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Peveril of the Peak
Peveril of the Peak

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of Peveril of the Peak is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
----But oh!
What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!
Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?
--HENRY V.
At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Peveril of the Peak

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of Peveril of the Peak is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
----But oh!
/bʌt oʊ/
Line 2
What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!
Line 3
Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?
Line 4
--HENRY V.
/ˈhenri viː/
Line 5
At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

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.

coined verb US /kɔɪnd/

past form of “coin” — make up

From this reading “Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?”

constitutional adjective US /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃənəl/

of benefit to or intended to benefit your physical makeup

From this reading “At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.”

counsels noun US /ˈkaʊnsəlz/

plural of “counsel” — a lawyer who pleads cases in court

From this reading “Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?”

didst auxiliary verb US /dɪdst/

an old form of “did”, used with “thou”

From this reading “Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?”

imminent adjective US /ˈɪmənənt/

close in time; about to occur

From this reading “At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.”

inhuman adjective US /ˌɪnˈhjuːmən/

without compunction or human feeling

From this reading “What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!”

practised adjective US /ˈpræktɪst/

skillful after much practice

From this reading “Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?”

Wouldst modal verb US /wʊdst/

an old form of “would”, used with “thou”

From this reading “Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

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 Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

bearverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

bottomnounUS /ˈbɑːtəm/

the lower side of anything

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

Buckingham

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

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading ----But oh!

CharlesnounUS /tʃɑːrlz/

King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

Chiffinch

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

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

coinedverbUS /kɔɪnd/

past form of “coin” — make up

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

constitutionaladjectiveUS /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃənəl/

of benefit to or intended to benefit your physical makeup

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

counselsnounUS /ˈkaʊnsəlz/

plural of “counsel” — a lawyer who pleads cases in court

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

creaturenounUS /ˈkriːtʃər/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/

(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

dangernounUS /ˈdeɪndʒər/

the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

didstauxiliary verbUS /dɪdst/

an old form of “did”, used with “thou”

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

DukenounUS /duːk/

a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

gaietynoun

a gay feeling

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

HENRYnounUS /ˈhenri/

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading --HENRY V.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

imminentadjectiveUS /ˈɪmənənt/

close in time; about to occur

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

Ingrateful

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

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

inhumanadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈhjuːmən/

without compunction or human feeling

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

keynounUS /kiː/

metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

knew'st

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

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

mightst

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

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

ohnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading ----But oh!

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

overclouded

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

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

periodnounUS /ˈpɪriəd/

an amount of time

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

practisedadjectiveUS /ˈpræktɪst/

skillful after much practice

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

savageadjectiveUS /ˈsævədʒ/

(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

Scroop

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

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

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

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

VnounUS /viː/

a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt

From this reading --HENRY V.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What shall I say to thee, Lord Scroop; thou cruel, Ingrateful, savage, and inhuman creature!

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading At no period of his life, not even when that life was in imminent danger, did the constitutional gaiety of Charles seem more overclouded, than when waiting for the return of Chiffinch with the Duke of Buckingham.

Wouldstmodal verbUS /wʊdst/

an old form of “would”, used with “thou”

From this reading Thou that didst bear the key of all my counsels, That knew’st the very bottom of my soul, That almost mightst have coined me into gold, Wouldst thou have practised on me for thy use?

Chapter 39 of Peveril of the Peak by Walter Scott holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 39 of Peveril of the Peak contain?

Chapter 39 holds 120 sentences of Peveril of the Peak, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of Peveril of the Peak by Walter Scott exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 39 of Peveril of the Peak?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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 Peveril of the Peak

Common questions about reading Peveril of the Peak by Walter Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Peveril of the Peak?

Yes. All 6961 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5959 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Peveril of the Peak is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5959, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Peveril of the Peak take to read?

About 580 minutes of reading across 1393 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Peveril of the Peak section by section

How to work through Peveril of the Peak section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Peveril of the Peak

Words and structures a reader meets early in Peveril of the Peak, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bellowing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peveril of the Peak; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beeves
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peveril of the Peak; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Broaching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peveril of the Peak; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Barrels
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Peveril of the Peak; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.