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The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere
The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE KING AND THE BEGGAR.
_Armado_.
Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?
_Moth_.
The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE KING AND THE BEGGAR.
/ðə kɪŋ ənd ðə ˈbeɡər/
Line 2
_Armado_.
Line 3
Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?
/ɪz ðer nɑːt ə ˈbæləd bɔɪ ʌv ðə kɪŋ ənd ðə ˈbeɡər/
Line 4
_Moth_.
/mɔːθ/
Line 5
The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.
/ðə wɜːrld wɑːz ˈveri ˈɡɪlti ʌv sʌtʃ ə ˈbæləd sʌm θriː ˈeɪdʒəz sɪns bʌt aɪ θɪŋk naʊ tɪz nɑːt tuː biː faʊnd ɔːr ɪf ɪt wɜːr ɪt wʊd ˈniːðər sɜːrv fɔːr ðə ˈraɪtɪŋ nɔːr fɔːr ðə tuːn/

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.

ages noun US /ˈeɪdʒəz/

plural of “age” — how long something has existed

From this reading “The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.”

ballad noun US /ˈbæləd/

a narrative song with a recurrent refrain

From this reading “Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?”

beggar noun US /ˈbeɡər/

a pauper who lives by begging

From this reading “THE KING AND THE BEGGAR.”

guilty adjective US /ˈɡɪlti/

responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act

From this reading “The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.”

Moth noun US /mɔːθ/

typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae

serve verb US /sɜːrv/

serve a purpose, role, or function

From this reading “The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.”

tune noun US /tuːn/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

writing noun US /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading “The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.”

All words in this reading · 41

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 Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?

agesnounUS /ˈeɪdʒəz/

plural of “age” — how long something has existed

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE KING AND THE BEGGAR.

Armado

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

From this reading _Armado_.

balladnounUS /ˈbæləd/

a narrative song with a recurrent refrain

From this reading Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

BEGGARnounUS /ˈbeɡər/

a pauper who lives by begging

From this reading THE KING AND THE BEGGAR.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

guiltyadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪlti/

responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

KINGnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading THE KING AND THE BEGGAR.

MothnounUS /mɔːθ/

typically crepuscular or nocturnal insect having a stout body and feathery or hairlike antennae

From this reading _Moth_.

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

serveverbUS /sɜːrv/

serve a purpose, role, or function

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE KING AND THE BEGGAR.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Is there not a ballad, boy, of the King and the Beggar?

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

tisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

tunenounUS /tuːn/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading The world was very guilty of such a ballad some three ages since: but, I think, now 'tis not to be found; or, if it were, it would neither serve for the writing, _nor for the tune_.

Chapter 19 of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere by Delia Salter Bacon holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 19 of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere contain?

Chapter 19 holds 105 sentences of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere by Delia Salter Bacon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 19 of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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 Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere

Common questions about reading The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere by Delia Salter Bacon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere?

Yes. All 7510 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8207 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #8207, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1502 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Julius
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Caesar
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Coriolanus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scientific
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.