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The White Devil
The White Devil

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The White Devil
Context Illustration Reading 18/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Your best of rest.
Vit.
Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.
More lights: attend the duke.
[Exeunt Camillo and Vittoria.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The White Devil

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 18/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 86–90

Line 1
Your best of rest.
/jɔːr best ʌv rest/
Line 2
Vit.
Line 3
Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.
/ˈʌntuː maɪ lɔːrd ðə duːk ðə best ʌv ˈwelkəm/
Line 4
More lights: attend the duke.
/mɔːr laɪts əˈtend ðə duːk/
Line 5
[Exeunt Camillo and Vittoria.

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.

attend verb US /əˈtend/

be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.

From this reading “More lights: attend the duke.”

best noun US /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading “Your best of rest.”

duke noun US /duːk/

a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading “Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.”

lights noun US /laɪts/

plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation

From this reading “More lights: attend the duke.”

lord noun US /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading “Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.”

rest verb US /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading “Your best of rest.”

Unto preposition US /ˈʌntuː/

an old word for “to”

From this reading “Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.”

welcome verb US /ˈwelkəm/

accept gladly

From this reading “Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.”

All words in this reading · 18

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading [Exeunt Camillo and Vittoria.

attendverbUS /əˈtend/

be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.

From this reading More lights: attend the duke.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading Your best of rest.

Camillo

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

From this reading [Exeunt Camillo and Vittoria.

dukenounUS /duːk/

a British peer of the highest rank

From this reading Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.

Exeunt

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

From this reading [Exeunt Camillo and Vittoria.

lightsnounUS /laɪts/

plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation

From this reading More lights: attend the duke.

lordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.

MoreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading More lights: attend the duke.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Your best of rest.

restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading Your best of rest.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.

UntoprepositionUS /ˈʌntuː/

an old word for “to”

From this reading Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.

Vit

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

From this reading Vit.

Vittoria

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

From this reading [Exeunt Camillo and Vittoria.

welcomeverbUS /ˈwelkəm/

accept gladly

From this reading Unto my lord the duke, The best of welcome.

YourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Your best of rest.

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.

What does chapter 1 of The White Devil contain?

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.

How do I study chapter 1 of The White Devil?

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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The White Devil

Common questions about reading The White Devil by John Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The White Devil?

Yes. All 3118 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12915 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The White Devil is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12915, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The White Devil take to read?

About 259 minutes of reading across 624 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The White Devil section by section

How to work through The White Devil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of The White Devil to begin.

  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 White Devil

Words and structures a reader meets early in The White Devil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Publishing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The White Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tragedy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The White Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Challenge
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The White Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Myself
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The White Devil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.