The Copybook

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

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1537

By Nathaniel Dance-Holland (1735–1811), via the National Trust and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Clive of India by Clay Lane

Robert Clive helped to establish a lasting bond between India and Britain, laying the foundations of modern India.

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1538

Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image.

The Calendar ‘English Style’ by Clay Lane

An English monk warned of a flaw in the world’s most widely-used calendar.

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1539

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

The Character of Cecil Rhodes by Basil Williams

The ruthless diamond magnate and Prime Minister of the Cape divided opinion in his own lifetime as he still does today.

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1540

© xlandfair, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image.

The Anglo-Zanzibar War by Clay Lane

It lasted barely forty minutes, but it brought slavery to an end in the little island territory.

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1541

By George W. Joy (1844-1925), via Wikimedia Commons.

The Siege of Khartoum by Clay Lane

General Gordon’s death was a sensation and a scandal in its day.

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1542

© David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot by Clay Lane

Only an anonymous tip-off prevented England losing her sovereignty as well as her King.

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

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 10 NS

April 27 OS

Merchants of Muscovy : In 1553, Richard Chancellor set out on a perilous voyage to Russia in order to bypass the Hanseatic League’s customs union.
The Causes of the Indian Mutiny : Incompetence, arrogance and some mischievous propaganda all conspired to throw India into chaos.
A Thousand Commas : Assess the punctuation of this sentence, according to the author’s own principles.
Batter My Heart : John Donne gives God a free hand to do whatever needs to be done.
Window Seat : Describe the view from one of the following vantage points.
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.
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