Chapter 8 of Volpone is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Volpone is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BOB, beat, thump. BODGE, measure. BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair. BOLT, roll (of material). BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).
Chapter 8 of Volpone is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
a dagger with a slender blade
From this reading “BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.”
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading “BOLT, roll (of material).”
A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.
From this reading “BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.”
remove or force out from a position
From this reading “BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).”
to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading “BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.”
cause to flee
From this reading “BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).”
move as if through a sieve
From this reading “BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).”
move rhythmically
From this reading “BOB, beat, thump.”
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.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading BOB, beat, thump.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading BOB, beat, thump.
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading BODGE, measure.
a dagger with a slender blade
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading BOLT, roll (of material).
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).
A short knife with a pointed and edged blade, used as a stealth weapon.
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
remove or force out from a position
From this reading BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).
firmly closed or secured
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests
From this reading BOLT, roll (of material).
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading BODGE, measure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BOLT, roll (of material).
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).
to hold fast or prevent from moving
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
having a point
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading BOLT, roll (of material).
cause to flee
From this reading BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
move as if through a sieve
From this reading BOLT, dislodge, rout out; sift (boulting-tub).
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
move rhythmically
From this reading BOB, beat, thump.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
in the company of; together with
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading BODKIN, dagger, or other short, pointed weapon; long pin with which the women fastened up their hair.
Chapter 8 of Volpone by Ben Jonson holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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.
Chapter 8 holds 415 sentences of Volpone, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Volpone by Ben Jonson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 8 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 Volpone by Ben Jonson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3046 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4039 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4039, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 253 minutes of reading across 610 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Volpone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Volpone 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 Volpone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
