Chapter 17 of The Vale of Cedars is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Vale of Cedars is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ANGELO. We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror. ESCALUS. Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death. SHAKSPEARE.
Chapter 17 of The Vale of Cedars is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading “Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.”
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading “We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.”
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading “Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.”
support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird)
From this reading “We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.”
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading “We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.”
an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
From this reading “We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.”
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading “We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.”
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading “We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANGELO.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ESCALUS.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
engage in
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird)
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
on the contrary
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
an effigy in the shape of a man to frighten birds away from seeds
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHAKSPEARE.
any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
up to a particular time
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We must not make a scarecrow of the law, Setting it up to fear the birds of prey; And let it keep one shape, till custom make it Their perch, and not their terror.
but in spite of that
From this reading Ay, but yet Let us be keen, and rather cut a little, Than fall and bruise to death.
Chapter 17 of The Vale of Cedars by Grace Aguilar holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 17 holds 190 sentences of The Vale of Cedars, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Vale of Cedars by Grace Aguilar exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 17 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 Vale of Cedars by Grace Aguilar on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3335 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12725 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12725, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 277 minutes of reading across 667 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vale of Cedars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Vale of Cedars 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 Vale of Cedars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
