Chapter 9 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.” “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself. It was broad daylight. A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful. There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
Chapter 9 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
past form of “cobble” — pave with cobblestones
From this reading “A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.”
the placement of the fingers for playing different notes (or sequences of notes) on a musical instrument
From this reading “There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.”
plural of “hilt” — the handle of a sword or dagger
From this reading “There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.”
plural of “passer-by” — a person who passes by casually or by chance
From this reading “A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.”
existing in great number or quantity
From this reading “A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading ““So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.””
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading ““So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.””
a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
From this reading ““Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.”
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 A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading It was broad daylight.
past form of “cobble” — pave with cobblestones
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading It was broad daylight.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
one or the other of two
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
the placement of the fingers for playing different notes (or sequences of notes) on a musical instrument
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
plural of “hilt” — the handle of a sword or dagger
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was broad daylight.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
march in a procession
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
not any; not one
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
plural of “passer-by” — a person who passes by casually or by chance
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
existing in great number or quantity
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
the rays of the sun
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no fingering of hilts or talk of skewering on either side.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
precisely as stated
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was broad daylight.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A pale March sunshine was beating down upon the cobbled streets, and passers-by were plentiful.
a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Nor will you,” I answered, no whit less sinister myself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “So,” he said, very sinister, “you'll not be warned.”
Chapter 9 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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.
Chapter 9 holds 187 sentences of The Historical Nights' Entertainment, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 9 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 Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5642 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2636 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2636, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 470 minutes of reading across 1129 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Historical Nights' Entertainment section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Historical Nights' Entertainment 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 Historical Nights' Entertainment, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
