The Copybook

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

1459

© Rover Car Club of Australia, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

A Nation’s Wealth Richard Cobden

It is not politicians and their policies that create wealth, but the hard work and ingenuity of ordinary people.

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1460

© Nachosan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Clay Lane

A knight issues a bizarre challenge to King Arthur and his court.

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1461

© Jonathan Billinger, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Legend of Beowulf Clay Lane

The oldest surviving heroic legend in English begins with a wild creature of the fens that hunts men for prey.

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1462

© Jorge Royan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

‘God Save the King!’ Clay Lane

The simple melody of the United Kingdom’s national anthem has stirred the souls of some great composers.

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1463

© Eric Jones, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

St Dwynwen Clay Lane

St Dwynwen was a 5th century princess regarded by some as Wales’s answer to St Valentine.

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1464

© No Swan So Fine, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Martyrdom of St Alban Clay Lane

Alban voluntarily swapped places with a priest, and was executed for being a member of a banned religious sect.

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