Chapter 2 of Cynthia's Revels is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Cynthia's Revels is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
1 CHILD. Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory. I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device. 3 CHILD. O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
Chapter 2 of Cynthia's Revels is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading “O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.”
a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art
From this reading “I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.”
an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose
From this reading “I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.”
bestow a quality on
From this reading “O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.”
a cloth having a crisscross design
From this reading “I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.”
not often
From this reading “O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.”
establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
From this reading “Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.”
utter “tsk,” “tut,” or “tut-tut,” as in disapproval
From this reading “Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.”
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 CHILD.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 3 CHILD.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
a young person of either sex
From this reading 1 CHILD.
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
destroyed or killed
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
bestow a quality on
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
a cloth having a crisscross design
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
not often
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
establish the validity of something, as by an example, explanation or experiment
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
utter “tsk,” “tut,” or “tut-tut,” as in disapproval
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Tut, this was but to shew us the happiness of his memory.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I thought at first he would have plaid the ignorant critic with everything along as he had gone; I expected some such device.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading O, you shall see me do that rarely; lend me thy cloak.
Chapter 2 of Cynthia's Revels by Ben Jonson holds 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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.
Chapter 2 holds 376 sentences of Cynthia's Revels, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Cynthia's Revels by Ben Jonson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 2 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 Cynthia's Revels by Ben Jonson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4399 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3771 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3771, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 366 minutes of reading across 880 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cynthia's Revels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Cynthia's Revels 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 Cynthia's Revels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
