Chapter 2 of The Price is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Price is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Poor devils! They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it. But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage.... Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke! Oh, good Lord!--look at that!"
Chapter 2 of The Price is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract power
From this reading “But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....”
plural of “burden” — an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading “Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!”
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “"Poor devils!”
plural of “freeman” — a person who is not a serf or a slave
From this reading “They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.”
plural of “galley” — a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading
From this reading “But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....”
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading “Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!”
work hard
From this reading “Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!”
fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment
From this reading “Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Oh, good Lord!--look at that!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
have
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract power
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
plural of “burden” — an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading "Poor devils!
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
at any time
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
plural of “freeman” — a person who is not a serf or a slave
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
plural of “galley” — a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Oh, good Lord!--look at that!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Oh, good Lord!--look at that!"
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Oh, good Lord!--look at that!"
not any; not one
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, good Lord!--look at that!"
by chance
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "Poor devils!
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
work hard
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading They've been told that they are freemen, and perhaps they believe it.
a port city and naval base in southeastern France on the Mediterranean coast
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But surely no slave of the Toulon galleys was ever in bitterer bondage....
an affirmative
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment
From this reading Free?--yes, free to toil and sweat, to bear burdens and to be driven like cattle under the yoke!
Chapter 2 of The Price by Francis Lynde holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of The Price, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Price by Francis Lynde exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Price by Francis Lynde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6264 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19462 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19462, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 522 minutes of reading across 1253 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Price section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Price 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 Price, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
