The Copybook

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

97

© Karl and Ali, Geograph. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Then Hate Me When Thou Wilt by William Shakespeare

If he is going to drop him, the embattled poet would prefer his friend to get on with it.

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98

© Number 10, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Ministerial Myopia by Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke

We all want our politicians to be clever men, but being cunning isn’t the same as being wise.

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99

© Tom Parnell, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

A Most Successful Holiday by A. G. Gardiner

The best holidays are the ones that make us long for home.

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100

Photo by W. & D. Downey, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0.

The Object of a Liberal Education by Thomas Henry Huxley

Thomas Huxley believed that if schools did not ground their pupils in common sense, life’s examinations would be painful.

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101

By Edward Ardizzone, via Wikimedia Commons. ? Public domain, or ? IWM Non Commercial Licence.

Laughter in the House by Sir Philip Sidney

Sir Philip Sidney reminded comedians that when the audience is laughing they aren’t necessarily the better for it.

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102

By Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Heracles and Omphale by E. M. Berens

As penance for involuntary manslaughter, Heracles was sentenced to slavery under the playful rod of Omphale, Queen of Lydia.

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May 1 NS

April 18 OS

Flying Scotsman : In 1928, a train service linking London and Edinburgh became the world’s longest non-stop run.
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.
Zheng He and the Rise of Malacca : Malacca became a refuge from the overbearing empires of the Far East, thanks to a celebrated Chinese admiral.
Confusables : Compose sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between these words.
Jill and I : Include yourself in these sentences about Jill.
Saddled : Use these words in sentences, and see if you can use one of them as a verb.
Russia’s Heroic Stand : In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.
Approachable : Replace the verb ‘can’ with these alternatives, and explain how the meaning of the sentence has changed.
The First Easter : In a translation from the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, St Mark recounts the discovery of Christ’s empty tomb.
A Collect for Easter Day : A short prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, for the day of Christ’s resurrection.
The Gambler : Which well-known expression is Dr Johnson talking about here?
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