Chapter 14 of The Headsman is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Headsman is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show! While Roscius trod the stage. Cowper. The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square. Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
Chapter 14 of The Headsman is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading “Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.”
an abstract part of something
From this reading “The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.”
English surgeon who discovered Cowper's gland (1666-1709)
From this reading “Cowper.”
grow vigorously
From this reading “Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.”
(theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
From this reading “The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.”
past form of “range” — change or be different within limits
From this reading “So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!”
for a short time
From this reading “Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.”
inflected form of “tread” — put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading “While Roscius trod the stage.”
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 So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
later than; following
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
(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 The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
move towards
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
an abstract part of something
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
English surgeon who discovered Cowper's gland (1666-1709)
From this reading Cowper.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
grow vigorously
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
impressive in appearance
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
on one occasion
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
the local environment
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
(theology) the origination of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
past form of “range” — change or be different within limits
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
capital and largest city of Italy; on the Tiber; seat of the Roman Catholic Church; formerly the capital of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Roscius trod the stage.
for a short time
From this reading Shortly after, a flourish of clarions gave notice of the approach of the authorities.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
make square
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading While Roscius trod the stage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
inflected form of “tread” — put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading While Roscius trod the stage.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading So once were ranged the sons of ancient Rome, A noble show!
at the time that
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
during the time that
From this reading While Roscius trod the stage.
but in spite of that
From this reading The day was not yet far advanced, when all the component parts of the grand procession had arrived in the square.
Chapter 14 of The Headsman by James Fenimore Cooper holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 14 holds 140 sentences of The Headsman, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Headsman by James Fenimore Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 14 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 Headsman by James Fenimore Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5255 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10938 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10938, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Headsman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Headsman 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 Headsman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
