Chapter 1 of Edward the Second is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Edward the Second is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers! My knee shall bow to none but to the king. As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away. _Enter three_ Poor Men. But how now! what are these?
Chapter 1 of Edward the Second is here in full — 382 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 8/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 36–40
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.
plural of “ember” — a hot fragment of wood or coal that is left from a fire and is glowing or smoldering
From this reading “As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.”
a color or pigment varying around a light grey-brown color
From this reading “As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.”
of or befitting a lord
From this reading “Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!”
a large indefinite number
From this reading “As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.”
plural of “peer” — a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading “Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!”
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading “As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.”
plural of “spark” — a momentary flash of light
From this reading “As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
plural of “ember” — a hot fragment of wood or coal that is left from a fire and is glowing or smoldering
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
to come or go into
From this reading _Enter three_ Poor Men.
an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting
From this reading Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
a color or pigment varying around a light grey-brown color
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But how now! what are these?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
of or befitting a lord
From this reading Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
the force of workers available
From this reading _Enter three_ Poor Men.
a large indefinite number
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
not one, and not any
From this reading My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But how now! what are these?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
plural of “peer” — a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading _Enter three_ Poor Men.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading My knee shall bow to none but to the king.
plural of “spark” — a momentary flash of light
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading But how now! what are these?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading _Enter three_ Poor Men.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Farewell base stooping to the lordly peers!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But how now! what are these?
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading As for the multitude, that are but sparks, Rak'd up in embers of their poverty,-- _Tanti,_--I'll fawn first on the wind, That glanceth at my lips, and flieth away.
Chapter 1 of Edward the Second by Christopher Marlowe holds 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 1 holds 382 sentences of Edward the Second, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Edward the Second by Christopher Marlowe exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 382 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 1 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 Edward the Second by Christopher Marlowe on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20288 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20288, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 117 minutes of reading across 283 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Edward the Second section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 4 chapters of Edward the Second 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 Edward the Second, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
