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.

Tudor Era

Hector’s Cloak

When the Rising of the North went all wrong in 1569, rebel leader Thomas Percy turned to trusted ally Hector of Harlaw for help.

Length: 116 words

Northumberland

Crowley’s Crew

The blacksmiths of Crowley’s ironworks in Winlaton and Swalwell took it upon themselves to regulate prices in the markets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Length: 96 words

Discovery and Invention

Guns and Chaldrons

In 1770, agriculturist Arthur Young published his diary of a six-month tour of the north of England, which included a visit to the coalfields and ironworks of the Tyne.

Length: 114 words

Stuart Era

Traveller’s Check

A much-travelled Spanish visitor amazes an English audience with his tales of wonder overseas, until he is brought up short by his servant.

Length: 60 words

Poets and Poetry

The Candidate

William Cowper’s peace was shattered by the arrival of a Parliamentary candidate doorstepping his Buckinghamshire constituents.

Length: 116 words

Poets and Poetry

A Kitten’s Jest

In ‘Familiarity Dangerous,’ poet William Cowper tells a little tale warning that if you join in the game you play by the rules.

Length: 59 words