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King Henry VIII
King Henry VIII

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of King Henry VIII is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Louell.
I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.
Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.
There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.
Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

King Henry VIII

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of King Henry VIII is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Louell.
Line 2
I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.
Line 3
Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.
Line 4
There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.
Line 5
Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

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.

beseech verb US /biˈsiːtʃ/

ask for or request earnestly

From this reading “I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.”

blessings noun US /ˈblesɪŋz/

plural of “blessing” — the formal act of approving

From this reading “Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.”

Buck verb US /bʌk/

to strive with determination

From this reading “I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.”

Commend verb US /kəˈmend/

express approval of

From this reading “Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.”

doe noun US /doʊ/

the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States; created in 1977

From this reading “I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.”

forsake verb US /fɔːrˈseɪk/

leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

From this reading “Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.”

frankly adverb US /ˈfræŋkli/

(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that

From this reading “I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.”

malice noun US /ˈmæləs/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading “I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

beseechverbUS /biˈsiːtʃ/

ask for or request earnestly

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

blacke

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

blessingsnounUS /ˈblesɪŋz/

plural of “blessing” — the formal act of approving

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

BuckverbUS /bʌk/

to strive with determination

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

Buckingham

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

cannot

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

charitynounUS /ˈtʃerɪti/

a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

CommendverbUS /kəˈmend/

express approval of

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

doenounUS /doʊ/

the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States; created in 1977

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

Enuy

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

euer

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

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

forgiue

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

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

forgiuen

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

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

forsakeverbUS /fɔːrˈseɪk/

leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

franklyadverbUS /ˈfræŋkli/

(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

Gainst

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

GracenounUS /ɡreɪs/

(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

Graue

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

halfe

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

Heauen

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

hidverbUS /hɪd/

inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

KingsnounUS /kɪŋz/

plural of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

Louell

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

From this reading Louell.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

malicenounUS /ˈmæləs/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

mee

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

numberlesse

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

offences

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

peacenounUS /piːs/

the state prevailing during the absence of war

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

prayverbUS /preɪ/

address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

prayersnounUS /prerz/

plural of “prayer” — the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

Soule

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

speake

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

ThomasnounUS /ˈtɑːməs/

United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

vowes

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

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

Wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading There cannot be those numberlesse offences Gainst me, that I cannot take peace with: No blacke Enuy shall make my Graue.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Commend mee to his Grace: And if he speake of Buckingham; pray tell him, You met him halfe in Heauen: my vowes and prayers Yet are the Kings; and till my Soule forsake, Shall cry for blessings on him.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Sir Thomas Louell, I as free forgiue you As I would be forgiuen: I forgiue all.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I doe beseech your Grace, for charity If euer any malice in your heart Were hid against me, now to forgiue me frankly Buck.

Chapter 4 of King Henry VIII by William Shakespeare holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 4 of King Henry VIII contain?

Chapter 4 holds 148 sentences of King Henry VIII, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of King Henry VIII by William Shakespeare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 4 of King Henry VIII?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 King Henry VIII

Common questions about reading King Henry VIII by William Shakespeare on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of King Henry VIII?

Yes. All 1656 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1136 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of King Henry VIII is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1136, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does King Henry VIII take to read?

About 138 minutes of reading across 332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in King Henry VIII

Words and structures a reader meets early in King Henry VIII, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Addition
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Below
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Think
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