Chapter 1 of The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem is here in full — 275 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem is here in full — 275 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES. EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS. VOL. XVIII. M.DCCC.XLVI.
Chapter 1 of The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem is here in full — 275 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading “_Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.”
plural of “ballad” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading “_Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.”
improved or corrected by critical editing
From this reading “EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.”
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading “_Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.”
plural of “manuscript” — the form of a literary work submitted for publication
From this reading “EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.”
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
plural of “publication” — a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading “EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.”
only a very short time before
From this reading “EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.”
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.
the time of life between youth and old age (e.g., between 40 and 60 years of age)
In this reading “_Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.”
In this reading “EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.”
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.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
plural of “ballad” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading M.DCCC.XLVI.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
improved or corrected by critical editing
From this reading EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading M.DCCC.XLVI.
plural of “manuscript” — the form of a literary work submitted for publication
From this reading EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
literature in metrical form
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
plural of “publication” — a copy of a printed work offered for distribution
From this reading EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.
only a very short time before
From this reading EDITED FROM ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPTS AND SCARCE PUBLICATIONS.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Percy Society._ EARLY ENGLISH POETRY, BALLADS, AND POPULAR LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE AGES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VOL.
being six more than forty
From this reading M.DCCC.XLVI.
the cardinal number that is the sum of seventeen and one
From this reading XVIII.
Chapter 1 of The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem by Stephen, -1523? Hawes holds 275 sentences, grouped into 55 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 1 holds 275 sentences of The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem by Stephen, -1523? Hawes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 275 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 1 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.
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Yes. All 1604 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58037 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58037, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 321 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The Pastime of Pleasure: An Allegorical Poem, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
