The Copy Book

There is No Liberty without Self-Control

Anti-Christian governments don’t make us free, they just impose their own, illiberal morality.

1791

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© Martin, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

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There is No Liberty without Self-Control

© Martin, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0. Source
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Long Ashton Church in Ashton Vale, Bristol, the city where Burke was an MP.

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Introduction

Edmund Burke MP explained to the new secularist French Revolutionaries that if you reject Christian self-control, the government will impose its own morality, and then you won’t be free anymore.

MEN are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites, - in proportion as their love to justice is above their rapacity, - in proportion as their soundness and sobriety of understanding is above their vanity and presumption, - in proportion as they are more disposed to listen to the counsels of the wise and good, in preference to the flattery of knaves.

Society cannot exist, unless a controlling power upon will and appetite be placed somewhere; and the less of it there is within, the more there must be without.

It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things, that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters.

A Letter To A Member Of The National Assembly (1791).

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Word Games

Spinners Find in Think and Speak

For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 Passion. Preference. There.

2 Exact. More. Place.

3 Counsel. Upon. Wise.

Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)

Confusables Find in Think and Speak

In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1. A lot. Much. 2. Council. Counsel. 3. Exact. Precise. 4. Fewer. Less. 5. Hear. Listen. 6. Must. Ought. 7. Their. They’re. 8. There. Their. 9. Unless. Except.

Adjectives Find in Think and Speak

For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..

This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.

1 Moral. 2 Exact. 3 Willing. 4 Loveless. 5 Better. 6 Powerless. 7 Best. 8 Little. 9 Loving.

Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).

High Tiles Find in Think and Speak

Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?

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