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Le Morte Darthur
Le Morte Darthur

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of Le Morte Darthur is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Le Morte Darthur
Context Illustration Reading 1/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CHAP.
XXXVII.
_How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.
And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.
Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Le Morte Darthur

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of Le Morte Darthur is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CHAP.
/tʃæp/
Line 2
XXXVII.
Line 3
_How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.
Line 4
And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.
Line 5
Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.
/ðen keɪm ðə ˈdæmzəl ʌv ðə ˈkæsəl ənd sed ˈʌntuː ˈmɔːrɡən lə feɪ aɪ preɪ juː help miː ðæt ðɪs naɪt maɪt wed miː fɔːr hiː hæθ wʌn miː wɪð hɪz hændz/

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.

complained verb US /kəmˈpleɪnd/

past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

From this reading “And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.”

damsel noun US /ˈdæmzəl/

a young unmarried woman

From this reading “Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.”

Fay noun US /feɪ/

a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading “_How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.”

healed adjective US /hiːld/

freed from illness or injury

From this reading “_How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.”

Morgan noun US /ˈmɔːrɡən/

United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)

From this reading “_How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.”

morn noun US /mɔːrn/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading “And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.”

ointment noun US /ˈɔɪntmənt/

semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation

From this reading “_How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.”

wed verb US /wed/

take in marriage

From this reading “Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

Alisander

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

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

castlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

CHAPnounUS /tʃæp/

a boy or man

From this reading CHAP.

complainedverbUS /kəmˈpleɪnd/

past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

damselnounUS /ˈdæmzəl/

a young unmarried woman

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

FaynounUS /feɪ/

a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

hathauxiliary verbUS /hæθ/

an old form of “has”

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

healedadjectiveUS /hiːld/

freed from illness or injury

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

How

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

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

knightnounUS /naɪt/

originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

lenounUS /lə/

a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

MorgannounUS /ˈmɔːrɡən/

United States anthropologist who studied the Seneca (1818-1881)

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

mornnounUS /mɔːrn/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

ointmentnounUS /ˈɔɪntmənt/

semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

ointments

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

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

painnounUS /peɪn/

a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

prayverbUS /preɪ/

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

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

queennounUS /kwiːn/

the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

searchedverbUS /sɜːrtʃt/

past form of “search” — try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

soreadjectiveUS /sɔːr/

hurting

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

untoprepositionUS /ˈʌntuː/

an old word for “to”

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

wedverbUS /wed/

take in marriage

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading And on the morn when she came to him, he complained him sore; and then she put other ointments upon him, and then he was out of his pain.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

wonnounUS /wʌn/

the basic unit of money in South Korea

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

woundsnounUS /wuːndz/

plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)

From this reading _How queen Morgan le Fay had Alisander in her castle, and how she healed his wounds._ Then queen Morgan le Fay searched his wounds, and gave such an ointment unto him that he should have died.

XXXVIIadjective

being seven more than thirty

From this reading XXXVII.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Then came the damsel of the castle, and said unto Morgan le Fay, I pray you help me that this knight might wed me, for he hath won me with his hands.

Chapter 23 of Le Morte Darthur by Thomas, Sir, -1471 Malory holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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.

What does chapter 23 of Le Morte Darthur contain?

Chapter 23 holds 431 sentences of Le Morte Darthur, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Le Morte Darthur by Thomas, Sir, -1471 Malory exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 23 of Le Morte Darthur?

Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 87 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Le Morte Darthur

Common questions about reading Le Morte Darthur by Thomas, Sir, -1471 Malory on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Le Morte Darthur?

Yes. All 15042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46853 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Le Morte Darthur is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #46853, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Le Morte Darthur take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 3009 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Le Morte Darthur section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in Le Morte Darthur

Words and structures a reader meets early in Le Morte Darthur, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Thomas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Le Morte Darthur; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Malory
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Le Morte Darthur; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Arthur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Le Morte Darthur; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Noble
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Le Morte Darthur; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.