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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

From the Archive

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Kings and Queens of England

Henry IV to Henry VI

A quick overview of the Kings of England from Henry IV in 1399 to Henry VI in 1422.

Aesop of Samos

The Bald Lover

A man’s mid-life crisis leaves him a little ... exposed.

based on a fable by Aesop of Samos

Modern History

Revolution and Reaction

John Buchan draws a distinction between political changes brought by violence and those brought by progress.

by John Buchan 1875-1940

Classical History

The Golden Age of Carausius

A Roman commander facing court martial took refuge in politics, and for ten years London was an imperial capital.

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Selected Authors

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Mark Twain

The Grammar of Jays and Cats

Ethel Smyth

The Free-Wheeler

Sir Hubert Parry

A Piacere

Hugh Blair

Order and Method

St Bede of Jarrow

The Consecration of Bishop Cuthbert

Sir Richard Steele

Jibe and Joke

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Selected Topics

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Animal Stories

Fables and true tales about animals, including a dog who regularly commuted to Matlock, a horse who didn’t approve of bad language, and a cat who saved her owners from an earthquake.

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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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India

Stories from the ancient and mighty civilisation of India, from classical mythology to the Mughal Emperors, the East India Company and the British Raj.

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Poets and Poetry

Passages from English verse, from Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf to Shakespeare’s sonnets, Tennyson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, Kipling’s If and many more.

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International Relations

Britain has always demanded respect, open seas, and to be left in peace to ‘work out our own salvation’ — a courtesy we should extend to others.

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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