The Copybook

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

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67

By George Goodwin Kilburne (1839-1924), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Arthur’s Prayers by Thomas Hughes

On his first night in a school dorm, Arthur dared not do anything without seeking approval — with one exception.

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68

By Thomas Hudson (1701-1779), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Robbery With Respect by Charles Greville

A thief was reluctantly obliged to relieve King George II of his valuables.

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69

© Friedrich Böhringer, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0.

Unfair Competition by Anonymous

Mousetraps are proof of human ingenuity, but also human ingratitude — so Tom does something about it.

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70

By an unknown photographer, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Invictus by W. E. Henley

A memorable poem about triumph over adversity.

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71

© Katie Thebeau, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0 generic.

Tree of Life by Edith Louise Marsh

Jacques Cartier made history and made friends along the St Lawrence, but then threw all that goodwill away.

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72

© Tapas Kumar Halder, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Dilemma by Francis William Bain

Francis Bain’s alternative Adam and Eve story left its own question unanswered.

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About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© 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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