The Copybook

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

535

© John Sutton, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.

Ranji’s Revenge by W. G. Grace

Cricketing legend W. G. Grace tells a story illustrating how fellow-batsman K. S. Ranjitsinhji set about winning the hearts of English cricketers.

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536

© Pavan Kumar N, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 Generic.

Snake Eyes by Rudyard Kipling

Rikki-tikki-tavi had never met a cobra before, but when the first thrill of fear had passed he knew what he must do.

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537

By George Cruikshank (1792–1878), from the Bodleian Libraries via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Bungling Tinkers! by Sir Sidney Low

Sir Sidney Low blamed the recent catalogue of war and revolution on out-of-touch diplomats who had tried to hammer the peoples of Europe into artificial unity.

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538

© Jean Housen, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

St John of Konitsa by Clay Lane

Hassan slipped across to Ithaca because it was in British hands and the Turkish authorities on the Greek mainland must not know what he was going to do.

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539

© Layanna (artist), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dick Whittington and his Cat by Clay Lane

After Mr Fitzwarren took away Dick’s cat, even the charms of Alice Fitzwarren were not enough to keep him in that house another day.

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540

© Lonpicman, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Mirror of Charity by Richard Grafton

Richard Grafton bids us gaze on the likeness of Sir Richard Whittington, who should be an example to civic dignitaries everywhere.

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Clay Lane The Copybook
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© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

April 23 NS

April 10 OS

A Tale of a Garter : Following the Battle of Crécy in 1346, Edward III instituted an order of chivalry in honour of St George, inspired (some said) by something he picked up in the street.
Christ is Risen! : Felicia Skene recalls the Easter celebrations on one emotionally-charged night in Athens
Approachable : Replace the verb ‘can’ with these alternatives, and explain how the meaning of the sentence has changed.
The First Easter : In a translation from the Authorized Version of the Bible, published in 1611, St Mark recounts the discovery of Christ’s empty tomb.
A Collect for Easter Day : A short prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, for the day of Christ’s resurrection.
The Gambler : Which well-known expression is Dr Johnson talking about here?
If I Had But Two Little Wings : Samuel Taylor Coleridge holds on to those precious moments when loneliness is a problem for tomorrow.
Red Eye : Reconstruct the speaker’s original words from these reports.
Responsible : Combine each group of ideas into a single sentence, in as many ways as you can.
Opposites : Suggest words that seem opposite in meaning to the words in this list.
Three of a Kind : For each of these things, think of three different varieties of it.
The Son of God Goes Forth to War : A hymn in praise of St Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
Peace Plan : Report this brief exchange between Anna and M. Pierre and Tolstoy’s War and Peace
Metaphors : Choose one of these words and use it metaphorically, not literally.
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