Chapter 2 of The Mercenary is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Mercenary is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NIGEL COLLECTS HIS DUES. Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng. "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen. "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!" The scrivener drew forth pen and inkhorn.
Chapter 2 of The Mercenary is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
muscular and heavily built
From this reading “"Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.”
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading “"Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.”
plural of “collect” — a short prayer generally preceding the lesson in the Church of Rome or the Church of England
From this reading “NIGEL COLLECTS HIS DUES.”
plural of “due” — that which is deserved or owed
From this reading “NIGEL COLLECTS HIS DUES.”
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading “"Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.”
someone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts
From this reading “"Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.”
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “"Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.”
a large gathering of people
From this reading “Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.”
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.
In this reading “Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.”
put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.
In this reading “"Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"”
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 "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
muscular and heavily built
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
plural of “collect” — a short prayer generally preceding the lesson in the Church of Rome or the Church of England
From this reading NIGEL COLLECTS HIS DUES.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading The scrivener drew forth pen and inkhorn.
plural of “due” — that which is deserved or owed
From this reading NIGEL COLLECTS HIS DUES.
the organ of sight
From this reading Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The scrivener drew forth pen and inkhorn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading NIGEL COLLECTS HIS DUES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The scrivener drew forth pen and inkhorn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NIGEL COLLECTS HIS DUES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
above and across; more than
From this reading Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading The scrivener drew forth pen and inkhorn.
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
someone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
inflected form of “shrink” — wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
be seated
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
a large gathering of people
From this reading Nigel's quick eye roved over the throng.
which person or people
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
Having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in character or magic.
From this reading "Now, Master Scrivener!" he said, picking out a lean-faced worthy who shrank behind a burly citizen.
produce a literary work
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sit you at this table and write down the names and conditions of the prisoners!"
Chapter 2 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 2 holds 135 sentences of The Mercenary, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 2 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 Mercenary by W. J. Eccott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5752 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40567 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40567, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 479 minutes of reading across 1151 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mercenary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Mercenary 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 Mercenary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
