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The Historical Nights' Entertainment
The Historical Nights' Entertainment

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.
We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”
Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.
Yet he never hesitated to answer them.
There is as full proof as proof can be.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Historical Nights' Entertainment

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.
/maɪ lɔːrd sed ˈmɪstər ˈwɪslər ðə ˈfɔːrmən wiː hæv tuː beɡ ʌv jɔːr ˈlɔːrdʃɪp sʌm dərˈekʃənz bɪˈfɔːr wiː kæn brɪŋ ˈaʊər ˈvɜːrdɪkt/
Line 2
We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”
/wiː hæv sʌm daʊt əˈpɑːn ʌs ˈweðər ðer biː səˈfɪʃənt pruːf ðæt ʃiː nuː hɪks tuː hæv bɪn ɪn ðə ˈɑːrmi/
Line 3
Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.
/wel maɪt ðeɪ daʊt ɪt fɔːr ðer wɑːz noʊ pruːf æt ɔːl/
Line 4
Yet he never hesitated to answer them.
/jet hiː ˈnevər ˈhezɪteɪtɪd tuː ˈænsər ðem/
Line 5
There is as full proof as proof can be.
/ðer ɪz æz fʊl pruːf æz pruːf kæn biː/

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.

directions noun US /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading ““My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.”

foreman noun US /ˈfɔːrmən/

a person who exercises control over workers

From this reading ““My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.”

hesitated verb US /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading “Yet he never hesitated to answer them.”

Hicks noun US /hɪks/

plural of “hick” — a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture

From this reading “We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.””

lordship noun US /ˈlɔːrdʃɪp/

a title used to address any British peer except a duke and extended to a bishop or a judge

From this reading ““My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.”

proof noun US /pruːf/

any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something

From this reading “We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.””

verdict noun US /ˈvɜːrdɪkt/

(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment

From this reading ““My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.”

Whistler noun US /ˈwɪslər/

United States painter (1834-1903)

From this reading ““My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.”

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.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading Yet he never hesitated to answer them.

armynounUS /ˈɑːrmi/

a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading “There is as full proof as proof can be.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

begverbUS /beɡ/

call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

directionsnounUS /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

foremannounUS /ˈfɔːrmən/

a person who exercises control over workers

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading “There is as full proof as proof can be.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Yet he never hesitated to answer them.

hesitatedverbUS /ˈhezɪteɪtɪd/

past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

From this reading Yet he never hesitated to answer them.

HicksnounUS /hɪks/

plural of “hick” — a person who is not very intelligent or interested in culture

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “There is as full proof as proof can be.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

lordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

lordshipnounUS /ˈlɔːrdʃɪp/

a title used to address any British peer except a duke and extended to a bishop or a judge

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Yet he never hesitated to answer them.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

proofnounUS /pruːf/

any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

sufficientadjectiveUS /səˈfɪʃənt/

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

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Yet he never hesitated to answer them.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

verdictnounUS /ˈvɜːrdɪkt/

(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Well might they doubt it, for there was no proof at all.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading We have some doubt upon us whether there be sufficient proof that she knew Hicks to have been in the army.”

WhistlernounUS /ˈwɪslər/

United States painter (1834-1903)

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet he never hesitated to answer them.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “My lord,” said Mr. Whistler, the foreman, “we have to beg of your lordship some directions before we can bring our verdict.

Chapter 14 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini holds 181 sentences, grouped into 37 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.

What does chapter 14 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment contain?

Chapter 14 holds 181 sentences of The Historical Nights' Entertainment, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 181 sentences, grouped into 37 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 14 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment?

Work through the 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 37 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 14 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Historical Nights' Entertainment

Common questions about reading The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Historical Nights' Entertainment?

Yes. All 5642 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2636 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2636, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Historical Nights' Entertainment take to read?

About 470 minutes of reading across 1129 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Historical Nights' Entertainment section by section

How to work through The Historical Nights' Entertainment section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 Historical Nights' Entertainment

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Historical Nights' Entertainment, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Approaching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Historical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nights'
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Entertainment
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.