Chapter 3 of 1601 is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of 1601 is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old. She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth. This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old. Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49. Beaumont at the time was 17, not 16.
Chapter 3 of 1601 is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
United States surgeon remembered for his studies of digestion (1785-1853)
From this reading “Beaumont at the time was 17, not 16.”
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.”
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading “At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.”
English dramatist and poet who was the first real poet laureate of England (1572-1637)
From this reading “Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.”
English courtier (a favorite of Elizabeth I) who tried to colonize Virginia; introduced potatoes and tobacco to England (1552-1618)
From this reading “Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading “Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beaumont at the time was 17, not 16.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beaumont at the time was 17, not 16.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
United States surgeon remembered for his studies of digestion (1785-1853)
From this reading Beaumont at the time was 17, not 16.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
English dramatist and poet who was the first real poet laureate of England (1572-1637)
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Beaumont at the time was 17, not 16.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
author of satirical attacks on medieval scholasticism (1494-1553)
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
English courtier (a favorite of Elizabeth I) who tried to colonize Virginia; introduced potatoes and tobacco to England (1552-1618)
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
term of address for a man
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Among those in the party were Shakespeare, at that time 37 years old; Ben Jonson, 27; and Sir Walter Raleigh, 49.
at the time that
From this reading This might have been possible as Rabelais died in 1552, when the Queen was 19 years old.
a late time of life
From this reading At this time (1601) Queen Elizabeth was 68 years old.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading She speaks of having talked to “old Rabelais” in her youth.
Chapter 3 of 1601 by Mark Twain holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 3 holds 150 sentences of 1601, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of 1601 by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading 1601 by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 464 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3190 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3190, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 38 minutes of reading across 93 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through 1601 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of 1601 to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in 1601, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
