Chapter 17 of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Valen_. What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies? _Duke_. Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers. What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?
Chapter 17 of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading “What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?”
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading “What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?”
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.”
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading “What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?”
a group of followers or enthusiasts
From this reading “Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.”
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading “Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?”
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading “Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading _Duke_.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
moving swiftly
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
a group of followers or enthusiasts
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?
the force of workers available
From this reading What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?
not any; not one
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?
on one occasion
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What makes thou, on the earth, to murder men?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Valen_.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What, am I a Goddesse That I should fetch their flying soules from heaven And breath them once more in their clay cold bodies?
a female sorcerer or magician
From this reading Thou art a witch, a damn'd sorceresse, No goddesse, but the goddesse of blacke hell, And all those devils thy followers.
Chapter 17 of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 by A. H. (Arthur Henry) [Editor] Bullen holds 381 sentences, grouped into 77 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 17 holds 381 sentences of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 by A. H. (Arthur Henry) [Editor] Bullen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 17 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 A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 by A. H. (Arthur Henry) [Editor] Bullen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10925 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10925, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1680 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4 to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 4, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
