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The Compleat Angler
The Compleat Angler

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of The Compleat Angler is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Compleat Angler
Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Venator and Piscator Venator.
Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.
Piscator.
Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.
And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Compleat Angler

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of The Compleat Angler 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

Line 1
Venator and Piscator Venator.
Line 2
Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.
/ɡʊd ˈmæstər æz wiː ɡoʊ naʊ təˈwɔːrdz ˈlʌndən biː stɪl soʊ ˈkɜːrtiəs æz tuː ɡɪv miː mɔːr ˌɪnˈstrʌkʃənz fɔːr aɪ hæv ˈsevrəl ˈbɑːksəz ɪn maɪ ˈmem.ər.i ɪn wɪtʃ aɪ wɪl kiːp ðem ɔːl ˈveri seɪf ðer ʃæl nɑːt wʌn ʌv ðem biː lɔːst/
Line 3
Piscator.
Line 4
Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.
/wel ˈskɒl.ər ðæt aɪ wɪl ənd aɪ wɪl haɪd ˈnʌθɪŋ frʌm juː ðæt aɪ kæn rɪˈmɛm.bər ənd kæn θɪŋk meɪ help juː ˈfɔːrwərd təˈwɔːrdz ə pərˈfekʃən ɪn ðɪs ɑːrt/
Line 5
And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.
/ənd bɪˈkɔːz wiː hæv soʊ mʌtʃ taɪm ənd aɪ hæv sed soʊ ˈlɪtəl ʌv roʊtʃ ənd deɪs aɪ wɪl ɡɪv juː sʌm dərˈekʃənz kənˈsɜːrnɪŋ ðem/

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.

boxes noun US /ˈbɑːksəz/

plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading “Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.”

courteous adjective US /ˈkɜːrtiəs/

exhibiting courtesy and politeness

From this reading “Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.”

Dace noun US /deɪs/

small European freshwater fish with a slender bluish-green body

From this reading “And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.”

directions noun US /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading “And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.”

instructions noun US /ˌɪnˈstrʌkʃənz/

a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it

From this reading “Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.”

perfection noun US /pərˈfekʃən/

the state of being without a flaw or defect

From this reading “Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.”

Roach noun US /roʊtʃ/

a roll of hair brushed back from the forehead

From this reading “And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.”

scholar noun US /ˈskɒl.ər/

A specialist in a particular branch of study; a distinguished student.

From this reading “Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

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 Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Venator and Piscator Venator.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

boxesnounUS /ˈbɑːksəz/

plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

concerningverbUS /kənˈsɜːrnɪŋ/

-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

courteousadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrtiəs/

exhibiting courtesy and politeness

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

DacenounUS /deɪs/

small European freshwater fish with a slender bluish-green body

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

directionsnounUS /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

forwardadverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərd/

at or to or toward the front

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

GoodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

instructionsnounUS /ˌɪnˈstrʌkʃənz/

a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

masternounUS /ˈmæstər/

an artist of consummate skill

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

memorynounUS /ˈmem.ər.i/

The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

perfectionnounUS /pərˈfekʃən/

the state of being without a flaw or defect

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

Piscator

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

From this reading Venator and Piscator Venator.

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

RoachnounUS /roʊtʃ/

a roll of hair brushed back from the forehead

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

safeadjectiveUS /seɪf/

free from danger or the risk of harm

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

scholarnounUS /ˈskɒl.ər/

A specialist in a particular branch of study; a distinguished student.

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading And because we have so much time, and I have said so little of Roach and Dace, I will give you some directions concerning them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

Venator

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

From this reading Venator and Piscator Venator.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(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 Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Good master, as we go now towards London, be still so courteous as to give me more instructions; for I have several boxes in my memory, in which I will keep them all very safe, there shall not one of them be lost.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Well, scholar, that I will: and I will hide nothing from you that I can remember, and can think may help you forward towards a perfection in this art.

Chapter 17 of The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton 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.

What does chapter 17 of The Compleat Angler contain?

Chapter 17 holds 71 sentences of The Compleat Angler, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of The Compleat Angler?

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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 The Compleat Angler

Common questions about reading The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Compleat Angler?

Yes. All 1731 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #683 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Compleat Angler is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #683, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Compleat Angler take to read?

About 144 minutes of reading across 347 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Compleat Angler section by section

How to work through The Compleat Angler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Compleat Angler 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 The Compleat Angler

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Compleat Angler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Piscator
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Compleat Angler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Overtaken
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Compleat Angler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gentlemen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Compleat Angler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Morning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Compleat Angler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.