Chapter 14 of Phantastes is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Phantastes is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.” OLD BALLAD. “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.” SIR JOHN SUCKLING. One story I will try to reproduce.
Chapter 14 of Phantastes is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading “OLD BALLAD.”
filled with a great quantity
From this reading ““I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.””
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading ““But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.””
make a copy or equivalent of
From this reading “One story I will try to reproduce.”
the work of a sailor
From this reading ““I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.””
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading ““I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.””
English poet and courtier (1609-1642)
From this reading “SIR JOHN SUCKLING.”
travel through water
From this reading ““I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.””
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading OLD BALLAD.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading SIR JOHN SUCKLING.
filled with a great quantity
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
used to form the superlative
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD BALLAD.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One story I will try to reproduce.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
make a copy or equivalent of
From this reading One story I will try to reproduce.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
the work of a sailor
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
cut with a saw
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
transport commercially
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
term of address for a man
From this reading SIR JOHN SUCKLING.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading One story I will try to reproduce.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
English poet and courtier (1609-1642)
From this reading SIR JOHN SUCKLING.
travel through water
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One story I will try to reproduce.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading One story I will try to reproduce.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
at the time that
From this reading “But Love is such a Mystery I cannot find it out: For when I think I’m best resolv’d, I then am in most doubt.”
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “I saw a ship sailing upon the sea Deeply laden as ship could be; But not so deep as in love I am For I care not whether I sink or swim.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading One story I will try to reproduce.
Chapter 14 of Phantastes by George MacDonald holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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.
Chapter 14 holds 379 sentences of Phantastes, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Phantastes by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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.
Work through the 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.
Common questions about reading Phantastes by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3137 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #325 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #325, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 261 minutes of reading across 628 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Phantastes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Phantastes to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Phantastes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
