The Bruce

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Bruce is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John, -1395 Barbour • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

5 Quhen he the King wyst wes sa ner, He assemblyt his men in hy; And had in-till his cumpany The barownys off Argyle alsua, Thai war a thowsand weill or ma: 10 And come for to suppris the King, That weill wes war of thair cummyng.

Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter IV Reading 1/43

The Bruce John, -1395 Barbour

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Bruce is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn. The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner. 5 Quhen he the King wyst wes sa ner, He assemblyt his men in hy; And had in-till his cumpany The barownys off Argyle alsua, Thai war a thowsand weill or ma: 10 And come for to suppris the King, That weill wes war of thair cummyng. Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng. The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

The Bruce

Chapter IV

Chapter 4 of The Bruce is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

Line 2

The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

Line 3

Line 4

Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

Line 5

The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

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.

Argyle noun US /ˈɑːrɡaɪl/

a covered gravy holder of silver or other metal containing a detachable central vessel for hot water to keep the gravy warm

From this reading “5 Quhen he the King wyst wes sa ner, He assemblyt his men in hy; And had in-till his cumpany The barownys off Argyle alsua, Thai war a thowsand weill or ma: 10 And come for to suppris the King, That weill wes war of thair cummyng.”

attacks noun US /əˈtæks/

plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

From this reading “Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.”

Bot noun US /bɔːt/

botfly larva; typically develops inside the body of a horse or sheep or human

From this reading “Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.”

folk noun US /foʊk/

people in general (often used in the plural)

From this reading “The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.”

slew verb US /sluː/

turn sharply; change direction abruptly

From this reading “The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.”

Thai adjective US /taɪ/

of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand or its people

Vengeance noun US /ˈvendʒəns/

the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life

From this reading “The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.”

weill noun US /waɪl/

German composer; collaborated with Bertolt Brecht (1900-1950)

All words in this reading · 87

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 5 Quhen he the King wyst wes sa ner, He assemblyt his men in hy; And had in-till his cumpany The barownys off Argyle alsua, Thai war a thowsand weill or ma: 10 And come for to suppris the King, That weill wes war of thair cummyng.

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

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

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

abaid

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

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 Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

alsua

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

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

apon

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

ArgylenounUS /ˈɑːrɡaɪl/

a covered gravy holder of silver or other metal containing a detachable central vessel for hot water to keep the gravy warm

assemblyt

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

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

attacksnounUS /əˈtæks/

plural of “attack” — (military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

barnounUS /bɑːr/

a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

barownys

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

bauldly

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

BotnounUS /bɔːt/

botfly larva; typically develops inside the body of a horse or sheep or human

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

capitale

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

Comyn

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

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

cruell

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

cummyng

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

cumpany

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

DeathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

emys

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

ennymy

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

erd

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

fellyt

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

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

folknounUS /foʊk/

people in general (often used in the plural)

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

fryst

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

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

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

in-till

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

Jhon

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

Kingis

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

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

layd

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

Lorn

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

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

Lorne

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

manounUS /mɑː/

informal terms for a mother

maner

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

metyng

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

ner

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

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

ost

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

Quhen

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

recoveryng

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

sanounUS /sɑː/

Nazi militia created by Hitler in 1921 that helped him to power but was eclipsed by the SS after 1943

sak

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

sar

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

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

slewverbUS /sluː/

turn sharply; change direction abruptly

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

suppris

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

tak

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

ThaiadjectiveUS /taɪ/

of or relating to or characteristic of Thailand or its people

thaim

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

thair

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

thar

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

thar-by

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Here the Lord of Lorn attacks the King because of the Death of John Comyn.

The-quhethir

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

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

thocht

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

thowsand

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

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

VengeancenounUS /ˈvendʒəns/

the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

warnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

weillnounUS /waɪl/

German composer; collaborated with Bertolt Brecht (1900-1950)

wes

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Bot all to few with him he had, The-quhethir he bauldly thaim abaid; And weill ost, at thar fryst metyng, 15 War layd at erd, but recoveryng.

wonnyt

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

From this reading The Lord off Lorne wonnyt thar-by, That wes capitale ennymy To the King, for his emys sak, Jhon Comyn; and thocht for to tak Vengeance apon cruell maner.

woundyt

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

From this reading The Kingis folk full weill thaim bar, And slew, and fellyt, and woundyt sar.

wyst

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

Chapter 4 of The Bruce by John, -1395 Barbour holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 4 of The Bruce contain?

Chapter 4 holds 215 sentences of The Bruce, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The Bruce by John, -1395 Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 4 of The Bruce?

Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 43 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 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 #44292, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Vocabulary met early in The Bruce

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Chapter IV

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