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Passages for reading. Read them out aloud. Paraphrase or précis them. Discuss them with friends. Does anything surprise or impress you? How does the author work your feelings? Would you use his words? How would you direct the scene in a movie — and who would your stars be?

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On This Day

Sunday September 8 ns August 26 os

For Church feasts falling on September 8 in the New Style calendar, see The Feast of Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Finding of the Kursk icon.

August 26, 1395 os

Meeting of the ‘Vladimir’ Icon (1)

The Theotokos of Vladimir

It is one of the world’s most recognisable works of art, and a symbol of God’s blessing on all Christian Rus’.

September 8, 1380

The Battle of Kulikovo (1)

Dmitri of the Don

Grand Duke Dmitri of Moscow loosened the grip of the Tartar Horde on the people of Russia, but treachery robbed him of triumph.

by Lucy Cazalet 1870-1956

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International Relations

A Credit to His Country

The diplomat’s task is to see the best in other peoples, not to scold them for their failings.

by François de Callières 1645-1717

Lives of the Saints

The Synod of Whitby

In 664, a council at Whitby decided to align the traditions of the Northumbrian Church with those of Rome and Constantinople.

by John Richard Green 1837-1883

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Lives of the Saints

Bread from Heaven

Cuthbert trusted that keeping his promised fast would not do him any harm.

based on an account by St Bede of Jarrow 672-735

Stuart Era

‘London Was, but Is No More!’

The day after the Great Fire of London finally burned itself out, John Evelyn walked through the charred streets.

by John Evelyn 1620-1706

Lives of the Saints

A Tale of Two Springs

The way St Cuthbert found water for his island retreat confirmed that Northumbria’s church was the real thing.

Bible and Saints

The Ox and the Ass

The chill of the night is relieved by the warmth of the beasts in their stalls, prompting Mary and Joseph reflect on the promises of Scripture.

from The York Corpus Christi Pageants fourteenth century

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Selected Authors

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John Stuart Mill

Judicial Iniquity

John Trenchard & Thomas Gibson

Liberty and Prosperity

James Hall Nasmyth

‘Never Let Your Men Look Over the Hedge’

Joseph Addison

Lover’s Leap

William Cowper

The Jackdaw

Adam Smith

No Dog Exchanges Bones with Another

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Selected Topics

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Abolition of Slavery

Heart-breaking tales of slavery, in which Britain played a shameful part; and heart-warming tales of Abolition, in which she played a courageous one.

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France

Stories about our friends across the Channel, from Roman times to the Hundred Years’ War, her bloody Revolution, and the giddying rise and fall of Emperor Napoleon.

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Railways

Stories about the British transport revolution that changed the world, from the first locomotive and the first whistle to Flying Scotsman.

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Sport and Sportsmen

Stories from the world of cricket, football and other sports, and the men and women who have played them.

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The USA

Tales from our cousins to the West, telling of their independence from Britain, their bloody civil war, and their runaway prosperity — and the slender thread by which it hangs.

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Classical History

Tales of tragedy, ambition and heroism from the Battle of Marathon and Hannibal’s passage of the Alps to Caesar’s fateful crossing of the Rubicon.

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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature