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Passages for reading. Read them out aloud. Paraphrase or précis them. Discuss them with friends. Does anything surprise or impress you? How does the author work your feelings? Would you use his words? How would you direct the scene in a movie — and who would your stars be?

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On This Day

Sunday September 8 ns August 26 os

For Church feasts falling on September 8 in the New Style calendar, see The Feast of Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Finding of the Kursk icon.

August 26, 1395 os

Meeting of the ‘Vladimir’ Icon (1)

The Theotokos of Vladimir

It is one of the world’s most recognisable works of art, and a symbol of God’s blessing on all Christian Rus’.

September 8, 1380

The Battle of Kulikovo (1)

Dmitri of the Don

Grand Duke Dmitri of Moscow loosened the grip of the Tartar Horde on the people of Russia, but treachery robbed him of triumph.

by Lucy Cazalet 1870-1956

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International Relations

A Credit to His Country

The diplomat’s task is to see the best in other peoples, not to scold them for their failings.

by François de Callières 1645-1717

Lives of the Saints

The Synod of Whitby

In 664, a council at Whitby decided to align the traditions of the Northumbrian Church with those of Rome and Constantinople.

by John Richard Green 1837-1883

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Poets and Poetry

‘My Shadow’

An enduringly popular poem by the author of ‘Treasure Island’.

by Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1894

Aesop of Samos

The Country Mouse and the Town Mouse

A sophisticated City Mouse went to see his Country cousin, and pitied his simple fare.

as told by Quintus Horatius Flaccus 65-8 BC

International Relations

Misreading Russia

Richard Cobden asked Parliament to make a better effort to understand the Russian mindset.

by Richard Cobden 1804-1865

The Waters of Strife

After more than a month in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula, Moses finds that the Israelites are growing rebellious.

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Selected Authors

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Benjamin Franklin

How I Learnt to Write

Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

Trunk and Disorderly

Sir Hubert Parry

Youth and Age

John Bright

A Dream of Independence

Karl Philipp Moritz

Three Criminal Types

Lewis Carroll

Alice gets an English Lesson

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Selected Topics

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Bible and Saints

Tales from the Bible, including the parables of Jesus and the story of Esther, and miracles from the lives of saints, such as our own Cuthbert the Wonderworker.

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Character and Conduct

Stories illustrating noble deeds in matters both great and small, such as the noble gesture of Sir Philip Sidney, and the determination of Benjamin Disraeli.

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Sport and Sportsmen

Stories from the world of cricket, football and other sports, and the men and women who have played them.

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Greece

Tales about the cradle of Western civilisation, from Socrates and the first democracies to the fall of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman yoke, and Britain’s part in the fight for independence.

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Discovery and Invention

Tales of scientific innovation and merchant enterprise, from steam power and life-saving medicines to new trade partners far away, and new ways to reach them.

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International Relations

Britain has always demanded respect, open seas, and to be left in peace to ‘work out our own salvation’ — a courtesy we should extend to others.

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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature