Chapter 17 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What insolence is this? Unhand the man! Methinks his habit should beget respect. +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp. Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
Chapter 17 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading “Methinks his habit should beget respect.”
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading “+Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.”
the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties
From this reading “What insolence is this?”
third-person singular of “lurk” — lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
From this reading “Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.”
plural of “shape” — any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading “Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.”
evading duty or work by pretending to be incapacitated
From this reading “+Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.”
a colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid
From this reading “+Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.”
catch sight of
From this reading “+Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.”
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.
In this reading “+Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.”
In this reading “Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading Methinks his habit should beget respect.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
an established custom
From this reading Methinks his habit should beget respect.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Methinks his habit should beget respect.
a sacred place of pilgrimage
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties
From this reading What insolence is this?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What insolence is this?
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
third-person singular of “lurk” — lie in wait, lie in ambush, behave in a sneaky and secretive manner
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Unhand the man!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Methinks his habit should beget respect.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
a human being
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading Methinks his habit should beget respect.
plural of “shape” — any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Methinks his habit should beget respect.
evading duty or work by pretending to be incapacitated
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
a colloid that has a continuous liquid phase in which a solid is suspended in a liquid
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
catch sight of
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Unhand the man!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What insolence is this?
remove the hand from
From this reading Unhand the man!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading +Sol.+ My lord, we guess he is some spy, he came Skulking from th' enemy's camp.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What insolence is this?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Pray, guard Your person; mischief often lurks in shapes As holy.
Chapter 17 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 by Robert Dodsley holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 by Robert Dodsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 by Robert Dodsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8127 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49422 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49422, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 13 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 13, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
