Introduction
In the fifth century, about the time when St Patrick was preaching in Ireland, far away in the Roman Empire’s glorious capital of Constantinople an obscure Roman soldier performed a kindness for a blind man which brought the most rapid promotion one could ever imagine.
ON April 4th, 450, Leo Marcellus, a soldier in the Roman Army, was passing by a grove near the Golden Gate of Constantinople when he saw a blind man stumbling about helplessly. Leo led him gently to a seat, and looked about for water.
As he did so, he heard a lady’s voice say, ‘Go into the grove, Emperor, there is water there.’ He could not see the speaker or any ‘Emperor’, but obeyed and sure enough, found a spring bubbling up. ‘Put a little mud on his eyes’ suggested the voice. Leo complied, and to his lasting wonder the blind man’s sight was restored.
Seven years later, Flavius Ardabur Aspar, who had played puppet-master to the Emperors for thirty years, put Leo on the imperial throne, though Leo cut Aspar’s strings soon after. Among Emperor Leo’s first acts was to build a church at the spring, dedicated to Mary – he realised the voice was hers – and consecrated on the Friday after Easter Day, 457.
Précis
In 450, a Roman soldier in Constantinople went to fetch water for a blind man. As he went, a woman’s voice calling him ‘emperor’ directed him to a spring, which subsequently cured the man’s blindness. Later on, Leo unexpectedly became Roman Emperor, and guessing the voice had been the Virgin Mary’s, he dedicated a church to her on that spot. (60 / 60 words)
In 450, a Roman soldier in Constantinople went to fetch water for a blind man. As he went, a woman’s voice calling him ‘emperor’ directed him to a spring, which subsequently cured the man’s blindness. Later on, Leo unexpectedly became Roman Emperor, and guessing the voice had been the Virgin Mary’s, he dedicated a church to her on that spot.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, if, just, must, otherwise, since, until, who.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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