Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
© Ian Capper, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
An aristocratic statesman was choked with emotion as he reflected on Britain’s creative social mobility.
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© Andrew Bowden, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
What George Stephenson was to the railways of England, Sandford Fleming was to the railways of Canada.
Photo by Henry Lenthall (1819-1897), from the Library of Congress via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Benjamin Disraeli did not make a promising start to his Parliamentary career - but he did start with a promise.
© Sarah G. Perun, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Two noble youths of ancient Thebes fall for the same princess.
© Pashadizel, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
The great Dr Johnson argues that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
© Mstyslav Chernov, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Two frantic parents implore St Nicholas’s help in rescuing their baby boy.