Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
By James Lonsdale (1777-1839), via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: ? Public domain.
Sir Philip Francis told the House of Commons that it must not let ministers manufacture crises as an excuse for grabbing more power.
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By Daderot, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Scottish scholar and clergyman Gilbert Burnet sets before us a picture of a King who was something of a Solomon in his virtues and his vices.
© Olga Burda, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Cynewulf encourages his listeners to remain committed to the Christian life, by reminding them of the reward that awaits them.
Emily Beatrice Bland (1864-1951), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The lives of men are like voyages across stormy seas, but we no longer have to sail them as if they were uncharted waters.
In April 1653, Oliver Cromwell learnt that Parliament was planning to prevent him from packing the Commons with yes-men.
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Licence: Public domain.
Shortly before Easter, an ivory box went missing from the gifts presented at the shrine of St Cuthbert.