Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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.
Flam. Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled? Cam. Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides. A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 31/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 151–155
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.
one of the greatest of the ancient Athenian philosophers; pupil of Plato; teacher of Alexander the Great (384-322 BC)
From this reading “Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?”
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading “Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?”
a river in east central England that flows past Cambridge to join the Ouse River
From this reading “Cam.”
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading “Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?”
long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation
From this reading “Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.”
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?”
plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading “Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?”
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 Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
one of the greatest of the ancient Athenian philosophers; pupil of Plato; teacher of Alexander the Great (384-322 BC)
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
a river in east central England that flows past Cambridge to join the Ouse River
From this reading Cam.
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
a man whose wife committed adultery
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
opinion or judgment
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flam.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
plural of “planet” — (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
term of address for a man
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
express in words
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Pew wew, sir; tell me not Of planets nor of Ephemerides.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
at the time that
From this reading A man may be made cuckold in the day-time, When the stars' eyes are out.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you be an ass, Despite your Aristotle? or a cuckold, Contrary to your Ephemerides, Which shows you under what a smiling planet You were first swaddled?
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.
