Minis
Mini Copy Book

Each post in this section is a short précis (summary) of a passage in The Copy Book. All of them are in modern English. They are intended for students of English as a Foreign Language at Elementary Level.

Lives of the Saints

Sign of Deliverance

While the besieged citizens of Novgorod huddled for protection in the city gaol, Archbishop John remained in his cathedral to pray.

Length: 114 words

William Shakespeare

Green for Jealousy

The scheming Iago warns Othello against falling victim to jealousy.

Length: 51 words

Stuart Era

The Ghosts of Edgehill

The first battle of the English Civil War was a cautious affair, but rumours persisted that it went on long after it had finished.

Length: 59 words

Lives of the Saints

The Theotokos of Vladimir

It is one of the world’s most recognisable works of art, and a symbol of God’s blessing on all Christian Rus’.

Length: 111 words

Aesop of Samos

The Fir and the Bramble

A vain fir is stopped short in her boasting by a clear-thinking bush.

Length: 58 words

Exeter Book

The Silent Hall

An unknown Anglo-Saxon poet shares with us the grief of those whose homes and feast-halls were laid waste by Viking raiders.

Length: 111 words