The Copybook

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

1495

By Kamil Isik, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

St Nicholas and the Golden Dowry Clay Lane

Nicholas used his inheritance to help three vulnerable girls escape a life of exploitation.

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1496

By Edmund Blair Leighton (1852-1922), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image.

Are Women more faithful than Men? Jane Austen

A touchy subject, especially when your lover is listening in.

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1497

© Colin Smith, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Fanny Comes Home Jane Austen

Fanny Price, eight years after being adopted by her wealthy uncle and aunt, has gone back home for the first time, full of anticipation.

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1498

© Brian Robert Marshall, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

The Dove and the Flame Elfric of Eynsham

Elfric, Abbot of Eynsham in the reign of Æthelred the Unready, reflects on two appearances of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.

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1499

From Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image.

The Character of Horatio Lord Nelson The Revd Alexander Scott

High praise from someone who knew him better than most.

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1500

By Godfrey Kneller (1646–1723), via the Scottish National Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The ‘Glorious Revolution’ of 1688 Clay Lane

King James II was forced off the throne in favour of his daughter Mary, and a new English constitution was born.

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