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Passages for reading. Read them out aloud. Paraphrase or précis them. Discuss them with friends. Does anything surprise or impress you? How does the author work your feelings? Would you use his words? How would you direct the scene in a movie — and who would your stars be?

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On This Day

Sunday September 8 ns August 26 os

For Church feasts falling on September 8 in the New Style calendar, see The Feast of Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Finding of the Kursk icon.

August 26, 1395 os

Meeting of the ‘Vladimir’ Icon (1)

The Theotokos of Vladimir

It is one of the world’s most recognisable works of art, and a symbol of God’s blessing on all Christian Rus’.

September 8, 1380

The Battle of Kulikovo (1)

Dmitri of the Don

Grand Duke Dmitri of Moscow loosened the grip of the Tartar Horde on the people of Russia, but treachery robbed him of triumph.

by Lucy Cazalet 1870-1956

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International Relations

A Credit to His Country

The diplomat’s task is to see the best in other peoples, not to scold them for their failings.

by François de Callières 1645-1717

Lives of the Saints

The Synod of Whitby

In 664, a council at Whitby decided to align the traditions of the Northumbrian Church with those of Rome and Constantinople.

by John Richard Green 1837-1883

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Lives of the Saints

St Nicholas and the Deadly Gift

The Bishop of Myra’s ceaseless toil to put an end to the worship of Artemis made him some dangerous enemies.

based on a story by Michael the Archimandrite ?9th century

Bible Stories Retold

‘I Will See Thy Face Again No More’

Pharaoh dismisses Moses’s embassy for the last time, and Moses prepares the Israelites for a hasty departure.

Liberty and Prosperity

War is Such a Taxing Business

Sydney Smith warned ordinary Americans that encouraging the hawks in Washington would cost them more than blood.

by Sydney Smith 1771-1845

Tudor Era

Hector’s Cloak

When the Rising of the North went all wrong in 1569, rebel leader Thomas Percy turned to trusted ally Hector of Harlaw for help.

by George Carleton 1559-1628

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Selected Authors

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Alfred, Lord Tennyson

King Arthur’s Last Request

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford

On Thin Ice

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Fact-Lovers

William Cullen Bryant

Statesman vs Politician

Frédéric Bastiat

The Broken Window

Thomas Babington Macaulay

Roses and Poor-Rates

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Selected Topics

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Bible and Saints

Tales from the Bible, including the parables of Jesus and the story of Esther, and miracles from the lives of saints, such as our own Cuthbert the Wonderworker.

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Extracts from Fiction

Romance, adventure and comedy from the very best fiction writers, including Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, John Buchan, and many more.

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Railways

Stories about the British transport revolution that changed the world, from the first locomotive and the first whistle to Flying Scotsman.

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Free Speech and Conscience

Passages defending the right and obligation of every citizen to judge whatever is good and true, and to talk back to those who govern him.

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Classical History

Tales of tragedy, ambition and heroism from the Battle of Marathon and Hannibal’s passage of the Alps to Caesar’s fateful crossing of the Rubicon.

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France

Stories about our friends across the Channel, from Roman times to the Hundred Years’ War, her bloody Revolution, and the giddying rise and fall of Emperor Napoleon.

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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature