Chapter 25 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS. (FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC. 1588.) 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
Chapter 25 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
appointed to a post or duty
From this reading “1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”
a state of extreme happiness
From this reading “1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”
possessive form of “byrd” — English organist and composer of church music; master of 16th century polyphony; was granted a monopoly in music printing with Thomas Tallis (1543-1623)
From this reading “(FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.”
have a craving, appetite, or great desire for
From this reading “1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”
third-person singular of “excel” — distinguish oneself
From this reading “1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”
third-person singular of “forbid” — command against
From this reading “1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.”
an Old Testament book consisting of a collection of 150 Psalms
From this reading “(FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.”
plural of “sonnet” — a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
From this reading “(FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.”
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 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 1588.)
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.
(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 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
appointed to a post or duty
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading BY VARIOUS AUTHORS.
a state of extreme happiness
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY VARIOUS AUTHORS.
possessive form of “byrd” — English organist and composer of church music; master of 16th century polyphony; was granted a monopoly in music printing with Thomas Tallis (1543-1623)
From this reading (FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.
have a craving, appetite, or great desire for
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.
third-person singular of “excel” — distinguish oneself
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
third-person singular of “forbid” — command against
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading (FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
an old form of “has”
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.
used to form the superlative
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
an Old Testament book consisting of a collection of 150 Psalms
From this reading (FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.
plural of “sonnet” — a verse form consisting of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
From this reading (FROM BYRD'S 'PSALMS, SONNETS,' ETC.
not in physical motion
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
(formal) in or into that thing or place
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading BY VARIOUS AUTHORS.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
but in spite of that
From this reading 1 My mind to me a kingdom is, Such perfect joy therein I find, That it excels all other bliss That God or nature hath assigned: Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.
Chapter 25 of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known by George [Editor] Gilfillan holds 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 25 holds 249 sentences of Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 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 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 25 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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About 600 minutes of reading across 2036 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Specimens with Memoirs of the Less-known, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
