Chapter 26 of Wager of Battle is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Wager of Battle is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WAGER OF BATTLE. "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore. They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar." SIR TRIAMOUR. The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
Chapter 26 of Wager of Battle is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
Old World wild swine having a narrow body and prominent tusks from which most domestic swine come; introduced in United States
From this reading “They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."”
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading “They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."”
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading “The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.”
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading “They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."”
decreed by or proceeding from a court of justice
From this reading “The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.”
plural of “preparation” — the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
From this reading “The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.”
plural of “shield” — a protective covering or structure
From this reading “They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."”
the act of gambling
From this reading “WAGER OF BATTLE.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.”
In this reading “They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."”
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 They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading WAGER OF BATTLE.
Old World wild swine having a narrow body and prominent tusks from which most domestic swine come; introduced in United States
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
an engagement fought between two military forces
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
an old form of “does”
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
one or the other of two
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
bringing death
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
decreed by or proceeding from a court of justice
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WAGER OF BATTLE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
plural of “preparation” — the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
plural of “shield” — a protective covering or structure
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
term of address for a man
From this reading SIR TRIAMOUR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
hurting
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They spent speares and brake shields; They pounsed as fowl in the fields; Either foamed as doth a boar."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading The fatal third day had come about, and with it all the dreadful preparations for the judicial combat.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SIR TRIAMOUR.
the act of gambling
From this reading WAGER OF BATTLE.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Then rode they together full right, With sharpe speares and swordes bright; They smote together sore.
Chapter 26 of Wager of Battle by Henry William Herbert holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 26 holds 117 sentences of Wager of Battle, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Wager of Battle by Henry William Herbert exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 26 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 Wager of Battle by Henry William Herbert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2384 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45341 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45341, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 198 minutes of reading across 477 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wager of Battle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Wager of Battle 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 Wager of Battle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
