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.
God refuse me. Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife. Cam. 'Twere very good. Flam.
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 33/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 161–165
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.
give advice to
From this reading “Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.”
a river in east central England that flows past Cambridge to join the Ouse River
From this reading “Cam.”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.”
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “God refuse me.”
fasten with a lock
From this reading “Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.”
show unwillingness towards
From this reading “God refuse me.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.”
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.
give advice to
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
a river in east central England that flows past Cambridge to join the Ouse River
From this reading Cam.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flam.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading God refuse me.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading 'Twere very good.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
fasten with a lock
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading God refuse me.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
and nothing more
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
show unwillingness towards
From this reading God refuse me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Twere very good.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
precisely as stated
From this reading 'Twere very good.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Might I advise you now, your only course Were to lock up your wife.
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.
