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.

Anglo-Saxon Era

Fatal Counsel

King Edmund Ironside’s courageous defence of his crown against the invading Danes was undermined by treachery at home.

Length: 109 words

Anglo-Saxon Era

The Battle of Assandun

The invading Danes fought so fiercely that Edmund Ironside, the young English king, threw all caution to the wind.

Length: 115 words

Anglo-Saxon Era

The Duel of the Kings

Edmund Ironside, King of England, and Cnut the Great, King of Denmark, fought hand-to-hand for one of European history’s richest purses.

Length: 117 words

Anglo-Saxon Era

The Murder of Edmund Ironside

Edric’s treason handed the crown of England to Cnut the Great, but Cnut was not so poor a judge of character as to believe that a traitor could be trusted.

Length: 59 words

Biographical Extracts

The Crimes of Mr Pitt

William Pitt was a rising star of British politics in 1741, so much so that Horace Walpole MP felt he needed his wings clipped — an operation fraught with peril.

Length: 109 words

St Bede of Jarrow

Imma’s Bonds

Imma claimed to be a harmless peasant, but there was something about him that Ecgfrith, King of Northumbria, found downright uncanny.

Length: 118 words