Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

← Page 1

19

What to Get the King Who Has Everything

Sir Thomas Roe had some difficulty making an impression on Emperor Jehangir.

20

With Good Intent and Friendly Desire

Ivan the Terrible offered free trade to English merchants throughout his dominions.

21

Why We Study the Classics

Rudyard Kipling believed that a better appreciation of ancient Greece and Rome could help the English be less insular.

22

An Englishman in Exile

Faced with a choice between silence, dungeon or exile, William Cobbett chose exile — and then had to make sense of it.

23

Jenny Kissed Me

Leigh Hunt looks back to a memorable event in a long life.

24

The Man Who Couldn’t Abide Greed

On a money-spinning pilgrimage to Canterbury, a Pardoner says the quiet part out loud.