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The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05
The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 is here in full — 312 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05
Context Illustration Reading 1/62 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.
_Har.
Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.
The mischiefs I have done are past recal.
Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 is here in full — 312 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/62 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.
Line 2
_Har.
Line 3
Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.
Line 4
The mischiefs I have done are past recal.
Line 5
Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.
/jiːld ðen jɔːr ˈjuːsləs raɪt ɪn hɜːr aɪ lʌv sɪns ðə pəˈzeʃən ɪz noʊ ˈlɔːŋɡər jʊrz soʊ ɪz jɔːr ˈɑːnər seɪf ənd soʊ ɪz hərz ðə ˈhʌzbənd ˈoʊnli ˈɔːltərd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

altered adjective US /ˈɔːltərd/

changed in form or character without becoming something else

From this reading “Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.”

dispatch verb US /dɪˈspætʃ/

send away towards a designated goal

From this reading “_Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.”

Fisc noun US /fɪsk/

a state treasury or exchequer or a royal treasury; originally the public treasury of Rome or the emperor's private purse

formerly adverb US /ˈfɔːrmərli/

at a previous time

From this reading “Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.”

odds noun US /ɑːdz/

the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring

From this reading “_Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.”

shunned verb US /ʃʌnd/

inflected form of “shun” — avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of

From this reading “Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.”

useless adjective US /ˈjuːsləs/

having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully

From this reading “Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.”

Yield verb US /jiːld/

be the cause or source of

From this reading “Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

alteredadjectiveUS /ˈɔːltərd/

changed in form or character without becoming something else

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The mischiefs I have done are past recal.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

dispatchverbUS /dɪˈspætʃ/

send away towards a designated goal

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading The mischiefs I have done are past recal.

excuseverbUS /ɪksˈkjuːs/

accept an excuse for

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

fightingnounUS /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/

the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

FiscnounUS /fɪsk/

a state treasury or exchequer or a royal treasury; originally the public treasury of Rome or the emperor's private purse

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

formerlyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrmərli/

at a previous time

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

Har

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Har.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

he's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

herspronounUS /hərz/

the one or ones belonging to her

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

HoldverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

honournounUS /ˈɑːnər/

the state of being honored

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

Jun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

killedverbUS /kɪld/

past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

longeradverbUS /ˈlɔːŋɡər/

for more time

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

mischiefs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The mischiefs I have done are past recal.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

oddsnounUS /ɑːdz/

the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

pastnounUS /pæst/

the time that has elapsed

From this reading The mischiefs I have done are past recal.

possessionnounUS /pəˈzeʃən/

the act of having and controlling property

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

recal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The mischiefs I have done are past recal.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

safeadjectiveUS /seɪf/

free from danger or the risk of harm

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

shunnedverbUS /ʃʌnd/

inflected form of “shun” — avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

t'invent

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

uselessadjectiveUS /ˈjuːsləs/

having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading _Fisc._ We must dispatch him, sir, we have the odds; And when he's killed, leave me t'invent the excuse.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

YieldverbUS /jiːld/

be the cause or source of

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Jun._ Hold a little: As you shunned fighting formerly with me, so would I now with you.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

yourspronounUS /jʊrz/

the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to

From this reading Yield then your useless right in her I love, since the possession is no longer yours; so is your honour safe, and so is hers, the husband only altered.

Chapter 4 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 by John Dryden holds 312 sentences, grouped into 63 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.

What does chapter 4 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 contain?

Chapter 4 holds 312 sentences of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 by John Dryden exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 312 sentences, grouped into 63 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.

How do I study chapter 4 of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05?

Work through the 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 63 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.

Can chapter 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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.

Questions about reading The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05

Common questions about reading The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 by John Dryden on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05?

Yes. All 5547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16208 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #16208, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 take to read?

About 462 minutes of reading across 1110 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 section by section

How to work through The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05

Words and structures a reader meets early in The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Eighteen
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Volumes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Walter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scott
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The works of John Dryden, now first collected — Volume 05; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.