13

Mrs Sancho’s Barometer

By Ignatius Sancho

Ann Sancho would be in better health, said her husband, if she did not worry quite so much about him.

14

Roses and Poor-Rates

By Thomas Babington Macaulay

When Robert Southey called for a fairer and greener economy, Thomas Macaulay warned that only politicians and bureaucrats would thank him.

15

A Literary Mystery

By Margaret Sprague Carhart

In 1798, ‘Plays on the Passions’ appeared in London bookstores, but no one seemed to know who had written them.

16

A Kind and Gentle Heart

By Samuel Johnson

After Oliver Goldsmith’s landlady lost patience with her cash-strapped tenant, Dr Johnson took charge and a literary classic entered the world.

17

A Highly Polished People

By Sir Stamford Raffles

Stamford Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of Java, urged London to bypass our European partners and trade directly with Japan.

18

Borrowed Tools

By Ethel Smyth

Ethel Smyth encouraged writers to try to find their own words before deciding to borrow someone else’s.