Chapter 21 of Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de. Met{ur}.]] ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges. þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man. ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Chapter 21 of Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 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.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading “++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.”
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “Met{ur}.]]”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Met{ur}.]]
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading QUE NAM DISCORS [Sidenote: [The .3^de.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
an ancient city of Sumer located on a former channel of the Euphrates River
From this reading Met{ur}.]]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading þat is to seyne þe coniuncc{i}ou{n} of god {and} of man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ++What discordable cause haþ to-rent {and} vnioigned þe byndyng or þe alliaunce of þinges.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ¶ whiche god haþ establissed so grete bataile bitwixe{n} þise two soþefast or verray þinges.
Chapter 21 of Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" by Boethius holds 390 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 21 holds 390 sentences of Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae", unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" by Boethius exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 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 21 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 600 minutes of reading across 1671 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Choose one of the 21 chapters of Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae" to begin.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosophiae", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
