Chapter 16 of Phantastes is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Phantastes is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“_Alexander_. ‘When will you finish Campaspe?’ _Apelles_. ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_. And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
Chapter 16 of Phantastes is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
perfect or complete or pure
From this reading “‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.”
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “‘When will you finish Campaspe?’”
Egyptian goddess of fertility; daughter of Geb; sister and wife of Osiris
From this reading “And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?”
deliver by singing
From this reading “And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?”
a short musical composition with words
From this reading “And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?”
not seen or perceived
From this reading “And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?”
remove the veil from
From this reading “And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
perfect or complete or pure
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading “_Alexander_.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Apelles_.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘When will you finish Campaspe?’
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading ‘When will you finish Campaspe?’
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
Egyptian goddess of fertility; daughter of Geb; sister and wife of Osiris
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
deliver by singing
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
to a small degree or extent
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
in or at that place or location
From this reading ‘Never finish: for always in absolute beauty there is somewhat above art.’” LYLY’S _Campaspe_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
not seen or perceived
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
remove the veil from
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And now, what song should I sing to unveil my Isis, if indeed she was present unseen?
at the time that
From this reading ‘When will you finish Campaspe?’
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘When will you finish Campaspe?’
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘When will you finish Campaspe?’
Chapter 16 of Phantastes by George MacDonald holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 16 holds 71 sentences of Phantastes, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Phantastes by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 16 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.
