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.
Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm? Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often. Flam. Do, do, do. [Exit Camillo.
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 52/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 256–260
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.
an old form of “did”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?”
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading “[Exit Camillo.”
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading “Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?”
attach a tag or label to
From this reading “Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?”
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 “Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.”
the act of using
From this reading “Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Exit Camillo.
an old form of “did”, used with “thou”
From this reading Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do, do, do.
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading [Exit Camillo.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flam.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
attach a tag or label to
From this reading Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
many times at short intervals
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
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 Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Didst thou not mark the jest of the silkworm?
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
the act of using
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Good-night; in faith, I will use this trick often.
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.
