The Copybook

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

1627
Mrs Bold’s Thunderclap Anthony Trollope

There comes a point in some relationships when words just aren’t enough.

In the gardens of the Rectory at Ullathorne, the ambitious Mr Slope, chaplain to the Bishop of Barchester, declares his ‘love’ for wealthy widow Mrs Bold.

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1628
There is No Liberty without Self-Control Edmund Burke

Anti-Christian governments don’t make us free, they just impose their own, illiberal morality.

Edmund Burke MP explained to the new secularist French Revolutionaries that if you reject Christian self-control, the government will impose its own morality, and then you won’t be free anymore.

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1629
No Dog Exchanges Bones with Another Adam Smith

How do we get the help of millions of people we don’t know? Only by trade.

For some people, ‘trade’ is synonymous with greed and selfishness but Scottish philosopher Adam Smith (1723-1790) did not think so. However greedy or selfish a businessman may be, if he wants to be successful he must spend at least a little time thinking of others, because no one is going to maintain him in comfort out of pity.

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1630
The Battle of Neville’s Cross Clay Lane

Ralph Neville spoiled David of Scotland’s alliance with France in the Hundred Years’ War

King David II of Scotland tried to help his ally France in the Hundred Years’ War, by knocking boldly on England’s back door. But after he stumbled across Ralph Neville’s defence force in a mist, things went from bad to worse.

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1631
The Tale of Beggar’s Bridge Clay Lane

The proof of Thomas Ferres’s rags-to-riches tale is quite literally written in stone, but popular lore adds some tantalising and romantic detail.

The rags-to-riches story of Thomas Ferres (d. 1631) has blended fact with a good deal of romantic fiction. But Thomas was a real historical figure, and however he came by his wealth, the way he used it to help the poor and vulnerable is deeply moving.

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1632
Black Agnes Dunbar Clay Lane

When Edward III sent the Earl of Salisbury to take her absent husband’s castle, Agnes brushed his attack aside - literally.

In the 14th century, Patrick, ninth Earl of Dunbar, found himself caught between the warring kings of England and Scotland, and survived by frequently changing sides. His wife was made of sterner stuff...

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