The Copybook

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

589

By Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

‘Tremblingly Obey!’ by Jawaharlal Nehru

Following a historic embassy in 1792-93, Chien Lung, the Emperor of China, despatched a haughty letter rebuffing King George III’s offer of trade.

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590

By William Alexander (1767–1816), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

A Very Rapid Promotion by Aeneas Anderson

Aeneas Anderson, who accompanied Lord Macartney on Britain’s first embassy to China, shared a tale illustrating the Qianlong Emperor’s notion of fair play.

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591

From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan from The Authorized Version

A Jewish man is left for dead by bandits, but help comes from a most unexpected quarter.

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592

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

The Conversion of Norway by Henry Goddard Leach

Kings of Norway educated in England drew on the experience of English clergy to establish Christianity in their own land.

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593

By George Moutard Woodward (1760-1809), from the Bodleian Libraries via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

On Love of Country by Richard Price

Richard Price argued that the true patriot does not scold other countries for being worse than his own; he inspires his own country to be better than it is.

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594

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

My Standard of a Statesman by Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke expressed his frustration at the arrogance of politicians who have no regard for our Constitutional heritage.

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© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 1 NS

April 18 OS

Flying Scotsman : In 1928, a train service linking London and Edinburgh became the world’s longest non-stop run.
Two Letters Home : A German soldier stopped the Great War so he could ask Captain Hulse to post a letter for him.
Smile : Choose adjectives of praise for these nouns, at about the 7/10 level.
The Making of Mark : St Mark wrote his Gospel as a summary of the preaching of St Peter.
Zheng He and the Rise of Malacca : Malacca became a refuge from the overbearing empires of the Far East, thanks to a celebrated Chinese admiral.
Confusables : Compose sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between these words.
Jill and I : Include yourself in these sentences about Jill.
Saddled : Use these words in sentences, and see if you can use one of them as a verb.
Russia’s Heroic Stand : In 1941, with much of the West subdued, Adolf Hitler bent the full force of his hatred on Moscow.
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?
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