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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

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Abolition of Slavery

Somerset’s Case

After James Somerset was loaded onto a British slave-ship bound for Jamaica, Granville Sharp and other committed Christians turned to the courts for justice.

by Prince Hoare 1755-1834

Tudor Era

Jane Seymour

It was a bitter moment for Anne Boleyn when she saw that what she herself had done to poor Catherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour was about to do to her.

by Thomas Fuller 1608-1661

Lives of the Saints

St Edith’s Rebuke

King Canute could not believe that his hard-living predecessor Edgar could father a saint.

by Goscelin of Canterbury fl. 1060-1107

French Revolution

The Glorious First of June

Admiral Lord Howe battered a French fleet far out in the Atlantic, and helped prevent the spread of bloody revolution.

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Selected Authors

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Richard Cobden

Pot and Kettle

John Buchan

Dead Man Walking

William Ewart Gladstone

A Spirit of Self-Reliance

William Cullen Bryant

Statesman vs Politician

Mandell Creighton

Unsuitable for Export

William Wordsworth

It is a Beauteous Evening

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Selected Topics

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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.

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Free Speech and Conscience

Passages defending the right and obligation of every citizen to judge whatever is good and true, and to talk back to those who govern him.

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Russia

Stories from our cousins in the East, from Rurik the Viking and the Baptism of Rus’ to trade with Ivan the Terrible, a visit from Peter the Great, and the last Emperor.

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Extracts from Fiction

Romance, adventure and comedy from the very best fiction writers, including Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, Charles Dickens, John Buchan, and many more.

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Sport and Sportsmen

Stories from the world of cricket, football and other sports, and the men and women who have played them.

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Discovery and Invention

Tales of scientific innovation and merchant enterprise, from steam power and life-saving medicines to new trade partners far away, and new ways to reach them.

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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature