Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate. Lodo. Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return. Gas. Oh, sir.
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 15/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 71–75
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.
corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
From this reading “Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.”
a state of great suffering and distress due to adversity
From this reading “Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.”
things that make you comfortable and at ease
From this reading “Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.”
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading “Gas.”
fortitude and determination
From this reading “Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.”
plural of “perfume” — a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading “Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.”
giving pleasure and satisfaction
From this reading “Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.”
plural of “scent” — a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading “Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.”
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.
corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
a state of great suffering and distress due to adversity
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
things that make you comfortable and at ease
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
at any time
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading Gas.
fortitude and determination
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
a native or inhabitant of Italy
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
go away from a place
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lodo.
engage in
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, sir.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
coated with paint
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
plural of “perfume” — a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
giving pleasure and satisfaction
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
cause to become
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
plural of “scent” — a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
term of address for a man
From this reading Oh, sir.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Perfumes, the more they are chaf'd, the more they render Their pleasing scents, and so affliction Expresseth virtue fully, whether true, Or else adulterate.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Leave your painted comforts; I 'll make Italian cut-works in their guts If ever I return.
Chapter 1 of The White Devil by John Webster holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 1 holds 403 sentences of The White Devil, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The White Devil by John Webster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 1 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 White Devil by John Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3118 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12915 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12915, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 259 minutes of reading across 624 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White Devil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The White Devil 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 White Devil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
