Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Romeneverfell, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Emperor Julian cast off his Christian upbringing to gain the favour of Rome’s pagan gods, but in the heat of battle they deserted him.
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By Charles West Cope (1811–1890), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
John Milton reminded Parliament that the Truth wasn’t what they and their fact-checkers in Stationers’ Hall made it.
© T. L. Thompson, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Hannah Mullens describes her battle to reach out to wealthy Indian ladies with nothing to do, nothing to think about and nowhere to go.
By an anonymous artist, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
When Ambassador Molesworth criticised the government of Christian V, the Danish king cried ‘off with his head!’.
© Vyacheslav Argenberg, WIkimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Jack Pansay has just bought an engagement ring for the bewitching Kitty Mannering, yet to his annoyance it is the late Mrs Wessington he is thinking about.
© S. Woźniak, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
The doorman of a Paris theatre had strict instructions to keep dogs outside, but it was the humans they let in who caused all the trouble.