Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© François Bernardin, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
In 6th century France, a faithful kitchen servant sold himself into slavery to rescue a kidnapped boy.
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© Tom Pennington, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
John Goodricke’s observations of Algol won him the Copley Medal while still in his teens, despite his disability.
© Erin Clark, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
A telling satire on fashionable thinking among the elite.
© David Corby, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.5.
It’s easier to change how you look than to hide who you are.
© Andy Dolman, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
A valuable lesson when dealing with practised liars.
© Simon, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.
Don’t get greedy when things are going well.