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.
Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better. To-morrow at night, I am for you. Vit. You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't. 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 49/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 241–245
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.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading “Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.”
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading “Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.”
the commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be processed to yield silk fiber; the principal source of commercial silk
From this reading “Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.”
revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading “You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.”
plural of “spin” — a swift whirling motion (usually of a missile)
From this reading “Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.”
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading “Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.”
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading “You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.”
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading “You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.”
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 You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading To-morrow at night, I am for you.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To-morrow at night, I am for you.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flam.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To-morrow at night, I am for you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading To-morrow at night, I am for you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading To-morrow at night, I am for you.
the commercially bred hairless white caterpillar of the domestic silkworm moth which spins a cocoon that can be processed to yield silk fiber; the principal source of commercial silk
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.
plural of “spin” — a swift whirling motion (usually of a missile)
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To-morrow at night, I am for you.
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading You 'll spin a fair thread, trust to 't.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vit.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading To-morrow at night, I am for you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your silkworm used to fast every third day, and the next following spins the better.
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.
