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The Fatal Dowry
The Fatal Dowry

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The Fatal Dowry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Fatal Dowry
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_Char._ Sufficient?
My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.
To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.
_2 Cred._ And so they are.
_1 Cred._ Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Fatal Dowry

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The Fatal Dowry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_Char._ Sufficient?
/tʃɑːr səˈfɪʃənt/
Line 2
My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.
Line 3
To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.
Line 4
_2 Cred._ And so they are.
Line 5
_1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

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.

Char noun US /tʃɑːr/

a charred substance

charges noun US /ˈtʃɑːrdʒəz/

plural of “charge” — an impetuous rush toward someone or something

From this reading “My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.”

Doctrine noun US /ˈdɑːktrən/

a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school

From this reading “_1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.”

fees noun US /fiːz/

plural of “fee” — a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services

From this reading “My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.”

owe verb US /oʊ/

be obliged to pay or repay

From this reading “To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.”

Sufficient adjective US /səˈfɪʃənt/

of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant

From this reading “_Char._ Sufficient?”

wills noun US /wɪlz/

plural of “will” — the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

From this reading “My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.”

wisely adverb US /ˈwaɪzli/

in a wise manner

From this reading “To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

at home preposition + noun

a reception held in your own home

In this reading “My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.”

charges of verb + particle counted as “charge of”

In this reading “My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.”

sit at verb + particle

In this reading “My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.”

good men adjective + noun

In this reading “To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

1

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

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

190

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

195

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

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

2

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

From this reading _2 Cred._ And so they are.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

barre

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

boundadjectiveUS /baʊnd/

confined by bonds

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

boundlesse

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

CharnounUS /tʃɑːr/

a charred substance

From this reading _Char._ Sufficient?

chargesnounUS /ˈtʃɑːrdʒəz/

plural of “charge” — an impetuous rush toward someone or something

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

CitynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

Crednoun

credibility among young fashionable urban individuals

From this reading _2 Cred._ And so they are.

DoctrinenounUS /ˈdɑːktrən/

a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

feesnounUS /fiːz/

plural of “fee” — a fixed charge for a privilege or for professional services

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

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

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

maintaine

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

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

obeyd

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

onely

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

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

oweverbUS /oʊ/

be obliged to pay or repay

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

payverbUS /peɪ/

give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

sitverbUS /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading _2 Cred._ And so they are.

soft-hearted

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

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

SufficientadjectiveUS /səˈfɪʃənt/

of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant

From this reading _Char._ Sufficient?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

thriftie

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

TisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

turne

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

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

warre

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

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading _1 Cred._ ’Tis the City Doctrine, 195 We stand bound to maintaine it.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

willsnounUS /wɪlz/

plural of “will” — the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

wiselyadverbUS /ˈwaɪzli/

in a wise manner

From this reading To these I turne, To these soft-hearted men, that wisely know They are onely good men, that pay what they owe.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading My Lord, you sit at home, And though your fees are boundlesse at the barre: 190 Are thriftie in the charges of the warre, But your wills be obeyd.

Chapter 3 of The Fatal Dowry by Philip Massinger holds 415 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.

What does chapter 3 of The Fatal Dowry contain?

Chapter 3 holds 415 sentences of The Fatal Dowry, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The Fatal Dowry by Philip Massinger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of The Fatal Dowry?

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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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 Fatal Dowry

Common questions about reading The Fatal Dowry by Philip Massinger on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Fatal Dowry?

Yes. All 2847 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44015 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Fatal Dowry is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44015, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Fatal Dowry take to read?

About 237 minutes of reading across 570 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Fatal Dowry section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Fatal Dowry 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 Fatal Dowry

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

Charles
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fatal Dowry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lockert
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fatal Dowry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Press
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fatal Dowry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Printing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fatal Dowry; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.