Chapter 3 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CARISOPHUS. Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves? STEPHANO. He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land. CARISOPHUS.
Chapter 3 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays is here in full — 347 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/69 · 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.
an old form of “does”
From this reading “He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.”
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.”
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading “Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?”
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
plural of “knave” — a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading “Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?”
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.”
not one, and not any
From this reading “He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.”
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading “He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
(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 He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
for the reason that
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CARISOPHUS.
an old form of “does”
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
plural of “knave” — a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
not one, and not any
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading STEPHANO.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Because I am the king’s man: keeps the king any knaves?
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He should not; but what he doth, it is evident by thee, And as far as I can learn or understand, There is none better able to keep knaves in all the land.
Chapter 3 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays by William Carew [Editor] Hazlitt holds 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 3 holds 347 sentences of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays by William Carew [Editor] Hazlitt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 347 sentences, grouped into 70 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 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 70 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.
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About 523 minutes of reading across 1258 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in A Select Collection of Old English Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
