Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Essays
Essays

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Essays is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Essays
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.
Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.
And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.
And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.
It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Essays

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Essays is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.
/naʊ ðɪs ˈfjuːdʒətɪv ˈraɪtər hæz nɑːt bɪn soʊ swɪft bʌt ðæt aɪ hæv kɑːt hɪm ə klaʊt æz hiː went/
Line 2
Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.
Line 3
And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.
Line 4
And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.
Line 5
It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.
/ɪt ɪz bred naʊ ʌv jɔːr mʌd baɪ ðə ˌɑːpərˈeɪʃən ʌv jɔːr sʌn/

Learner Dictionary

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.

assuredly adverb US /əˈʃʊrədli/

without a doubt

From this reading “Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.”

choicest adjective US /ˈtʃɔɪsəst/

superlative of “choice” — of superior grade

From this reading “And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.”

clout noun US /klaʊt/

a target used in archery

From this reading “Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.”

critic noun US /ˈkrɪtɪk/

a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art

From this reading “Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.”

dreamt verb US /drɛmt/

Experienced dreams during sleep.

From this reading “Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.”

fugitive noun US /ˈfjuːdʒətɪv/

someone who flees from an uncongenial situation

From this reading “Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.”

pathos noun US /ˈpeɪθɑːs/

a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)

From this reading “And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.”

sensibility noun US /ˌsensɪˈbɪlɪti/

mental responsiveness and awareness

From this reading “And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.”

All words in this reading · 79

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

admirationnounUS /ˌædmərˈeɪʃən/

a feeling of delighted approval and liking

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

assuredlyadverbUS /əˈʃʊrədli/

without a doubt

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

bredverbUS /bred/

inflected form of “breed” — call forth

From this reading It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

caughtverbUS /kɑːt/

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

choicestadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɔɪsəst/

superlative of “choice” — of superior grade

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

cloutnounUS /klaʊt/

a target used in archery

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

completelyadverbUS /kəmˈpliːtli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

continueverbUS /kənˈtɪnjuː/

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

countverbUS /kaʊnt/

determine the number or amount of

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

criticnounUS /ˈkrɪtɪk/

a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

dreamtverbUS /drɛmt/

Experienced dreams during sleep.

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

fugitivenounUS /ˈfjuːdʒətɪv/

someone who flees from an uncongenial situation

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

giftsnounUS /ɡɪfts/

plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

importunateadjective

expressing persistant and earnest entreaty

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

Lepidus

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

like-mindedadjective

of the same turn of mind

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

lovesnounUS /lʌvz/

plural of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

mudnounUS /mʌd/

water soaked soil; soft wet earth

From this reading It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

operationnounUS /ˌɑːpərˈeɪʃən/

the state of being in effect or being operative

From this reading It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.

pathosnounUS /ˈpeɪθɑːs/

a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

responsibleadjectiveUS /riˈspɑːnsəbəl/

worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

sensibilitynounUS /ˌsensɪˈbɪlɪti/

mental responsiveness and awareness

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

sensitiveadjectiveUS /ˈsensətɪv/

responsive to physical stimuli

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

showverbUS /ʃoʊ/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

subjectnounUS /səbˈdʒekt/

the subject matter of a conversation or discussion

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.

superioradjectiveUS /suːˈpɪriər/

of high or superior quality or performance

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

swiftadjectiveUS /swɪft/

moving very fast

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And, superior in so much, they will still count their importunate sensibility as the choicest of their gifts.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

wondernounUS /ˈwʌndər/

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading And Lepidus, who loves to wonder, can have no better subject for his admiration than the pathos of the time.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

writernounUS /ˈraɪtər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Now this fugitive writer has not been so swift but that I have caught him a clout as he went.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet he will do it again; and those like-minded will assuredly also continue to show how much more completely human, how much more sensitive, how much more responsible, is the art of the critic than the world has ever dreamt till now.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading It is bred now of your mud by the operation of your sun.

Chapter 3 of Essays by Alice Meynell holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 3 of Essays contain?

Chapter 3 holds 161 sentences of Essays, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Essays by Alice Meynell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of Essays?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Essays

Common questions about reading Essays by Alice Meynell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Essays?

Yes. All 2777 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1434 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Essays is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1434, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Essays take to read?

About 231 minutes of reading across 556 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Essays section by section

How to work through Essays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 18 chapters of Essays to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Essays

Words and structures a reader meets early in Essays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Ceres'
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Runaway
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wells
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tethered
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.