Chapter 15 of Representative English Comedies, V. 1. From the Beginnings to Shakespeare is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Representative English Comedies, V. 1. From the Beginnings to Shakespeare is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is. Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys. 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste. The fyrst Acte. The thyrd Sceane.
Chapter 15 of Representative English Comedies, V. 1. From the Beginnings to Shakespeare is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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 general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
From this reading “42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.”
plural of “chat” — an informal conversation
From this reading “42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.”
an old form of “does”
From this reading “42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.”
an agenda of things to do
From this reading “42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.”
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading “42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.”
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading “42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.”
in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science
From this reading “_Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.”
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading “42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fyrst Acte.
a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
plural of “chat” — an informal conversation
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
an old form of “does”
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
an agenda of things to do
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fyrst Acte.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
an old form of “have”, used with “thou”
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
relating to or existing in the mind or thoughts
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
in ancient Greek mythology any of 9 daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne; protector of an art or science
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The thyrd Sceane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chyll in and know my selfe what matters are amys.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
To perceive flavor through the mouth.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The thyrd Sceane.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
(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 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading _Hodge._ Iche cannot styll but muse, what mervaylous thinge it is.
during the time that
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 42 _Diccon._ Then fare well, Hodge, a while, synce thou doest inward hast, For I will into the good wyfe Chats, to feele how the ale doth taste.
Chapter 15 of Representative English Comedies, V. 1. From the Beginnings to Shakespeare by Charles Mills [Editor] Gayley holds 381 sentences, grouped into 77 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 15 holds 381 sentences of Representative English Comedies, V. 1. From the Beginnings to Shakespeare, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Representative English Comedies, V. 1. From the Beginnings to Shakespeare by Charles Mills [Editor] Gayley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 15 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #49710, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Representative English Comedies, V. 1. From the Beginnings to Shakespeare, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
