Chapter 20 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MON. Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how. VAN. Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been? Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
Chapter 20 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 is here in full — 360 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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 “bramble” — any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
From this reading “Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.”
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?”
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “MON.”
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading “Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “VAN.”
the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life
From this reading “Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?”
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.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?
plural of “bramble” — any of various rough thorny shrubs or vines
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading MON.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
with speed
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Look but upon me, thou may'st quickly judge how.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading VAN.
the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life
From this reading Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Among brambles or briars? or spirits, sure, I ween.
in or at the place that
From this reading Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, where the vengeance, where the devil hast thou been?
Chapter 20 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 by Robert [Compiler] Dodsley holds 360 sentences, grouped into 72 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 20 holds 360 sentences of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 by Robert [Compiler] Dodsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 360 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 20 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 Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 by Robert [Compiler] Dodsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10467 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10467, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2104 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08 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 A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 08, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
