Chapter 15 of Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus is here in full — 2367 sentences across 474 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus is here in full — 2367 sentences across 474 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[PROHEMIUM.] 1. But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune! That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe. 2.
Chapter 15 of Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus is here in full — 2367 sentences across 474 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/473 · 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.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!”
the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
From this reading “That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.”
a short musical composition with words
From this reading “That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.”
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading “That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.”
a human being; “wight” is an archaic term
From this reading “That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.”
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 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 2.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [PROHEMIUM.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
a human being; “wight” is an archaic term
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But al to litel, weylawey the whyle, Lasteth swich Ioye, y-thonked be Fortune!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That semeth trewest, whan she wol bygyle, And can to foles so hir song entune, That she hem hent and blent, traytour comune; 5 And whan a wight is from hir wheel y-throwe, Than laugheth she, and maketh him the mowe.
Chapter 15 of Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus by Geoffrey Chaucer holds 2367 sentences, grouped into 474 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 15 holds 2367 sentences of Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus, unabridged, divided into 474 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus by Geoffrey Chaucer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 2367 sentences, grouped into 474 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 474 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 474 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 15 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 Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus by Geoffrey Chaucer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 25970 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44833 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44833, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 5194 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus 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 Chaucer's Works, Volume 2 — Volume 2, Boethius and Troilus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
