Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories
When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:
“See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”
This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.
Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:
“Judas, the Traitor!
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.

When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:
Line 2
“See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”
/siː ðɪs ɪz ˈdʒuːdəs ðə ˈtreɪtər/
Line 3
This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.
/ðɪs wɑːz ðə bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ ʌv hɪz ˈʃeɪmfəl ˈɪnfəmi tuː wɪtʃ hiː kənˈdemd hɪmˈself fɔːr ɔːl ˈeɪdʒəz/
Line 4
Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:
/ˈθaʊzəndz ʌv jɪrz wɪl pæs ˈneɪʃən wɪl səkˈsiːd ˈneɪʃən ənd stɪl ðə wɜːrdz wɪl biː hɜːrd ɪn ðə er ˈʌtərd wɪð kənˈtempt ənd dred baɪ ðə ɡʊd ənd ðə ˈiːvəl/
Line 5
“Judas, the Traitor!
/ˈdʒuːdəs ðə ˈtreɪtər/

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.

condemned verb US /kənˈdemd/

past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of

From this reading “This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.”

contemptuously adverb US /kənˈtemptʃwəsli/

without respect; in a disdainful manner

From this reading “They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:”

hatred noun US /ˈheɪtrəd/

the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

From this reading “They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:”

infamy noun US /ˈɪnfəmi/

a state of extreme dishonor

From this reading “This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.”

Judas noun US /ˈdʒuːdəs/

(New Testament) supposed brother of St. James; one of the Apostles who is invoked in prayer when a situation seems hopeless

From this reading ““See, this is Judas, the Traitor.””

shameful adjective US /ˈʃeɪmfəl/

(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

From this reading “This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.”

succeed verb US /səkˈsiːd/

attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading “Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:”

Traitor noun US /ˈtreɪtər/

someone who betrays his country by committing treason

From this reading ““See, this is Judas, the Traitor.””

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

with contempt preposition + noun

In this reading “Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:”

in the air preposition + article + noun counted as “in … air”

on everybody's mind

In this reading “Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

agesnounUS /ˈeɪdʒəz/

plural of “age” — how long something has existed

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

condemnedverbUS /kənˈdemd/

past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

contemptnounUS /kənˈtempt/

lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

contemptuouslyadverbUS /kənˈtemptʃwəsli/

without respect; in a disdainful manner

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

dreadnounUS /dred/

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

evilnounUS /ˈiːvəl/

morally objectionable behavior

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

fingersnounUS /ˈfɪŋɡərz/

plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

hatrednounUS /ˈheɪtrəd/

the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

infamynounUS /ˈɪnfəmi/

a state of extreme dishonor

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”

JudasnounUS /ˈdʒuːdəs/

(New Testament) supposed brother of St. James; one of the Apostles who is invoked in prayer when a situation seems hopeless

From this reading “See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”

nationnounUS /ˈneɪʃən/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

others

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

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

passverbUS /pæs/

go across or through

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

pointedadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪntɪd/

having a point

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

SeeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading “See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”

shamefuladjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪmfəl/

(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

succeedverbUS /səkˈsiːd/

attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

terrornounUS /ˈterər/

an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading “See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”

ThousandsnounUS /ˈθaʊzəndz/

plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

TraitornounUS /ˈtreɪtər/

someone who betrays his country by committing treason

From this reading “See, this is Judas, the Traitor.”

utteredadjectiveUS /ˈʌtərd/

communicated in words

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading This was the beginning of his shameful infamy to which he condemned himself for all ages.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading They pointed him out with their fingers, and some contemptuously, while others with hatred and terror added:

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Thousands of years will pass, nation will succeed nation, and still the words will be heard in the air, uttered with contempt and dread by the good and the evil:

Chapter 17 of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories by Leonid Andreyev holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 17 of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 17 holds 232 sentences of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories by Leonid Andreyev exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 17 of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories?

Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 47 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories

Common questions about reading When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories by Leonid Andreyev on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories?

Yes. All 4852 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49595 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #49595, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories take to read?

About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories section by section

How to work through When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories 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 When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Loses
A word that appears in the opening chapter of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Leonid
A word that appears in the opening chapter of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Andreyev
A word that appears in the opening chapter of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Capital
A word that appears in the opening chapter of When the King Loses His Head, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.