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The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner
The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner
Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.
ASIL THE GNOSTIC.
I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.
Four years passed uneventfully.
Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.
Line 2
ASIL THE GNOSTIC.
Line 3
I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.
Line 4
Four years passed uneventfully.
Line 5
Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

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.

definitely adverb US /ˈdefənətli/

without question and beyond doubt

From this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

established adjective US /ɪˈstæblɪʃt/

brought about or set up or accepted; especially long established

From this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

Florence noun US /ˈflɔːrəns/

a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries

From this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

inquisition noun US /ˌɪn.kwɪˈzɪʃ.ən/

A period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation.

From this reading “THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.”

Leonardo noun US /ˌliːəˈnɑːrdoʊ/

Italian painter and sculptor and engineer and scientist and architect; the most versatile genius of the Italian Renaissance (1452-1519)

From this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

Louis noun US /ˈluːɪs/

United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)

From this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

Milan noun US /məˈlɑːn/

the capital of Lombardy in northern Italy; has been an international center of trade and industry since the Middle Ages

From this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

repute noun US /riˈpjuːt/

the state of being held in high esteem and honor

From this reading “Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.”

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.

Four years noun + noun

In this reading “Four years passed uneventfully.”

entered the service verb + article + noun counted as “enter … service”

In this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

small matters adjective + noun counted as “small matter”

In this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

In the year preposition + article + noun counted as “in … year”

In this reading “I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.”

Know all verb + adjective

In this reading “THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

1506

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

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

1507

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

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

1511

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

1513

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

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

ASIL

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

From this reading ASIL THE GNOSTIC.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

Boltraffio

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

ChurchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

definitelyadverbUS /ˈdefənətli/

without question and beyond doubt

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

establishedadjectiveUS /ɪˈstæblɪʃt/

brought about or set up or accepted; especially long established

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

FlorencenounUS /ˈflɔːrəns/

a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

FournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading Four years passed uneventfully.

Giovanni

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

GNOSTICadjective

of or relating to Gnosticism

From this reading ASIL THE GNOSTIC.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

HOLYnounUS /ˈhoʊli/

a sacred place of pilgrimage

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

INQUISITIONnounUS /ˌɪn.kwɪˈzɪʃ.ən/

A period of prolonged and intensive questioning or investigation.

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

KnowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

LeonardonounUS /ˌliːəˈnɑːrdoʊ/

Italian painter and sculptor and engineer and scientist and architect; the most versatile genius of the Italian Renaissance (1452-1519)

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

LouisnounUS /ˈluːɪs/

United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

masternounUS /ˈmæstər/

an artist of consummate skill

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

mattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

Maurizio

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

MilannounUS /məˈlɑːn/

the capital of Lombardy in northern Italy; has been an international center of trade and industry since the Middle Ages

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading Four years passed uneventfully.

reputenounUS /riˈpjuːt/

the state of being held in high esteem and honor

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

San

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

servicenounUS /ˈsɜːrvəs/

work done by one person or group that benefits another

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

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

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE HOLY INQUISITION--1506-1513 Know all; but be known of none.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

TowardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

uneventfullyadverb

in an uneventful manner

From this reading Four years passed uneventfully.

wall-painting

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

workingadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrkɪŋ/

actively engaged in paid work

From this reading Towards the close of 1511 Giovanni Boltraffio, who was now a master of repute, was working at a wall-painting in the new Church of San Maurizio.

XIInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

yearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading I In the year 1507 Leonardo definitely entered the service of Louis XII., established himself at Milan, and went no more to Florence, except for small matters of business.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Four years passed uneventfully.

Chapter 15 of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 15 of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner contain?

Chapter 15 holds 232 sentences of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 15 of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner?

Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 47 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 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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 Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner

Common questions about reading The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner by Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner?

Yes. All 9361 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47902 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47902, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1873 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner section by section

How to work through The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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  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 Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

White
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
She-devil--
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Siena
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Discovered
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci, the Forerunner; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.