Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
By Henry Treffry Dunn (1838-1899), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Dr Watson is looking for rooms in London, and an old colleague suggests someone who might be able to help him.
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By William Blake (1757-1827), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
John Stuart Mill reminds us that governments and the courts must never be allowed to criminalise matters of belief or opinion.
By William Beechey (1753-1839), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Charles Dickens sketches for us the shyly ingratiating youth who gets himself in a tangle in the presence of Beauty.
© Imperial War Museums, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The only truly global conflict in history began when German troops crossed into Poland in September 1939.
© Basher Eyre, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
To the poor of England, the Worcestershire man gave affordable pots and pans, and to all the world he gave the industrial revolution.
© ToucanWings, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
After Louis XIV’s grandson Philip inherited the throne of Spain, the ‘Sun King’ began to entertain dreams of Europe-wide dominion.