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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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Lives of the Saints

Stick and Carrot

The Virgin Mary and her son team up to get the best out of some careless monks.

based on a Byzantine Tradition

Stuart Era

Time Itself Will Ruin Us

Sir John Eliot told the Commons that what worried him wasn’t the sabre-rattling of foreign leaders, it was incompetence and corruption at home.

by Sir John Eliot 1592-1632

The British Constitution

Keeping the Colonies

Peoples of another culture or region will not long tolerate a Government that uses guns and soldiers to secure their obedience.

by John Trenchard 1662-1723 and Thomas Gibson ?-1750

Education

Free to Grow

Edmond Holmes, a former inspector of schools, reported back to the Board of Education on a pioneering system being developed in Italy.

by Edmond Gore Alexander Holmes 1850–1936

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Selected Authors

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William Paley

Who Can Refute a Sneer?

William Shakespeare

If England to Itself Do Rest but True

Frédéric Bastiat

The Broken Window

William Cobbett

Judges’ Wigs

Sydney Smith

War is Such a Taxing Business

John Milton

At a Solemn Musick

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Selected Topics

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Music and Musicians

The artistic struggles and triumphs of composers from the British Isles and abroad, many in their own words — and accompanied by their music.

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Animal Stories

Fables and true tales about animals, including a dog who regularly commuted to Matlock, a horse who didn’t approve of bad language, and a cat who saved her owners from an earthquake.

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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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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.

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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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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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The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature

The Copy Book

Readings in history, society and literature