Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art
Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art
Context Illustration Reading 1/3 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BLACKHEATH, September 12, 1766.
MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.
I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.
If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.
Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?
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.

Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/3 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BLACKHEATH, September 12, 1766.
Line 2
MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.
Line 3
I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.
Line 4
If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.
Line 5
Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?
/hæv juː ˈteɪkən ˈeni ʌv ðem ənd hæv ðeɪ dʌn juː ˈeni ɡʊd/

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.

complaint noun US /kəmˈpleɪnt/

an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

From this reading “I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.”

hopes noun US /hoʊps/

plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading “I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.”

mistake noun US /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading “If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.”

painful adjective US /ˈpeɪnfəl/

causing physical or psychological pain

From this reading “I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.”

powders noun US /ˈpaʊdərz/

plural of “powder” — a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized

From this reading “If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.”

reprieve noun US /riˈpriːv/

a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort

From this reading “I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.”

September noun US /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading “BLACKHEATH, September 12, 1766.”

waters noun US /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading “I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

12

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

From this reading BLACKHEATH, September 12, 1766.

1766

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

From this reading BLACKHEATH, September 12, 1766.

27th

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

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

Baden

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

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

BLACKHEATH

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

From this reading BLACKHEATH, September 12, 1766.

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

complaintnounUS /kəmˈpleɪnt/

an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?

Dr

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

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

FRIENDnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

hopesnounUS /hoʊps/

plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

longeradverbUS /ˈlɔːŋɡər/

for more time

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

mistakenounUS /mɪˈsteɪk/

a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

Monsey's

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

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

painfuladjectiveUS /ˈpeɪnfəl/

causing physical or psychological pain

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

powdersnounUS /ˈpaʊdərz/

plural of “powder” — a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

reprievenounUS /riˈpriːv/

a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

SeptembernounUS /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading BLACKHEATH, September 12, 1766.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Have you taken any of them, and have they done you any good?

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

watersnounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading If I do not mistake, you carried over with you some of Dr. Monsey's powders.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I was in hopes that your course of waters this year at Baden would have given you a longer reprieve from your painful complaint.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 27th past.

Chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield holds 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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 7 of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art contain?

Chapter 7 holds 16 sentences of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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 7 of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art?

Work through the 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 4 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 7 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art

Common questions about reading Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art?

Yes. All 472 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3360 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3360, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art take to read?

About 39 minutes of reading across 95 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art section by section

How to work through Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 37 chapters of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art 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 Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art

Words and structures a reader meets early in Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Friend
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Received
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Letter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Former
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, 1766-71 On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.