Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known
Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.
All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!
He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.
His father's name was Henry.
He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.
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.

Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.
/sɜːr ˈfɪləp ˈsɪdni/
Line 2
All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!
Line 3
He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.
Line 4
His father's name was Henry.
/hɪz ˈfɑːðərz neɪm wɑːz ˈhenri/
Line 5
He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

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.

Arcadia noun US /ɑːrˈkeɪdiə/

a department of Greece in the central Peloponnese

From this reading “All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!”

Cambridge noun US /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/

a university in England

From this reading “He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.”

chivalry noun US /ˈʃɪvəlri/

courtesy towards women

From this reading “All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!”

genial adjective US /ˈdʒiːnjəl/

diffusing warmth and friendliness

From this reading “All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!”

gifted adjective US /ˈɡɪftəd/

endowed with talent or talents

From this reading “All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!”

Kent noun US /kent/

a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans

From this reading “He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.”

sidney noun US /ˈsɪdni/

English poet (1554-1586)

From this reading “SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.”

Trinity noun US /ˈtrɪnəti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading “He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.”

All words in this reading · 41

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.

1554

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

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

29

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

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

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 All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

ArcadianounUS /ɑːrˈkeɪdiə/

a department of Greece in the central Peloponnese

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

authornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

bornadjectiveUS /bɔːrn/

brought into existence

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

CambridgenounUS /ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ/

a university in England

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

chivalrynounUS /ˈʃɪvəlri/

courtesy towards women

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

ChristnounUS /kraɪst/

a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

ChurchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

CollegenounUS /ˈkɑːlɪdʒ/

the body of faculty and students of a college

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

courteousadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrtiəs/

exhibiting courtesy and politeness

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading His father's name was Henry.

genialadjectiveUS /ˈdʒiːnjəl/

diffusing warmth and friendliness

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

giftedadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪftəd/

endowed with talent or talents

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

hailverbUS /heɪl/

praise vociferously

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

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 His father's name was Henry.

heronounUS /ˈhɪroʊ/

a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His father's name was Henry.

KentnounUS /kent/

a county in southeastern England on the English Channel; formerly an Anglo-Saxon kingdom, it was the first to be colonized by the Romans

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading His father's name was Henry.

noble-mindedadjective

of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

NovembernounUS /noʊˈvembər/

the month following October and preceding December

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

OxfordnounUS /ˈɑːksfərd/

a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

Penshurst

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

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

PHILIPnounUS /ˈfɪləp/

Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)

From this reading SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

pinknounUS /pɪŋk/

a light shade of red

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

Shrewsbury

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

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

SIDNEYnounUS /ˈsɪdni/

English poet (1554-1586)

From this reading SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

SIRnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

studiedadjectiveUS /ˈstʌdid/

produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

TrinitynounUS /ˈtrɪnəti/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading He studied at Shrewsbury, at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at Christ Church, Oxford.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was born November 29, 1554, at Penshurst, Kent.

Zutphen

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

From this reading All hail to Sidney!--the pink of chivalry--the hero of Zutphen--the author of the 'Arcadia,'--the gifted, courteous, genial and noble-minded man!

Chapter 8 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known by George [Editor] Gilfillan holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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.

What does chapter 8 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known contain?

Chapter 8 holds 289 sentences of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known by George [Editor] Gilfillan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 8 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known?

Work through the 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 58 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 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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 Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known

Common questions about reading Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known by George [Editor] Gilfillan on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known?

Yes. All 10176 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9670 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9670, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2036 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known section by section

How to work through Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 37 chapters of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known 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 Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known

Words and structures a reader meets early in Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Specimens
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Memoirs
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Less-known
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
British
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.