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The Plowshare and the Sword
The Plowshare and the Sword

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Plowshare and the Sword is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SACRAMENTAL.
The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.
The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.
Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.
At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Plowshare and the Sword

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The Plowshare and the Sword is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SACRAMENTAL.
/ˈsækrəməntəl/
Line 2
The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.
/ðə ˈmɪləteri ruːˈtiːn ʌv ðə ˈfɔːrtrəs kənˈtɪnjuːd ðæt deɪ æz ˈjuːʒəwəl ənd ðə əˈproʊtʃ ʌv naɪt brɔːt noʊ səˈspɪʃən ʌv ðə ˈfɔːrθˈkʌmɪŋ əˈsɔːlt/
Line 3
The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.
Line 4
Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.
Line 5
At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

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.

citadel noun US /ˈsɪt.ə.del/

A fortress protecting a city, metaphorically representing the invincible inner sanctuary of the rational mind.

From this reading “At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.”

ecclesiastical adjective US /ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪkəl/

of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church)

From this reading “The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.”

forthcoming adjective US /ˈfɔːrθˈkʌmɪŋ/

at ease in talking to others

From this reading “The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.”

fortress noun US /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading “The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.”

lax adjective US /læks/

lacking in rigor or strictness

From this reading “The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.”

notoriously adverb US /noʊˈtɔːriəsli/

to a notorious degree

From this reading “The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.”

routine noun US /ruːˈtiːn/

an unvarying or habitual method or procedure

From this reading “The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.”

sacramental adjective US /ˈsækrəməntəl/

of or relating to or involving a sacrament

From this reading “SACRAMENTAL.”

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.

rang out verb + adjective counted as “ring out”

sound loudly

In this reading “At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.”

without apprehension preposition + noun

In this reading “The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.”

approach of verb + particle

In this reading “The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

absencenounUS /ˈæbsəns/

the state of being absent

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

apprehensionnounUS /ˌæprɪˈhenʃən/

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

approachverbUS /əˈproʊtʃ/

move towards

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

assaultnounUS /əˈsɔːlt/

close fighting during the culmination of a military attack

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

bellnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

bellsnounUS /belz/

plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

breathedadjectiveUS /briːðd/

uttered without voice

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

brothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

chapelnounUS /ˈtʃæpəl/

a place of worship that has its own altar

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

citadelnounUS /ˈsɪt.ə.del/

A fortress protecting a city, metaphorically representing the invincible inner sanctuary of the rational mind.

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

commentedverbUS /ˈkɑːmentəd/

past form of “comment” — make or write a comment on

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

continuedadjectiveUS /kənˈtɪnjuːd/

without stop or interruption

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

dutiesnounUS /ˈduːtiz/

plural of “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

eastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

ecclesiasticaladjectiveUS /ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪkəl/

of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church)

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

eventidenoun

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

forthcomingadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrθˈkʌmɪŋ/

at ease in talking to others

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

fortressnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

freelyadverbUS /ˈfriːli/

in a free manner

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

LanounUS /lɑː/

a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

Laroche

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

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

laxadjectiveUS /læks/

lacking in rigor or strictness

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

militaryadjectiveUS /ˈmɪləteri/

of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

notoriouslyadverbUS /noʊˈtɔːriəsli/

to a notorious degree

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

performancenounUS /pərˈfɔːrməns/

a dramatic or musical entertainment

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

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 The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

rangverbUS /ræŋ/

inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

Roussilac

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

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

routinenounUS /ruːˈtiːn/

an unvarying or habitual method or procedure

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

SACRAMENTALadjectiveUS /ˈsækrəməntəl/

of or relating to or involving a sacrament

From this reading SACRAMENTAL.

Salle

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

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

seriouslyadverbUS /ˈsɪriəsli/

in a serious manner

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

Ste

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

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

suspicionnounUS /səˈspɪʃən/

an impression that something might be the case

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

troubledadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəld/

characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

twonounUS /tuː/

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

From this reading At eventide two little bells rang out, that to the east of the citadel being the bell of the chapel of Ste.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/

occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure

From this reading The military routine of the fortress continued that day as usual, and the approach of night brought no suspicion of the forthcoming assault.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Roussilac indeed breathed more freely when La Salle was not present in the fortress.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading The absence of La Salle was alone commented upon, yet without apprehension, for the priest was notoriously lax in the performance of his ecclesiastical duties, and only Laroche was seriously troubled in mind for his brother priest.

Chapter 20 of The Plowshare and the Sword by John Trevena holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 20 of The Plowshare and the Sword contain?

Chapter 20 holds 203 sentences of The Plowshare and the Sword, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The Plowshare and the Sword by John Trevena exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 20 of The Plowshare and the Sword?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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 Plowshare and the Sword

Common questions about reading The Plowshare and the Sword by John Trevena on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Plowshare and the Sword?

Yes. All 5281 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35141 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Plowshare and the Sword is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #35141, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Plowshare and the Sword take to read?

About 440 minutes of reading across 1057 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Plowshare and the Sword section by section

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Plowshare and the Sword

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

Empire
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plowshare and the Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Vision
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plowshare and the Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plowshare and the Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evening
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Plowshare and the Sword; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.