Chapter 17 of The Devil Is an Ass is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Devil Is an Ass is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
=26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix). On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_. At the head of Act. 1, however, the title reads _If this be not a good play_, etc. ACT I.
Chapter 17 of The Devil Is an Ass is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “At the head of Act.”
the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States; created in 1977
From this reading “=26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).”
the act of beginning something new
From this reading “=26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).”
English dramatist and poet who was the first real poet laureate of England (1572-1637)
From this reading “=26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).”
participate in games or sport
From this reading “=26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).”
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading “1, however, the title reads _If this be not a good play_, etc.”
third-person singular of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading “=26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).”
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading “On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.”
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 1, however, the title reads _If this be not a good play_, etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 1, however, the title reads _If this be not a good play_, etc.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading At the head of Act.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the head of Act.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States; created in 1977
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading At the head of Act.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading 1, however, the title reads _If this be not a good play_, etc.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ACT I.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
the act of beginning something new
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
English dramatist and poet who was the first real poet laureate of England (1572-1637)
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
participate in games or sport
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading 1, however, the title reads _If this be not a good play_, etc.
third-person singular of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading 1, however, the title reads _If this be not a good play_, etc.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading On the title-page of this play we find _If it be not good, The Diuel is in it_.
the cardinal number that is the sum of twenty-eight and one
From this reading =26 If this Play doe not like=, etc. Jonson refers to Dekker’s play of 1612 (see Introduction, p. xxix).
Chapter 17 of The Devil Is an Ass by Ben Jonson holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 17 holds 412 sentences of The Devil Is an Ass, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Devil Is an Ass by Ben Jonson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Devil Is an Ass, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
