The Copybook

Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.

451

© Markoz, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

An Unsuitable Job for a Bishop William Camden

Richard the Lionheart told Philip, the martial Bishop of Dreux, to decide whether he was a bishop or a knight.

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452

© Joecoolandcharlie, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The King Who Would Not Turn His Back William Camden

When Richard I heard that the town of Verneuil in Normandy was under threat, he made a vow that few could be expected to take so literally.

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453

© Sujayadhar, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Lessons of Empire W. Somerset Maugham

The British Empire’s hostile breakup with India should have taught everyone two things: money cannot buy love, and power does not command respect.

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454

By Franz Seraph von Lenbach (1836-1904), via the National Portrait Gallery and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Verdict of History John Acton, 1st Baron Acton

Two of the Victorian Age’s most distinguished historians locked horns over the question of whether historians should be nice.

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455

By W. and D. Downey, via the National Archives of Canada and Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Considerate Queen Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III

When the young Aga Khan visited London in 1898 he was presented to Queen Victoria, and found her cultural sensitivity deeply touching.

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456

© I Love Colour, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Lord Is My Shepherd The Authorized Version

King David expresses his trust in God in terms remembered from his years as a shepherd boy.

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