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The Mercenary
The Mercenary

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of The Mercenary is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By W. J. Eccott • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Mercenary
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MISTRESS AND ENEMY.
There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.
One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.
George William was very averse to the Edict.
Magdeburg was one of the pearls of his principality.
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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 Mercenary

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of The Mercenary is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
MISTRESS AND ENEMY.
/ˈmɪstrəs ənd ˈenəmi/
Line 2
There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.
Line 3
One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.
Line 4
George William was very averse to the Edict.
Line 5
Magdeburg was one of the pearls of his principality.

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.

averse adjective US /əˈvɜːrs/

(usually followed by “to”) strongly opposed

From this reading “George William was very averse to the Edict.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Brandenburg noun US /ˈbrændənbərɡ/

the territory of an Elector (of the Holy Roman Empire) that expanded to become the kingdom of Prussia in 1701

From this reading “One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Edict noun US /ˈiːdɪkt/

a formal or authoritative proclamation

From this reading “George William was very averse to the Edict.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Elector noun US /ɪˈlektər/

a citizen who has a legal right to vote

From this reading “One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fortresses noun US /ˈfɔːrtrəsɪz/

plural of “fortress” — a fortified defensive structure

From this reading “One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gustavus noun US /ˈɡʌstəvəs/

the last king of Sweden to have any real political power (1882-1973)

From this reading “There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
principality noun US /ˌprɪnsɪˈpælɪti/

territory ruled by a prince

From this reading “Magdeburg was one of the pearls of his principality.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Swede noun US /swiːd/

a native or inhabitant of Sweden

From this reading “One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

advance of verb + particle

In this reading “There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.”

7,459 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 46

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 One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Adolphus

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

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

Pending verification
advanceverbUS /ədˈvæns/

move forward, also in the metaphorical sense

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MISTRESS AND ENEMY.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
averseadjectiveUS /əˈvɜːrs/

(usually followed by “to”) strongly opposed

From this reading George William was very averse to the Edict.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
awkwardadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkwərd/

causing inconvenience

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BrandenburgnounUS /ˈbrændənbərɡ/

the territory of an Elector (of the Holy Roman Empire) that expanded to become the kingdom of Prussia in 1701

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Custrin

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

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Pending verification
EdictnounUS /ˈiːdɪkt/

a formal or authoritative proclamation

From this reading George William was very averse to the Edict.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ElectornounUS /ɪˈlektər/

a citizen who has a legal right to vote

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ENEMYnounUS /ˈenəmi/

an opposing military force

From this reading MISTRESS AND ENEMY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fortressesnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəsɪz/

plural of “fortress” — a fortified defensive structure

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GustavusnounUS /ˈɡʌstəvəs/

the last king of Sweden to have any real political power (1882-1973)

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

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

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

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Magdeburg was one of the pearls of his principality.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Magdeburg

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

From this reading Magdeburg was one of the pearls of his principality.

Pending verification
makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MISTRESSnounUS /ˈmɪstrəs/

an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man

From this reading MISTRESS AND ENEMY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
obstaclesnounUS /ˈɑːbstəkəlz/

plural of “obstacle” — something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
pearlsnounUS /pɜːrlz/

plural of “pearl” — a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel

From this reading Magdeburg was one of the pearls of his principality.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
principalitynounUS /ˌprɪnsɪˈpælɪti/

territory ruled by a prince

From this reading Magdeburg was one of the pearls of his principality.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
retreatnounUS /riˈtriːt/

(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Spandaunoun

a German machine gun

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SwedenounUS /swiːd/

a native or inhabitant of Sweden

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

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 There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading There had been two human obstacles to the advance of Gustavus Adolphus.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading George William was very averse to the Edict.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

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 One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
William

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

From this reading One was George William, Elector of Brandenburg, whose fortresses of Custrin and Spandau, held by any one but Gustavus, were awkward things in the way of a retreat, if the Swede had to make one.

Pending verification

Chapter 23 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 of The Mercenary contain?

Chapter 23 holds 112 sentences of The Mercenary, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 of The Mercenary?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Mercenary

Common questions about reading The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mercenary?

Yes. All 5752 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40567 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mercenary is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40567, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mercenary take to read?

About 479 minutes of reading across 1151 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mercenary section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Mercenary 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 Mercenary

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

Works
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mercenary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mercenary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Crown
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mercenary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fortune's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mercenary; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.