Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Carole Raddato, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic.
After the kingdoms of Great Britain were absorbed into the Roman Empire, the promises of prosperity and civilisation came only to a favoured few.
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© Ahala, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic.
Rome’s greedy tax policy in Britain and Gaul left farmers with little to show for their labours but the stripes on their backs.
By Jean-Charles Langlois (fl. 1860s) and Léon-Eugène Méhédin (1828-1905), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
During the Battle of Inkerman in 1854, one of Lord Raglan’s hospital sergeants had a close encounter with a Russian cannonball.
© Vmenkov, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Jonah is sent to Nineveh to decry the wickedness of the city, but the prophet is more worried about his reputation than their cure.
From the Menologion of Basil (11th century), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Jonah grudgingly fulfils his calling to preach repentance in Nineveh, and God tries to make him as comfortable as possible.
By Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Lakshmi and her sister Parvati enlisted the help of the British Resident, Colonel Munro, to steady the Kingdom of Travancore.