The Copybook

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

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1525

Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Third Siege of Missolonghi by Clay Lane

The cruelty of the Ottoman Turks so shocked Europe that the tide of opinion turned against them.

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1526

© Jon Thomson, Wikimedia Commons. Licence CC-BY-SA 2.0.

How Alfred Burnt the Cakes by Charlotte Yonge

A popular tale of scorched cakes and a scolded king.

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1527

© Martpan, Wikimedia Commons. Licence CC-BY-SA 3.0.

The Gift Thrice Given by Clay Lane

A story about William the Conqueror’s father, Robert the Magnificent.

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1528

© Alex Saunier, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0 France.

The Hobbit by Clay Lane

Tolkien’s tale of dragons, magic rings and enchanted gold is one of the masterpieces of English literature.

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1529

From the 15th century Bedford Hours. Via Wikimedia Commons.

David and Bathsheba by Clay Lane

David’s scheme to steal another man’s wife succeeded, but he could not keep his secret from everyone.

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1530

© Graham Horn, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Rule, Britannia! by Clay Lane

‘Rule Britannia’ was a discreet way of telling a German prince what was expected of a British King.

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Clay Lane The Copybook
About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 9 NS

April 26 OS

A Gallant Attempt for the Crown : Only months after kidnapping the Duke of Ormond, Irish radical Thomas Blood was at it again, this time attempting to steal the Crown Jewels.
Russia’s Heroic Stand : In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.
Repeat Offender :
In Two Minds : Join these ideas together to a form a single sentence, in at least two different ways.
The First Traffic Lights : The busy crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament was the testing ground for a new technology.
Good Companions : Explain what these wise classical authors are telling us.
The Rule of the Road : Being a free citizen doesn’t mean that everyone else has to get out of your way.
Blind Courage : George Santayana reprimanded politicians and military men who thought war was good for the country’s soul.
Patience : Make a single sentence out of these three ideas.
The Angel Cried : A hymn sung in the weeks after Easter, imagining how Gabriel brought the news of Christ’s resurrection to Mary.
She was a Phantom of Delight : Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.
Hardly : Tone down these bold assertions with ‘hardly’.
The Death of Julius Caesar : When Julius Caesar entered the Senate that day, a note warning him of treachery was clutched in his hand — unread.
Two Letters Home : A German soldier stopped the Great War so he could ask Captain Hulse to post a letter for him.
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