Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© José Luíz, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
A tenth-century Greek monk is joined by a total stranger for Mattins.
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© David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Adam Smith asks employers to pay the most generous wages their finances will allow.
© Pauline E, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Adam Smith encourages employers to restrict working hours to reasonable limits, for humanity and for profit.
By Frederick Richard Pickersgill (1820-1900), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Viola tries to tell Orsino, Duke of Illyria, that his beloved Olivia is not the only woman deserving of his attention.
Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Pubic domain.
Emma tries to reconcile her father to the unaccountable tastes of his nearest and dearest.
© Ian Patterson, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was commissioned by a fiercely independent Britain, and Beethoven was excited to oblige.