Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
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By Rock Brothers and Payne (London), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Richard Cobden wondered how the architects of the British Empire had the nerve to accuse Russia of imperialism.
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Via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
American journalist and poet WC Bryant numbered Richard Cobden MP among the world’s statesmen, not our politicians.
Rowland Hill calculated that a lower, flatter rate of postage would not only make the public better off and better read, but increase the Revenue.
By an Anonymous artist (1816), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The night before the Comte de Lavalette was to be executed, his wife Émilie came to visit him with a proposal that left him speechless.
© Oscar Sir Avendaño (artist), Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
The fandango is Spain’s most alluring national dance, and the story goes that even the most solemn clergyman could not resist it.
© James Petts, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
In the family of Samuel Pepys, the Feast of the Epiphany was kept with music, cake and quaint traditions.