Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
By Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), via the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain image.
‘Rain stopped play’ but it did not stop the ladies of Surrey and Hampshire from finishing their epic struggle at the Newington ground.
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Jean-Baptiste van Loo (1684–1745), via the Heritage Museum (St Petersburg) and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Sir Robert Walpole wasn’t impressed with kind of politician who pursues his own ambitions in the name of serving the country.
© sirpecangum, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
French essayist Voltaire provoked the wrath of his government by explaining how England was superior to every European state including the Roman Empire.
By Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Sir John Eliot told the Commons that what worried him wasn’t the sabre-rattling of foreign leaders, it was incompetence and corruption at home.
By Charles A. Buchel (1872-1950), via the Victoria and Albert Museum and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
With King John dead and the threat of invasion fading, Philip Faulconbridge reflects that the danger within is always greater than the danger without.
© Ad Meskens, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Mr Gradgrind and a Government expert on education make sure that the children of Coketown have the right opinions about everything.