The Copybook: Readings in history and literature

37

The Greeks, the Governor and the Potatoes by Clay Lane

John Kapodistrias had an instinct for how a long-oppressed people might think.

38

Xerxes Scourges the Hellespont by Herodotus

The Persian King felt that a lord of his majesty should not have to take any nonsense from an overgrown river.

39

The Fall of Constantinople by Clay Lane

Hospitality and sympathy, but no help - the Byzantine Emperor learns a bitter lesson about western diplomacy.

40

The Bishop’s Gambit by Clay Lane

The mayor and bishop of Zakynthos went to extraordinary lengths to protect the most vulnerable people of their island.

41

‘Stand out of my Sunshine!’ by Plutarch

Alexander the Great dropped a hint to his sycophantic entourage.

42

Kipling and ‘Agamemnon’ by Clay Lane

Both Rudyard Kipling and the Royal Navy saw Greek sovereignty as a universal symbol of freedom.

Greece