Chapter 7 of Every Man in His Humor is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Every Man in His Humor is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Bob. Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day. E. Know. No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse. Bob.
Chapter 7 of Every Man in His Humor is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
third-person singular of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.”
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “Bob.”
confined by bonds
From this reading “Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.”
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading “No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.”
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading “Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.”
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 No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
third-person singular of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
have
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Bob.
confined by bonds
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading E. Know.
accept an excuse for
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading E. Know.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
not any; not one
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
express in words
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading Well, gentlemen, bear witness, I was bound to the peace, by this good day.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading No, faith, it's an ill day, captain, never reckon it other: but, say you were bound to the peace, the law allows you to defend yourself: that will prove but a poor excuse.
Chapter 7 of Every Man in His Humor by Ben Jonson holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 7 holds 405 sentences of Every Man in His Humor, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Every Man in His Humor by Ben Jonson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 7 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 Every Man in His Humor by Ben Jonson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3268 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5333 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5333, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 272 minutes of reading across 654 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Every Man in His Humor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Every Man in His Humor 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 Every Man in His Humor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
