Chapter 4 of The Eternal City is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Eternal City is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes. I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise." "What is it?" "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands." The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
Chapter 4 of The Eternal City is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as “on behalf of” rather than “in behalf of”)
From this reading “"That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."”
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:”
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading “The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:”
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading “I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:”
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading “I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."”
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “"That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
later than; following
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as “on behalf of” rather than “in behalf of”)
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?"
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
a particular point in time
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
a person, without saying who
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
carry out
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That somebody on behalf of the people should take the law into his own hands."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have come to propose a dangerous enterprise."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading The man had spoken with perfect calmness, and after a moment of silence David Rossi replied as calmly:
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes.
Chapter 4 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine holds 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 4 holds 383 sentences of The Eternal City, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12439 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2488 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eternal City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Eternal City to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Eternal City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
