Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Last Days of Pompeii
The Last Days of Pompeii

Chapter XXXVII · Chapter 37

Chapter 37 of The Last Days of Pompeii is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Last Days of Pompeii
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CALENUS AND BURBO.
DIOMED AND CLODIUS.
THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.
THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.
And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.
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 Last Days of Pompeii

Chapter XXXVII · Chapter 37

Chapter 37 of The Last Days of Pompeii is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CALENUS AND BURBO.
Line 2
DIOMED AND CLODIUS.
Line 3
THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.
Line 4
THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.
Line 5
And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.
/ənd wen ðə ˈdɑːrknəs ənd ðə kraʊd ˈsepəreɪtɪd ðə priːst frʌm hɪz əˈtendənts hiː ˈheɪsənd wɪð ˈtrembəlɪŋ steps təˈwɔːrdz ðə ˈtempəl ʌv hɪz ˈɡɑːdəs/

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.

amphitheatre noun US /ˈæmfəθiˈeɪtər/

a sloping gallery with seats for spectators (as in an operating room or theater)

From this reading “THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
attendants noun US /əˈtendənts/

plural of “attendant” — someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

From this reading “And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bonds noun US /bɑːndz/

plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms

From this reading “THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
catastrophe noun US /kəˈtæstrəfi/

an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

From this reading “THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consigned verb US /kənˈsaɪnd/

past form of “consign” — commit forever; commit irrevocably

From this reading “THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
jailer noun US /ˈdʒeɪlər/

someone who guards prisoners

From this reading “THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
praetor noun US /ˈpriːtər/

an annually elected magistrate of the ancient Roman Republic

From this reading “THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
riven verb US /ˈrɪvən/

inflected form of “rive” — tear or be torn violently

From this reading “THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 51

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.

alikeadverbUS /əˈlaɪk/

equally

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AMPHITHEATREnounUS /ˈæmfəθiˈeɪtər/

a sloping gallery with seats for spectators (as in an operating room or theater)

From this reading THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading CALENUS AND BURBO.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
attendantsnounUS /əˈtendənts/

plural of “attendant” — someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bondsnounUS /bɑːndz/

plural of “bond” — an electrical force linking atoms

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BURBO

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

From this reading CALENUS AND BURBO.

Pending verification
CALENUS

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

From this reading CALENUS AND BURBO.

Pending verification
carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
catastrophenounUS /kəˈtæstrəfi/

an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CLODIUS

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

From this reading DIOMED AND CLODIUS.

Pending verification
consignedverbUS /kənˈsaɪnd/

past form of “consign” — commit forever; commit irrevocably

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crowdverbUS /kraʊd/

cause to herd, drive, or crowd together

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
darknessnounUS /ˈdɑːrknəs/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DIOMED

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

From this reading DIOMED AND CLODIUS.

Pending verification
freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
GIRLnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goddessnounUS /ˈɡɑːdəs/

a female deity

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
guardsnounUS /ɡɑːrdz/

plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hastenedverbUS /ˈheɪsənd/

past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
jailernounUS /ˈdʒeɪlər/

someone who guards prisoners

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
JULIA

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

From this reading THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.

Pending verification
leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
praetornounUS /ˈpriːtər/

an annually elected magistrate of the ancient Roman Republic

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
priestnounUS /priːst/

a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prisonernounUS /ˈprɪzənər/

a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ridverbUS /rɪd/

relieve from

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rivenverbUS /ˈrɪvən/

inflected form of “rive” — tear or be torn violently

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
separatedadjectiveUS /ˈsepəreɪtɪd/

being or feeling set or kept apart from others

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
societynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stepsnounUS /steps/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/

happening without warning or in a short space of time

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
templenounUS /ˈtempəl/

place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE GIRL OF THE AMPHITHEATRE AND JULIA.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tremblingnounUS /ˈtrembəlɪŋ/

a shaky motion

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading THE sudden catastrophe which had, as it were, riven the very bonds of society, and left prisoner and jailer alike free, had soon rid Calenus of the guards to whose care the praetor had consigned him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And when the darkness and the crowd separated the priest from his attendants, he hastened with trembling steps towards the temple of his goddess.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 37 of The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 37 of The Last Days of Pompeii contain?

Chapter 37 holds 110 sentences of The Last Days of Pompeii, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 37 of The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 37 of The Last Days of Pompeii?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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 37 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 37 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 Last Days of Pompeii

Common questions about reading The Last Days of Pompeii by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Last Days of Pompeii?

Yes. All 7117 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1565 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Last Days of Pompeii is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1565, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Last Days of Pompeii take to read?

About 593 minutes of reading across 1424 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Last Days of Pompeii section by section

How to work through The Last Days of Pompeii section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Last Days of Pompeii 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 Last Days of Pompeii

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Last Days of Pompeii, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Gentlemen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Days of Pompeii; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pompeii
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Days of Pompeii; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Diomed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Days of Pompeii; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Glaucus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Last Days of Pompeii; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.