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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 21/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.
Brach.
Are we so happy?
Flam.
Can it be otherwise?
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 21/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105

Line 1
Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.
Line 2
Brach.
Line 3
Are we so happy?
/ɑːr wiː soʊ ˈhæpi/
Line 4
Flam.
Line 5
Can it be otherwise?
/kæn ɪt biː ˈʌðərwaɪz/

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.

depart verb US /dɪˈpɑːrt/

move away from a place into another direction

From this reading “Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.”

happy adjective US /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading “Are we so happy?”

Let auxiliary verb US /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.”

otherwise adverb US /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading “Can it be otherwise?”

pleasure noun US /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading “Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.”

put verb US /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading “Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.”

tis noun US /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading “Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.”

torches noun US /ˈtɔːrtʃɪz/

plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance

From this reading “Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.”

All words in this reading · 26

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.

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 Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Are we so happy?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Can it be otherwise?

Brach

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

From this reading Brach.

Canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Can it be otherwise?

caroch

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

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

departverbUS /dɪˈpɑːrt/

move away from a place into another direction

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

Flam

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

From this reading Flam.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading Are we so happy?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Can it be otherwise?

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading Can it be otherwise?

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

pleasurenounUS /ˈpleʒər/

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Are we so happy?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

tisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

torchesnounUS /ˈtɔːrtʃɪz/

plural of “torch” — a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Are we so happy?

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Let the caroch go on--and 'tis his pleasure You put out all your torches and depart.

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.