Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The King of Alsander
The King of Alsander

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The King of Alsander is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The King of Alsander
Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.
_Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:
"Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"
"A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.
"He is young, but our need is great.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 King of Alsander

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The King of Alsander is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/50 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.
Line 2
_Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:
/ˈpiːkɑːk paɪ ðə ˈmædmæn ɑːn ðə θroʊn siːmd tuː noʊ ˈnɔːrmənz ɡaɪd fɔːr hiː ʃoʊd noʊ sərˈpraɪz bʌt æskt ˌɪˈmiːdiːətli/
Line 3
"Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"
Line 4
"A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.
Line 5
"He is young, but our need is great.
/hiː ɪz jʌŋ bʌt ˈaʊər niːd ɪz ɡreɪt/

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.

courtier noun US /ˈkɔːrtiər/

an attendant at the court of a sovereign

From this reading “"Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"”

diddle verb US /ˈdɪdəl/

deprive of by deceit

From this reading “OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.”

infamy noun US /ˈɪnfəmi/

a state of extreme dishonor

From this reading “"A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.”

Jay noun US /dʒeɪ/

United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)

From this reading “OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.”

liege noun US /liːdʒ/

a person holding a fief; a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord

From this reading “"A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.”

madman noun US /ˈmædmæn/

an insane person

From this reading “_Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:”

Norman's noun US /ˈnɔːrmənz/

possessive form of “norman” — United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)

From this reading “_Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:”

Peacock noun US /ˈpiːkɑːk/

European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot

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.

young squire adjective + noun

In this reading “"A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.”

on the throne preposition + article + noun counted as “on … throne”

In this reading “_Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

beggarnounUS /ˈbeɡər/

a pauper who lives by begging

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

CourtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

courtiernounUS /ˈkɔːrtiər/

an attendant at the court of a sovereign

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

devoteverbUS /dɪˈvoʊt/

give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

di

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

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

diddleverbUS /ˈdɪdəl/

deprive of by deceit

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

fastadverbUS /fæst/

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

GotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading "He is young, but our need is great.

guidenounUS /ɡaɪd/

someone employed to conduct others

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

harmnounUS /hɑːrm/

any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

an old form of “have”, used with “thou”

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

immediatelyadverbUS /ˌɪˈmiːdiːətli/

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

infamynounUS /ˈɪnfəmi/

a state of extreme dishonor

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "He is young, but our need is great.

JaynounUS /dʒeɪ/

United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

Jim

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

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

KNIGHTING

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

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

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

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

Kradenda

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

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

Kradendas

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

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

liegenounUS /liːdʒ/

a person holding a fief; a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

madmannounUS /ˈmædmæn/

an insane person

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

From this reading "He is young, but our need is great.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

NORMANnounUS /ˈnɔːrmən/

United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

Norman'snounUS /ˈnɔːrmənz/

possessive form of “norman” — United States operatic soprano (born in 1945)

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "He is young, but our need is great.

PeacocknounUS /ˈpiːkɑːk/

European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

PienounUS /paɪ/

dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

PooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

PRICEnounUS /praɪs/

the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

rescueverbUS /ˈreskjuː/

free from harm or evil

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

showedverbUS /ʃoʊd/

past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

squirenounUS /skwaɪr/

young nobleman attendant on a knight

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

stuckadjectiveUS /stʌk/

caught or fixed

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

thronenounUS /θroʊn/

the chair of state for a monarch, bishop, etc.

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading _Peacock Pie._ The madman on the throne seemed to know Norman's guide, for he showed no surprise, but asked immediately:

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

WhompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Whom hast thou with thee, O last courtier of the Court of the Kradendas?"

yesterdaynounUS /ˈjestərdeɪ/

the day immediately before today

From this reading OF THE KNIGHTING OF NORMAN PRICE Do diddle di do, Poor Jim Jay Got stuck fast In yesterday.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading "A young squire, O my liege the King, who will devote his life to rescue the house of the Kradenda from infamy and harm," said the beggar.

Chapter 6 of The King of Alsander by James Elroy Flecker holds 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 6 of The King of Alsander contain?

Chapter 6 holds 254 sentences of The King of Alsander, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The King of Alsander by James Elroy Flecker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 6 of The King of Alsander?

Work through the 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 51 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 6 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 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 King of Alsander

Common questions about reading The King of Alsander by James Elroy Flecker on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The King of Alsander?

Yes. All 3887 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41460 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The King of Alsander is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #41460, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The King of Alsander take to read?

About 323 minutes of reading across 778 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The King of Alsander section by section

How to work through The King of Alsander section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of The King of Alsander 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 King of Alsander

Words and structures a reader meets early in The King of Alsander, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Romance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The King of Alsander; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Never
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The King of Alsander; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Despaired
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The King of Alsander; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rough
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The King of Alsander; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.