Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

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397

A Step Up for Captain Raleigh

When young Walter Raleigh first came to the court of Queen Elizabeth I he had little more than his wardrobe in his favour, and he wore it wisely.

398

No Platform

Fiery young attorney Thomas Erskine stood up in the House of Commons to denounce a bill aiming to silence critics of the Government.

399

The Length of a Horse

Unlike some of his fellows in Westminster, Scottish statesman Henry Dundas made no attempt to make himself sound more ‘English’.

400

Proverbs of the Northmen

Among the oldest surviving fragments of Norse poetry are some lines of rugged common sense which any age would do well to heed.

401

The Wreck of the ‘Dutton’

Sir Edward and Lady Pellew were on their way to a dinner engagement one stormy day, when their carriage was caught up in tragedy at sea.

402

What to Do With a Glove Full of Angels

Henry VIII and his mistress Anne Boleyn were disappointed once again in their hopes of catching Thomas More with his fingers in the till.