Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Unknown to History
Unknown to History

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Unknown to History is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Unknown to History
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CIS OR SISTER.
Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.
(Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)
Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.
Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Unknown to History

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Unknown to History is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CIS OR SISTER.
Line 2
Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.
Line 3
(Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)
Line 4
Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.
Line 5
Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

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.

Forte noun US /ˈfɔːrteɪ/

an asset of special worth or utility

From this reading “Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.”

gloat verb US /ɡloʊt/

dwell on with satisfaction

From this reading “Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.”

memento noun US /mɪˈmentoʊ/

a reminder of past events

From this reading “Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.”

ne'er adverb US /ner/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading “(Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)”

non adverb US /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading “Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.”

pane noun US /peɪn/

sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors

From this reading “Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.”

philosophical adjective US /ˌfɪləˈsɑːfɪkəl/

of or relating to philosophy or philosophers

From this reading “Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.”

Vale noun US /veɪl/

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading “Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

adeunda

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

admirableadjectiveUS /ˈædmərəbəl/

deserving of the highest esteem or admiration

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

Buxton

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

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

Buxtona

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

calidae

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

celebraris

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

CISnoun

an alliance made up of states that had been Soviet Socialist Republics in the Soviet Union prior to its dissolution in Dec 1991

From this reading CIS OR SISTER.

diamondnounUS /ˈdaɪmənd/

a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

Dr

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

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

FarewellnounUS /ˌferˈwel/

an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

FortenounUS /ˈfɔːrteɪ/

an asset of special worth or utility

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

gloatverbUS /ɡloʊt/

dwell on with satisfaction

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

hac

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

JonesnounUS /dʒoʊnz/

United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

lymphae

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

mementonounUS /mɪˈmentoʊ/

a reminder of past events

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

mihi

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

ne'eradverbUS /ner/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

NeveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

nomine

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

nonadverbUS /nɑːn/

negation of a word or group of words

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

ORconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading CIS OR SISTER.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

panenounUS /peɪn/

sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

PerchanceadverbUS /pərˈtʃæns/

through chance

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

philosophicaladjectiveUS /ˌfɪləˈsɑːfɪkəl/

of or relating to philosophy or philosophers

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

postverbUS /poʊst/

affix in a public place or for public notice

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

quae

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

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

QueennounUS /kwiːn/

the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

SISTERnounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading CIS OR SISTER.

smilingnounUS /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

ThusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

ValenounUS /veɪl/

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading Buxtona, quae calidae celebraris nomine lymphae Forte mihi post hac non adeunda, Vale.

warmadjectiveUS /wɔːrm/

having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

watersnounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading (Buxton of whose warm waters men tell, Perchance I ne'er shall see thee more, Farewell.)

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

wroteverbUS /roʊt/

inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work

From this reading Thus wrote Queen Mary with a diamond upon her window pane, smiling as she said, "There, we will leave a memento over which the admirable Dr. Jones will gloat his philosophical soul.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Never may I see thee more, Buxton, yet never thought I to be so happy as I have here been."

Chapter 16 of Unknown to History by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 16 of Unknown to History contain?

Chapter 16 holds 139 sentences of Unknown to History, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Unknown to History by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 16 of Unknown to History?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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 Unknown to History

Common questions about reading Unknown to History by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Unknown to History?

Yes. All 7013 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4596 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Unknown to History is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4596, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Unknown to History take to read?

About 584 minutes of reading across 1403 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Unknown to History section by section

How to work through Unknown to History section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Unknown to History to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Unknown to History

Words and structures a reader meets early in Unknown to History, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Unknown to History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Spring
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Unknown to History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mistress
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Unknown to History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Talbot
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Unknown to History; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.