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Now, tell me thou-not in many words, but briefly-knewest thou that an edict had forbidden this?
(Fifth century BCE)
The word "edict" means __________.
An "edict" is an official proclaimation, order or decree issued by someone in power.
(Adapted from the R. C. Jebb translation of Antigone by Sophocles 481-482, Fifth century BCE)
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Adapted from Act 1, Scene 1, ln. 78-119 of The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe (1604) in Vol. XIX, Part 2 of The Harvard Classics (1909-1914)
FAUST: How am I glutted with conceit of this!
Shall I make spirits fetch me what I please,
Resolve me of all ambiguities,
Perform what desperate enterprise I will?
I’ll have them fly to India for gold,
Ransack the ocean for orient pearl,
And search all corners of the new-found world
For pleasant fruits and princely delicates;
I’ll have them read me strange philosophy
And tell the secrets of all foreign kings;
I’ll have them wall all Germany with brass,
And make swift Rhine circle fair Wittenberg;
I’ll have them fill the public schools with silk,
Wherewith the students shall be bravely clad;
I’ll levy soldiers with the coin they bring,
And chase the Prince of Parma from our land,
And reign sole king of all the provinces;
Yea, stranger engines for the brunt of war
Than was the fiery keel at Antwerp’s bridge,
I’ll make my servile spirits to invent.
\[Enter VALDES and CORNELIUS\]
Come, German Valdes and Cornelius,
And make me blest with your sage conference.
Valdes, sweet Valdes, and Cornelius,
Know that your words have won me at the last
To practice magic and concealed arts:
Yet not your words only, but mine own fantasy
That will receive no object, for my head
But ruminates on necromantic skill.
Philosophy is odious and obscure,
Both law and physic are for petty wits;
Divinity is basest of the three,
Unpleasant, harsh, contemptible, and vile:
’Tis magic, magic, that hath ravish’d me.
Then, gentle friends, aid me in this attempt;
And I that have with concise syllogisms
Gravell’d the pastors of the German church,
And made the flowering pride of Wittenberg
Swarm to my problems, as the infernal spirits
On sweet Musaeigus, when he came to hell,
Will be as cunning as Agrippa was,
Whose shadows made all Europe honor him.
In context, the underlined and bolded word "Gravell'd" most likely means which of the following?
In the context of the passage, the word "Gravell'd" means "confounded." Faustus is bragging that "with concise syllogism" he has confounded the pastors of the German church. He goes on to talk about the "problems" or academic exercises he has invented that have drawn attention.
The key to this question is the context in which the word is used ("gravell'd" is no longer a word in common usage); the fact that "syllogisms" were the devices Faustus used to trigger the "gravelling" of the pastors suggests that it is most likely an intellectual response on their part (rather than the emotional response of being enraged). Also, that the word is used in the context of Faustus' critique and dismissal of "divinity" suggests that he was not advising or encouraging the pastors.
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MERCUTIO:
O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies (5)
Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep…
And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lover's brains, and then they dream of love;
O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on court'sies straight;
O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees… (10)
Sometime she gallops o'er a courtier's nose,
And then dreams he of smelling out a suit…
(1597)
What word could be substituted for “agate-stone” (line 3)?
We see in line 4 that this “agate-stone” is worn on the “fore-finger” of an alderman, or local councilman, which implies that the stone is part of a piece of jewelry. Although insects, dreams, and sprites (fairies) are mentioned elsewhere in the poem, none of them are the “agate-stone” itself. The lines in question are intended to poetically describe the miniscule size of Queen Mab.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1597)
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MERCUTIO:
O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies (5)
Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep…
And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lover's brains, and then they dream of love;
O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on court'sies straight;
O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees… (10)
Sometime she gallops o'er a courtier's nose,
And then dreams he of smelling out a suit…
(1597)
Based on context, what might “atomies” (line 5) mean?
Here, we have to closely consider the context that “atomies” is appearing in. We know from previous lines that Queen Mab is very tiny, and we know that atoms are a tiny unit of physical matter. Putting this knowledge together, we can infer that “atomies” refer to generic tiny creatures; grasshoppers and tiny steam engines are too fanciful and specific for the line in question.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1597)
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MERCUTIO:
O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate-stone
On the fore-finger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomies (5)
Athwart men's noses as they lie asleep…
And in this state she gallops night by night
Through lover's brains, and then they dream of love;
O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on court'sies straight;
O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees… (10)
Sometime she gallops o'er a courtier's nose,
And then dreams he of smelling out a suit…
(1597)
Based on context, what does “suit” (line 12) mean?
Based on context, we know that the “suit” in question is something a courtier dreams of “smelling out” or otherwise happening upon. Courtiers are not lawyers, so lawsuit does not make sense, and formal clothing and specialized uniform lack textual support. Courtiers are, however, attendants to the monarchy or nobility, and they would be particularly motivated by a social elevation or promotion.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1597)
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HAMLET: … What would he do,
Had he the motive and the cue for passion
That I have? He would drown the stage with tears
And cleave the general ear with horrid speech,
Make mad the guilty and appal the free,(5)
Confound the ignorant, and amaze indeed
The very faculties of eyes and ears. Yet I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing. No, not for a king, (10)
Upon whose property and most dear life
A damned defeat was made. Am I a coward?
Who calls me villain?
Based on context, what does “faculties” (line 7) likely mean?
Here, we learn that the character’s protestations would “amaze” the eyes and ears, so that helps us narrow down our choice. Although “faculty” in other contexts refers to teaching staff or professors, that definition doesn’t make sense in the passage. Instead, faculties in this context therefore means powers, capacities, or abilities.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. (1603)
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MEPHISTOPHELES: Within the bowels of these elements,
Where we are tortured and remain forever.
Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed
In one self place, for where we are is hell,
And where hell is must we ever be. (5)
And, to conclude, when all the world dissolves,
And every creature shall be purified,
All places shall be hell that is not heaven.
(1604)
Based on context, what does “circumscribed” mean?
If we read around the word “circumscribed,” we can begin to see what the word signifies: “Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed / In one self place.” In other words, the speaker’s Hell does not have any set boundaries. “Bounded” is the only option that makes sense in this context.
Passage adapted from Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus (1604)
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KING LEAR: Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!
You cataracts and hurricanes, spout
Till you have drench'd our steeples, drown'd the cocks!
You sulph'rous and thought-executing fires,
Vaunt-couriers to oak-cleaving thunderbolts, (5)
Singe my white head! And thou, all-shaking thunder,
Strike flat the thick rotundity o' th' world,
Crack Nature's moulds, all germains spill at once,
That makes ingrateful man!
(1606)
Based on context, what is the meaning of “rotundity” (line 7)?
Although “rotund” normally means plump or robust, the context of the passage suggests a different interpretation. The speaker is railing against “ingrateful” and unnatural people, so a more general definition for “rotundity” is needed, one that encompasses not just the size of the world but its quality. Obtuseness is the only answer choice that fits these criteria.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606)
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RAPHAEL
The Sun, in ancient guise, competing
With brother spheres in rival song,
With thunder-march, his orb completing,
Moves his predestin'd course along;
His aspect to the powers supernal
Gives strength, though fathom him none may;
Transcending thought, the works eternal
Are fair as on the primal day.
GABRIEL
With speed, thought baffling, unabating,
Earth's splendour whirls in circling flight;
Its Eden-brightness alternating
With solemn, awe-inspiring night;
Ocean's broad waves in wild commotion,
Against the rocks' deep base are hurled;
And with the spheres, both rock and ocean
Eternally are swiftly whirled.
MICHAEL
And tempests roar in emulation
From sea to land, from land to sea,
And raging form, without cessation,
A chain of wondrous agency,
Full in the thunder's path careering,
Flaring the swift destructions play;
But, Lord, Thy servants are revering
The mild procession of thy day.
(1808)
As used in the passage, "supernal" most nearly means _________________.
The speaker (Raphael) is describing the path of the Sun and planets, "brother spheres," and also making reference to the powers of the heavens. Thus, "celestial" the best answer choice.
Passage adapted from Johann von Goethe's Faust (1808)
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Caliban: This island's mine, by Sycorax my mother,
Which thou takest from me. When thou camest first,
Thou strokedst me and madest much of me, wouldst give me
Water with berries in't, and teach me how
To name the bigger light, and how the less,
That burn by day and night: and then I loved thee
And show'd thee all the qualities o' the isle,
The fresh springs, brine-pits, barren place and fertile:
Cursed be I that did so! All the charms
Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, light on you!
For I am all the subjects that you have,
Which first was mine own king: and here you sty me
In this hard rock, whiles you do keep from me
The rest o' the island.
Based on context clues, the most accurate definition for the word "sty" is __________________.
The word sty most closely means "to keep," as a farmer would keep pigs in a sty. Although the other possible answers are all somehow related to Caliban's plight, there is no reason to believe, based on the available text, that sty means capture, enslave, starve, or forget. If you substitute keep for sty (here you keep me in this hard rock) the line maintains it's original meaning. The other possible answers, when plugged into the original line, sound awkward or meaningless.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611).
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Then, I confess,
Here on my knee, before high heaven and you
That before you, and next unto high heaven,
I love your son.
My friends were poor, but honest; so's my love:
Be not offended, for it hurts not him
That he is lov'd of me: I follow him not
By any token of presumptuous suit;
Nor would I have him till I do deserve him;
Yet never know how that desert should be.
I know I love in vain, strive against hope;
Yet, in this captious and intenible sieve
I still pour in the waters of my love,
And lack not to lose still. Thus, Indian-like,
Religious in mine error, I adore
The sun, that looks upon his worshipper,
But knows of him no more. My dearest madam,
Let not your hate encounter with my love
For loving where you do: but, if yourself,
Whose aged honour cites a virtuous youth,
Did ever in so true a flame of liking
Wish chastely and love dearly, that your Dian
Was both herself and Love; O! then, give pity
To her, whose state is such that cannot choose
But lend and give where she is sure to lose;
That seeks not to find that her search implies,
But, riddle-like, lives sweetly where she dies.
(1605)
What does the word "intenible" most likely mean in the context of the passage?
The correct meaning of the word "intenible" is incapable of holding something, because when the speaker says "...in this captious and intenible sieve, I still pour in the waters of my love and lack not to lose still" she means that her unrequited love is like pouring water through a leaky sieve, even though it is somehow retaining the water.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's All's Well that Ends Well (1605)
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ROMEO \[To a Servingman\]
1 What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand
2 Of yonder knight?
SERVANT
I know not, sir.
ROMEO
3 O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
4 It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
5 Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
6 Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
7 So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
8 As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows.
9 The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
10 And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
11 Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
12 For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
TYBALT
13 This, by his voice, should be a Montague.
14 Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave
15 Come hither, cover'd with an antic face,
16 To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?
17 Now, by the stock and honour of my kin,
18 To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin.
Based on context, what is the likeliest meaning of the word "fleer" (line 16)?
Tybalt is extremely angry at Romeo, so to "fleer" must be to do something offensive or disrespectful. Certainly, it cannot be something respectful or harmless, such as to "admire" or "dance." Another clue to the meaning of this word is that it appears in a pair with the verb to "scorn." Therefore, we can conclude that to "fleer" means something similar to "scorn." Indeed, to "sneer," or to smile or laugh mockingly, is an acceptable definition of this unusual word.
Passage adapted from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (1595)
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Adapted from "Old Man Traveling" by William Wordsworth in Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1798 ed.)
The little hedge-row birds,
That peck along the road, regard him not.
He travels on, and in his face, his step,
His gait, is one expression; every limb,
His look and bending figure, all bespeak
A man who does not move with pain, but moves
With thought—He is insensibly subdued
To settled quiet: he is one by whom
All effort seems forgotten, one to whom
Long patience has such mild composure given,
That patience now doth seem a thing, of which
He hath no need. He is by nature led
To peace so perfect, that the young behold
With envy, what the old man hardly feels.
—I asked him whither he was bound, and what
The object of his journey; he replied
"Sir! I am going many miles to take
"A last leave of my son, a mariner,
"Who from a sea-fight has been brought to Falmouth,
And there is dying in an hospital."
The underlined word “bound” most nearly means __________.
In the context of the sentence in which "bound" appears, we can see that the only answer choice able to replace “bound” is “going,” as the sentence says: “I asked him whither he was bound, and what / The object of his journey.” Here, “bound” means to be going to or to be walking to. We can also infer this as the line is in the form of a question and the old man's reply is “I am going many miles.” We can also reach this conclusion by eliminating the other possible answers. There is nothing in the poem to suggest the man has been “captured” or “tied,” and there is nothing to suggest the speaker wants to know where the man is coming from. We also cannot say “set,” as it would have to be coupled with “out” to mean anything close to “bound” in this context and even then would fail to be synonymous.
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Passage adapted from "To Some Ladies" (1817) by John Keats
What though while the wonders of nature exploring,
I cannot your light, mazy footsteps attend;
Nor listen to accents, that almost adoring,
Bless Cynthia's face, the enthusiast's friend:
(5) Yet over the steep, whence the mountain stream rushes,
With you, kindest friends, in idea I rove;
Mark the clear tumbling crystal, its passionate gushes,
Its spray that the wild flower kindly bedews.
Why linger you so, the wild labyrinth strolling?
(10) Why breathless, unable your bliss to declare?
Ah! you list to the nightingale's tender condoling,
Responsive to sylphs, in the moon beamy air.
'Tis morn, and the flowers with dew are yet drooping,
I see you are treading the verge of the sea:
(15) And now! ah, I see it—you just now are stooping
To pick up the keep-sake intended for me.
If a cherub, on pinions of silver descending,
Had brought me a gem from the fret-work of heaven;
And smiles, with his star-cheering voice sweetly blending,
(20) The blessings of Tighe had melodiously given;
It had not created a warmer emotion
Than the present, fair nymphs, I was blest with from you,
Than the shell, from the bright golden sands of the ocean
Which the emerald waves at your feet gladly threw.
(25) For, indeed, 'tis a sweet and peculiar pleasure,
(And blissful is he who such happiness finds,)
To possess but a span of the hour of leisure,
In elegant, pure, and aerial minds.
Based on context, what is the "crystal" referred to in line 7?
If the second stanza is read in its entirety, it is clear that the speaker is referring to a mountain stream. Based on the other context clues (ex. "passionate gushes") it appears the water is moving quickly.
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Passage adapted from "To Some Ladies" (1817) by John Keats
What though while the wonders of nature exploring,
I cannot your light, mazy footsteps attend;
Nor listen to accents, that almost adoring,
Bless Cynthia's face, the enthusiast's friend:
(5) Yet over the steep, whence the mountain stream rushes,
With you, kindest friends, in idea I rove;
Mark the clear tumbling crystal, its passionate gushes,
Its spray that the wild flower kindly bedews.
Why linger you so, the wild labyrinth strolling?
(10) Why breathless, unable your bliss to declare?
Ah! you list to the nightingale's tender condoling,
Responsive to sylphs, in the moon beamy air.
'Tis morn, and the flowers with dew are yet drooping,
I see you are treading the verge of the sea:
(15) And now! ah, I see it—you just now are stooping
To pick up the keep-sake intended for me.
If a cherub, on pinions of silver descending,
Had brought me a gem from the fret-work of heaven;
And smiles, with his star-cheering voice sweetly blending,
(20) The blessings of Tighe had melodiously given;
It had not created a warmer emotion
Than the present, fair nymphs, I was blest with from you,
Than the shell, from the bright golden sands of the ocean
Which the emerald waves at your feet gladly threw.
(25) For, indeed, 'tis a sweet and peculiar pleasure,
(And blissful is he who such happiness finds,)
To possess but a span of the hour of leisure,
In elegant, pure, and aerial minds.
In context, "warmer" (line 21) relates most nearly to:
The author is describing how much he appreciates the gift of the seashell. The warmth he feels therefore relates most nearly to a feeling of fondness or adoration (more acute than mere kindness.)
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My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree
Toward heaven still,
And there's a barrel that I didn't fill
Beside it, and there may be two or three
Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.
But I am done with apple-picking now.
Essence of winter sleep is on the night,
The scent of apples: I am drowsing off.
Based on context, what does the narrator mean by “some bough”?
The apples in the poem remain “upon” this bough, so we can eliminate the words that don’t fit with this preposition (barrel and someone’s else’s orchard). We can also eliminate the neighbor’s windowsill, since there are no indications in the poem that the narrator even has a neighbor. The best choice here is branch.
Passage adapted from Robert Frost’s “After Apple-Picking.” North of Boston. (1915)
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What dire offence from amorous causes springs,
What mighty contests rise from trivial things,
I sing — This verse to Caryl, Muse! is due:
This, even Belinda may vouchsafe to view:
Slight is the subject, but not so the praise,
If She inspire, and He approve my lays.
… Sol thro’ white curtains shot a tim’rous ray,
And oped those eyes that must eclipse the day.
Now lapdogs give themselves the rousing shake,
And sleepless lovers just at twelve awake:
Thrice rung the bell, the slipper knock’d the ground,
And the press’d watch return’d a silver sound.
Belinda still her downy pillow prest,
Her guardian Sylph prolong’d the balmy rest.
Based on the context of the passage, what is “Sol”?
We know that “Sol” shoots rays through a curtain and opens eyes, so it stands to reason that the word means sun. (You could also note the common root word in “Sol” and “solar.”) While the other choices may wait outside windows and appear elsewhere in the poem, they certainly don’t shoot rays through curtains.
Passage adapted from The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope (1712)
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1 In silent night when rest I took,
2 For sorrow near I did not look,
3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise
4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”
6 Let no man know is my Desire.
7 I, starting up, the light did spy,
8 And to my God my heart did cry
9 To straighten me in my Distress
10 And not to leave me succourless.
11 Then, coming out, behold a space
12 The flame consume my dwelling place.
13 And when I could no longer look,
14 I blest His name that gave and took,
15 That laid my goods now in the dust.
16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.
17 It was his own, it was not mine,
18 Far be it that I should repine;
19 He might of all justly bereft
20 But yet sufficient for us left.
21 When by the ruins oft I past
22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
23 And here and there the places spy
24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.
25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,
26 There lay that store I counted best.
27 My pleasant things in ashes lie
28 And them behold no more shall I.
29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,
30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told
32 Nor things recounted done of old.
33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,
34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.
35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,
36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.
37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,
38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?
39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?
40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
42 That dunghill mists away may fly.
43 Thou hast a house on high erect
44 Framed by that mighty Architect,
45 With glory richly furnished,
46 Stands permanent though this be fled.
47 It’s purchased and paid for too
48 By Him who hath enough to do.
49 A price so vast as is unknown,
50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;
51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,
52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.
53 The world no longer let me love,
54 My hope and treasure lies above.
(1666)
In line 7, what best defines the underlined word "light"?
Two lines before, the speaker hears cries of "fire," and it becomes clear later that the speaker's house has burned down.
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
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1 In silent night when rest I took,
2 For sorrow near I did not look,
3 I wakened was with thund’ring noise
4 And piteous shrieks of dreadful voice.
5 That fearful sound of “fire” and “fire,”
6 Let no man know is my Desire.
7 I, starting up, the light did spy,
8 And to my God my heart did cry
9 To straighten me in my Distress
10 And not to leave me succourless.
11 Then, coming out, behold a space
12 The flame consume my dwelling place.
13 And when I could no longer look,
14 I blest His name that gave and took,
15 That laid my goods now in the dust.
16 Yea, so it was, and so ‘twas just.
17 It was his own, it was not mine,
18 Far be it that I should repine;
19 He might of all justly bereft
20 But yet sufficient for us left.
21 When by the ruins oft I past
22 My sorrowing eyes aside did cast
23 And here and there the places spy
24 Where oft I sate and long did lie.
25 Here stood that trunk, and there that chest,
26 There lay that store I counted best.
27 My pleasant things in ashes lie
28 And them behold no more shall I.
29 Under thy roof no guest shall sit,
30 Nor at thy Table eat a bit.
31 No pleasant talk shall ‘ere be told
32 Nor things recounted done of old.
33 No Candle e'er shall shine in Thee,
34 Nor bridegroom’s voice e'er heard shall be.
35 In silence ever shalt thou lie,
36 Adieu, Adieu, all’s vanity.
37 Then straight I ‘gin my heart to chide,
38 And did thy wealth on earth abide?
39 Didst fix thy hope on mould'ring dust?
40 The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
41 Raise up thy thoughts above the sky
42 That dunghill mists away may fly.
43 Thou hast a house on high erect
44 Framed by that mighty Architect,
45 With glory richly furnished,
46 Stands permanent though this be fled.
47 It’s purchased and paid for too
48 By Him who hath enough to do.
49 A price so vast as is unknown,
50 Yet by His gift is made thine own;
51 There’s wealth enough, I need no more,
52 Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store.
53 The world no longer let me love,
54 My hope and treasure lies above.
(1666)
What is the best definition for the underlined word "succourless" as it is used in line 10?
The speaker's crying out to God in her distress gives us a clue to the meaning of succourless; "succour" (modern spelling) means help, aid, or relief.
Passage adapted from Anne Bradstreet's "Upon the Burning of our House" (1666)
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1 Those lines that I before have writ do lie,
Even those that said I could not love you dearer;
Yet then my judgment knew no reason why
My most full flame should afterwards burn clearer.
5 But reckoning Time, whose million'd accidents
Creep in 'twixt vows and change decrees of kings,
Tan sacred beauty, blunt the sharp'st intents,
Divert strong minds to the course of altering things;
9 Alas, why, fearing of Time's tyranny,
Might I not then say 'Now I love you best,'
When I was certain o'er incertainty,
Crowning the present, doubting of the rest?
13 Love is a babe; then might I not say so,
To give full growth to that which still doth grow?
(1609)
In the context of this poem, the word "million'd" (line 5) means ___________________.
The word "million'd" (line 5) is an adjective describing "accidents" (line 5). It implies that the quantity of these "accidents" brought about through Time (line 5) is a very large number. The point is not to say that there are precisely one million accidents, but rather that there are simply a lot of them. Therefore, "many" is the best approximation of the meaning of this word.
Passage adapted from Shakespeare's "Sonnet 115" (1609)
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