Clay Lane › The Copy Book

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?

More …

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

Recently Added

See all

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

See all

Kings and Queens of England

James I to the Interregnum

A quick overview of the Kings of England from James I in 1603 to the Interregnum in 1651.

British Empire

Three Ages of Empire

Sir Charles Lucas looked back at the role of the Government, the military and private enterprise during three centuries of British adventure overseas.

by Sir Charles Prestwood Lucas 1853–1931

Bible and Saints

The Lord Is My Shepherd

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

from The Authorised Version 1611

Mediaeval History

The Kings of Northumbria

Out of a restless alliance between two 6th century kingdoms came a civilisation that defined Englishness.

See All Posts (1522)

Selected Authors

See all

Ethel Smyth

Borrowed Tools

William Cullen Bryant

Statesman vs Politician

William Cowper

A Kitten’s Jest

Sir Walter Scott

The Blessing of Disguise

Mandell Creighton

The Tale of Robert Tomson

Hugh Blair

Order and Method

See all Posts by Author

Selected Topics

See all

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.

See all (52)

Myths and Legends

Stories of wisdom, wonder and imagination from the Fables of Aesop and the epics of Homer to the folklore of India, Japan, Russia and Britain.

See all (122)

Liberty and Prosperity

Stories from Britain and elsewhere confirming the social and economic benefits of keeping Governments and their cronies out of the trade and business of ordinary people.

See all (170)

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.

See all (27)

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.

See all (36)

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.

See all (41)

See All Topics (A-Z)

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature