Bulgaria (r. 852–889) commissioned St Methodius to paint an impressive scene for his palace walls.

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© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 7 NS

April 24 OS

The Grand Embassy : A young Peter the Great of Russia toured Europe seeking help for his diplomatic, military and architectural plans.
To Make Greece a Nation : A headstrong Irish boy became part of the Greek resistance movement that won independence in 1832.
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.
Hardly : Tone down these bold assertions with ‘hardly’.
The Death of Julius Caesar : When Julius Caesar entered the Senate that day, a note warning him of treachery was clutched in his hand — unread.
Two Letters Home : A German soldier stopped the Great War so he could ask Captain Hulse to post a letter for him.
Smile : Choose adjectives of praise for these nouns, at about the 7/10 level.
The Making of Mark : St Mark wrote his Gospel as a summary of the preaching of St Peter.
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