Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

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757

The King, the Monkey and the Pea

A warlike king sets out to bag another small kingdom for his realms, but a monkey gets him thinking.

758

Cuthbert and Hildemer’s Wife

Cuthbert’s friend comes asking for a priest to attend his dying wife — so long as it isn’t Cuthbert.

759

Athelstan and the Prince of Norway

Soon after Athelstan became England’s first king, he played a trick on the King of Norway which demanded a reply.

760

Dare to Be Yourself

Samuel Smiles warns us against pursuing popularity for its own sake, saying that it is a kind of cowardice.

761

A Tale Worth All His Fortune

William Cobbett recalls his first taste of classic literature, for which he had to go without his supper.

762

A Change of Heart

An irate coal merchant squares up to the oh-so-righteous gentleman who didn’t like the way he was treating his horse.