Chapter 4 of Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
13. ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast? The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’ 14. He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
Chapter 4 of Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular is here in full — 387 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
the top edge of a vessel or other container
From this reading “He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’”
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’”
plural of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’”
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?”
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading “He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’”
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading “He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’”
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading “He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’”
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 13.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 14.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
the top edge of a vessel or other container
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
a young person of either sex
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
plural of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
not any; not one
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading He sayes, ‘Sees thou yonder water, Ellen, That fflowes from banke to brim?’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Ride softlye,’ shee said, ‘Child Watters: Why do you ryde soe ffast?
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading The child, which is no mans but yours, My bodye itt will burst.’
Chapter 4 of Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular by Frank Sidgwick holds 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 4 holds 387 sentences of Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular by Frank Sidgwick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 387 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 4 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 Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular by Frank Sidgwick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3440 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20469 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20469, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 286 minutes of reading across 688 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular 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 Ballads of Romance and Chivalry Popular, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
