Chapter 3 of Dialogues of the Dead is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Dialogues of the Dead is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Horace_.--Not I, indeed. Genealogy is not my science. If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it. _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition. Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
Chapter 3 of Dialogues of the Dead is here in full — 443 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.”
take exception to
From this reading “If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.”
successive generations of kin
From this reading “Genealogy is not my science.”
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
(Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
From this reading “If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.”
(Greek mythology) a mountain in central Greece where (according to Greek mythology) the Muses lived; known as the mythological home of music and poetry
From this reading “Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?”
inferior in rank or status
From this reading “Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?”
a Roman poet; author of the epic poem “Aeneid” (70-19 BC)
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
a cherished desire
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
command with authority
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
take exception to
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
successive generations of kin
From this reading Genealogy is not my science.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading _Horace_.--Not I, indeed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Horace_.--Not I, indeed.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading _Horace_.--Not I, indeed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Genealogy is not my science.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
a republic in southern Europe on the Italian Peninsula; was the core of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire between the 4th century BC and the 5th century AD
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
(Greek legend) the greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
attach to a support
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Genealogy is not my science.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Horace_.--Not I, indeed.
above and across; more than
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
(Greek mythology) a mountain in central Greece where (according to Greek mythology) the Muses lived; known as the mythological home of music and poetry
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
inferior in rank or status
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
have sovereign power
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
a particular branch of scientific knowledge
From this reading Genealogy is not my science.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
a Roman poet; author of the epic poem “Aeneid” (70-19 BC)
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was it not greater to reign over all Mount Parnassus than over a petty state in Italy?
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading _Virgil_.--I wonder, Scaliger, that you stooped to so low an ambition.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you should claim to descend in a direct line from King Midas I would not dispute it.
Chapter 3 of Dialogues of the Dead by George Lyttelton, Baron Lyttelton holds 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 3 holds 443 sentences of Dialogues of the Dead, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Dialogues of the Dead by George Lyttelton, Baron Lyttelton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 443 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 3 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 Dialogues of the Dead by George Lyttelton, Baron Lyttelton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2663 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17667 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17667, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 221 minutes of reading across 533 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dialogues of the Dead section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Dialogues of the Dead 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 Dialogues of the Dead, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
