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A Thorny Path — Complete
A Thorny Path — Complete

Chapter XXXI · Chapter 31

Chapter 31 of A Thorny Path — Complete is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/60 · 5 lines
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On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.
They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.
He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.
There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.
But Caesar had spoken, and there was no gainsaying his orders.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Thorny Path — Complete

Chapter XXXI · Chapter 31

Chapter 31 of A Thorny Path — Complete is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.
Line 2
They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.
Line 3
He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.
Line 4
There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.
/ðer wɑːz nɑːt wʌn huː dɪd nɑːt rəˈɡret hɪz ˈɡoʊɪŋ frʌm əˈmʌŋ ðem/
Line 5
But Caesar had spoken, and there was no gainsaying his orders.

Learner Dictionary

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.

ascent noun US /əˈsent/

an upward slope or grade (as in a road)

From this reading “On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.”

Caesar's noun US /ˈsiːzərz/

possessive form of “caesar” — conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)

From this reading “On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.”

centurion noun US /senˈtʊriən/

(ancient Rome) the leader of 100 soldiers

From this reading “They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.”

file verb US /faɪl/

record in a public office or in a court of law

From this reading “They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.”

grouped adjective US /ɡruːpt/

arranged into groups

From this reading “They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.”

removal noun US /rɪˈmuːvəl/

the act of removing

From this reading “They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.”

stubborn adjective US /ˈstʌbərn/

tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

From this reading “He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.”

trusty noun US /ˈtrʌsti/

a convict who is considered trustworthy and granted special privileges

From this reading “He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.”

All words in this reading · 74

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

ascentnounUS /əˈsent/

an upward slope or grade (as in a road)

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

awaitingverbUS /əˈweɪtɪŋ/

-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

CaesarnounUS /ˈsiːzər/

conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)

From this reading But Caesar had spoken, and there was no gainsaying his orders.

Caesar'snounUS /ˈsiːzərz/

possessive form of “caesar” — conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

centurionnounUS /senˈtʊriən/

(ancient Rome) the leader of 100 soldiers

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

cleverest

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

commandsnounUS /kəˈmændz/

plural of “command” — an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

comradesnounUS /ˈkɑːmrædz/

plural of “comrade” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

Edessa

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/

a boy or man

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

fileverbUS /faɪl/

record in a public office or in a court of law

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

formedadjectiveUS /fɔːrmd/

having or given a form or shape

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.

gainsaying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading But Caesar had spoken, and there was no gainsaying his orders.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

groupedadjectiveUS /ɡruːpt/

arranged into groups

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

kindlyadjectiveUS /ˈkaɪndli/

showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

leadingadjectiveUS /ˈliːdɪŋ/

indicating the most important performer or role

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

Martialis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading But Caesar had spoken, and there was no gainsaying his orders.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

ordersnounUS /ˈɔːrdərz/

plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed

From this reading But Caesar had spoken, and there was no gainsaying his orders.

praetorians

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

pressurenounUS /ˈpreʃər/

the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

provedadjectiveUS /pruːvd/

established beyond doubt

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

ranknounUS /ræŋk/

a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

regretverbUS /rəˈɡret/

feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about

From this reading There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.

removalnounUS /rɪˈmuːvəl/

the act of removing

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

sadlyadverbUS /ˈsædli/

in an unfortunate way

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

Serapeum

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

soldiernounUS /ˈsoʊldʒər/

an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

spokenadjectiveUS /ˈspoʊkən/

uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination

From this reading But Caesar had spoken, and there was no gainsaying his orders.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

stubbornadjectiveUS /ˈstʌbərn/

tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

trustynounUS /ˈtrʌsti/

a convict who is considered trustworthy and granted special privileges

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading He gave his hand to each one of them in turn, and received a kindly pressure in return; for the stubborn fellow, though not of the cleverest, had proved himself a good soldier, and to many of them a trusty friend.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There was not one who did not regret his going from among them.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading On the wide ascent leading to the Serapeum the praetorians stood awaiting Caesar's commands.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading They had not yet formed in rank and file, but were grouped round the centurion Martialis, who had come to tell them, sadly, of his removal to Edessa, and to take leave of his comrades.

Chapter 31 of A Thorny Path — Complete by Georg Ebers holds 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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.

What does chapter 31 of A Thorny Path — Complete contain?

Chapter 31 holds 301 sentences of A Thorny Path — Complete, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 31 of A Thorny Path — Complete by Georg Ebers exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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.

How do I study chapter 31 of A Thorny Path — Complete?

Work through the 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 61 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.

Can chapter 31 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 31 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.

Questions about reading A Thorny Path — Complete

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Yes. All 9195 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5542 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #5542, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1839 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Thorny Path — Complete

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Thorny Path — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Green
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Screen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Slowly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Covering
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Thorny Path — Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.