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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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Classical History

The Battle of Ynys Mon

Suetonius Paulinus, Governor of Britain, hoped to enhance his reputation.

based on an account by Cornelius Tacitus ?56-?120

British National Character

The Fact-Lovers

American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson saw the demand for hard evidence as a peculiarly English trait.

by Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882

History of Modern Israel

Britain’s Jews

After a thousand years of uneasy cohabitation, Edward I decided that there was no place for Jews in his Kingdom.

Stuart Era

The Furcifer

In the days of King James I, Thomas Coryat visited Italy and came home with an affected Continental habit: eating with a fork.

by Thomas Coryat ?1577-1617

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Selected Authors

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Sir Charles Villiers Stanford

Lion Hunting in Heidelberg

John Buchan

Recognition

William Shakespeare

On Love’s Lips

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Work of Art

Edmund Burke

English Spirit

William Paley

Who Can Refute a Sneer?

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Selected Topics

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Bible and Saints

Tales from the Bible, including the parables of Jesus and the story of Esther, and miracles from the lives of saints, such as our own Cuthbert the Wonderworker.

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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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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.

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India

Stories from the ancient and mighty civilisation of India, from classical mythology to the Mughal Emperors, the East India Company and the British Raj.

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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.

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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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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature