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.
Vit. Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit. Brach. Excellent creature! We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
Chapter 1 of The White Devil is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 56/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 276–280
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.
approval
From this reading “Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?”
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading “Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.”
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.”
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading “Excellent creature!”
plural of “funeral” — a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading “Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.”
past form of “loathe” — find repugnant
From this reading “Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.”
showing or giving mercy
From this reading “We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?”
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 Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Brach.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Excellent creature!
approval
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading Excellent creature!
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
plural of “funeral” — a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
past form of “loathe” — find repugnant
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
showing or giving mercy
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
term of address for a man
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sure, sir, a loathed cruelty in ladies Is as to doctors many funerals: It takes away their credit.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vit.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading We call the cruel fair; what name for you That are so merciful?
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.
