The Copybook

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

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1303

© Colin Davis (CSIRO), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

Huskisson’s Legacy by Samuel Sidney

Samuel Sidney, a Victorian expert on Australian matters, explained how cutting tax and regulation on Britain’s global trade made everyone better off.

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1304

© Andy Mitchell. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Founding of Australia by Clay Lane

Within little more than half a century a British penal colony turned into a prosperous, free-trade democracy.

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1305

Painted by Francis Cotes (1726-1770). Licence: Public domain.

Bear and Forbear by Samuel Smiles

A sympathetic understanding of the trials of other people is essential for getting along.

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1306

Photo by Tamerlan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

St Helen Finds the True Cross by Clay Lane

The mother of the Roman Emperor goes to Jerusalem on a quest close to her heart.

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1307

From the Imperial War Museums collection, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain

How Liberating the Slaves also Clothed the Poor by Clay Lane

The closure of slave plantations following the Abolition of Slavery Act in 1833 had a curious side-effect.

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1308

© Andy F, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Battle of Britain by Clay Lane

Britain’s desperate defence against a much larger, better-prepared military machine was a costly victory.

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About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 22 NS

May 9 OS

The Wars of the Roses : A struggle between rival Royal Houses begins in 1455, after questions are raised about King Henry VI’s capacity to rule.
Kim’s Game : Test your memory with this mental agility game from the pages of Rudyard Kipling.
A Mechanical Miracle : The father of computing believed his machine held the key to some of life’s greatest mysteries.
Essential Nouns : Suggest nouns of essence, such as leadership or supremacy.
The Follies of Youth : RL Stevenson was of the opinion that wrongthink was better than groupthink.
Thick and Thin : Express each of these ideas as a single word.
Break : Explain what each of these common expressions means, and give examples.
Blind Guide : William Wirt recalls an overpowering sermon from a blind man in a little wooden chapel.
It’s All in the Delivery : Aeschines paid tribute to the oratory of his greatest rival — whether he meant to or not.
The Road to Ruin : George Berkeley warned that industry, not financial speculation, was the guarantee of a nation’s wealth.
Signs of Command : Suggest publicly-displayed commands, and say how many of them are sentences.
My Native Notes : Scotsman James Boswell always spoke good English when in England, but he was careful to leave a little Scots in.
Hidden Message : Reveal the hidden message in a letter, and write a coded letter of your own.
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