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, Complete On the Fine Art
Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art

Chapter XXV · Chapter 25

Chapter 25 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art
Context Illustration Reading 1/61 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LONDON, January 15, 1754
MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.
Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:
"Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."
They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.
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, Complete On the Fine Art

Chapter XXV · Chapter 25

Chapter 25 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/61 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LONDON, January 15, 1754
Line 2
MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.
Line 3
Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:
Line 4
"Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."
Line 5
They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.
/ðeɪ wɜːr bʌt ˈlɪtəl ˈsæmpəlz ʌv ðə mʌtʃ ˈɡreɪtər dɪˈstres ənd ˈdeɪndʒərz wɪtʃ juː mʌst ɪkˈspekt tuː miːt wɪˈðɪn jɔːr ɡreɪt ənd aɪ hoʊp lɔːŋ ˈdʒɜːrni θruː laɪf/

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.

Chi noun US /kaɪ/

the circulating life energy that in Chinese philosophy is thought to be inherent in all things; in traditional Chinese medicine the balance of negative and positive forms in the body is believed to be essential for good health

From this reading “"Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."”

dangers noun US /ˈdeɪndʒərz/

plural of “danger” — the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury

From this reading “Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:”

distress noun US /dɪˈstres/

psychological suffering

From this reading “Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:”

expect verb US /ɪkˈspekt/

regard something as probable or likely

From this reading “They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.”

January noun US /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading “LONDON, January 15, 1754”

Munich noun US /ˈmjuːnɪk/

the capital and largest city of Bavaria in southwestern Germany

From this reading “MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.”

non adverb US /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading “"Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."”

samples noun US /ˈsæmpəlz/

plural of “sample” — a small part of something intended as representative of the whole

From this reading “They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.”

All words in this reading · 69

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.

15

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

From this reading LONDON, January 15, 1754

1754

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

From this reading LONDON, January 15, 1754

26th

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 26th past from Munich.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

bene

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

che

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

ChinounUS /kaɪ/

the circulating life energy that in Chinese philosophy is thought to be inherent in all things; in traditional Chinese medicine the balance of negative and positive forms in the body is believed to be essential for good health

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

Condisce

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

dangersnounUS /ˈdeɪndʒərz/

plural of “danger” — the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.

di

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

diletti

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

distressnounUS /dɪˈstres/

psychological suffering

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

expectverbUS /ɪkˈspekt/

regard something as probable or likely

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

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 26th past from Munich.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.

gladadjectiveUS /ɡlæd/

showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

greateradjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtər/

greater in size or importance or degree

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

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 26th past from Munich.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

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 26th past from Munich.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/

the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice

From this reading LONDON, January 15, 1754

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

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 26th past from Munich.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading LONDON, January 15, 1754

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

mal

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

Manheim

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

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

meetverbUS /miːt/

come together

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

Memorie

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

MunichnounUS /ˈmjuːnɪk/

the capital and largest city of Bavaria in southwestern Germany

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.

NenounUS /niː/

a colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube; one of the six inert gasses; occurs in the air in small amounts

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

nonadverbUS /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

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 26th past from Munich.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading MY DEAR FRIEND: I have this moment received your letter of the 26th past from Munich.

pene

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

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 26th past from Munich.

sanounUS /sɑː/

Nazi militia created by Hitler in 1921 that helped him to power but was eclipsed by the SS after 1943

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

samplesnounUS /ˈsæmpəlz/

plural of “sample” — a small part of something intended as representative of the whole

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

sia

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

soffri

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

From this reading "Condisce i diletti Memorie di pene, Ne sa che sia bene Chi mal non soffri."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

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 26th past from Munich.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

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 26th past from Munich.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

welladverbUS /wel/

(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 Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading They were but little samples of the much greater distress and dangers which you must expect to meet within your great, and I hope, long journey through life.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Since you are got so well out of the distress and dangers of your journey from Manheim, I am glad that you were in them:

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 26th past from Munich.

Chapter 25 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art by Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield holds 307 sentences, grouped into 62 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 25 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art contain?

Chapter 25 holds 307 sentences of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art, unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 25 of Letters to His Son, Complete 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 307 sentences, grouped into 62 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 25 of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art?

Work through the 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 62 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 25 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 25 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, Complete On the Fine Art

Common questions about reading Letters to His Son, Complete 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, Complete On the Fine Art?

Yes. All 10351 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3361 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3361, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2071 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Letters to His Son, Complete 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, Complete On the Fine Art

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

October
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Distresses
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Journey
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Heidelberg
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Letters to His Son, Complete On the Fine Art; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.