Maximum-assistance view: every word above everyday vocabulary is explained at every appearance; each name is introduced at its first appearance in the chapter.

CHAPTER I.

The Period

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom (deep good sense), it was the age of foolishness (lack of sense), it was the epoch (a turning point; a new age) of belief (what one holds true), it was the epoch (a turning point; a new age) of incredulity (refusal to believe), it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair (loss of all hope), we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest (full of noise) authorities insisted (to press firmly) on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative (of the highest degree) degree of comparison only.

There were a king with a large jaw (the mouth's bone) and a queen with a plain (simple; clear; a flat land) face, on the throne (the ruler's seat) of England; there were a king with a large jaw (the mouth's bone) and a queen with a fair face, on the throne (the ruler's seat) of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal (clear precious glass) to the lords of the State (state: ceremony; pomp — the old sense here) preserves (to keep safe) of loaves (a shaped mass of bread) and fishes, that things in general were settled (to fix in place; to bring to rest) for ever.

It was the year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Spiritual (of the spirit) revelations (an unveiling; the Bible's last book) were conceded (to grant) to England at that favoured (a kind act; to prefer) period, as at this. Mrs. Southcott (a woman who claimed to prophesy in Dickens's day) had recently attained (to reach; achieve) her five-and-twentieth blessed (favored by God) birthday, of whom a prophetic (foretelling what will come) private in the Life Guards had heralded (an announcing messenger) the sublime (grand beyond measure) appearance by announcing (to make known) that arrangements (an ordered setting) were made for the swallowing (taking down the throat) up of London and Westminster. Even the Cock-lane (a London street where a ghost was said to knock) ghost (the spirit of a dead person) had been laid only a round dozen (twelve) of years, after rapping (a sharp knock) out its messages, as the spirits of this very year last past (supernaturally (beyond nature's course) deficient (falling short) in originality (fresh newness of mind)) rapped (a sharp knock) out theirs (belonging to them). Mere (nothing more than) messages in the earthly (of this world) order of events had lately (not long ago) come to the English Crown and People, from a congress of British subjects in America: which, strange to relate (to tell; to stand in relation), have proved more important to the human race than any communications yet received through any of the chickens of the Cock-lane brood (to sit gloomily thinking).

France, less favoured (a kind act; to prefer) on the whole as to matters spiritual (of the spirit) than her sister of the shield (a protecting plate) and trident (a spear with three points), rolled with exceeding (to go beyond) smoothness (smooth evenness) down hill, making paper money and spending it. Under the guidance (guiding direction) of her Christian pastors (a minister of a church), she entertained (to amuse; to host) herself, besides, with such humane (kind to man and beast) achievements (a thing achieved) as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue (the mouth's organ; a language) torn (a drop of weeping; to rip) out with pincers (pincers: a gripping tool), and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled (to go down on the knees) down in the rain to do honour (honor) to a dirty procession (a moving line of people) of monks (a man of a religious house) which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty (fifty) or sixty (sixty) yards. It is likely enough that, rooted (the plant's ground anchor) in the woods of France and Norway, there were growing trees, when that sufferer (one who suffers) was put to death, already marked by the Woodman, Fate, to come down and be sawn into boards, to make a certain movable (able to be moved) framework (a supporting structure) with a sack (a large coarse bag; the plundering of a city) and a knife (the cutting blade) in it, terrible in history. It is likely enough that in the rough (not smooth; rude) outhouses (an outer farm building) of some tillers (one who works the soil) of the heavy lands adjacent (lying next to) to Paris, there were sheltered (a protecting cover) from the weather that very day, rude (ill-mannered) carts (a two-wheeled load carrier), bespattered (splashed with mud) with rustic (of the country; a country person) mire (deep sinking bog), snuffed (powdered tobacco for the nose) about by pigs (the farm swine), and roosted (roosted: perched) in by poultry (farm birds kept for food), which the Farmer (one who works the land), Death, had already set apart to be his tumbrils (an open cart that carried the condemned to the blade) of the Revolution. But that Woodman and that Farmer (one who works the land), though they work unceasingly (without stopping), work silently (without sound), and no one heard them as they went about with muffled (wrapped so as to dull sound) tread (to step; a step's sound): the rather, forasmuch (seeing that) as to entertain (to amuse; to host) any suspicion (a feeling that something is wrong) that they were awake (not sleeping), was to be atheistical (holding that there is no god) and traitorous (false to one's country).

In England, there was scarcely (hardly) an amount of order and protection to justify (to show to be right) much national boasting (bragging). Daring (to have the courage) burglaries (housebreaking theft) by armed men, and highway (highway robber: a robber of the roads) robberies (taking by force), took place in the capital itself every night; families were publicly (openly, before all) cautioned (care against danger) not to go out of town without removing their furniture (the fittings of a house) to upholsterers (a man who covers furniture with padding and cloth)’ warehouses (a storehouse of goods) for security; the highwayman (a mounted robber of the roads) in the dark was a City tradesman (a shopkeeper) in the light, and, being recognised (to know again) and challenged by his fellow-tradesman (another man of the same trade) whom he stopped in his character of “the Captain,” gallantly (bravely and handsomely) shot him through the head and rode away; the mail was waylaid (waylaid: lay in wait for) by seven robbers (one who robs), and the guard shot three dead, and then got shot dead himself by the other four, “in consequence (what follows) of the failure of his ammunition (powder and shot):” after which the mail was robbed (to take by force) in peace; that magnificent (grand and splendid) potentate (a ruler with great power), the Lord Mayor of London, was made to stand and deliver on Turnham (Turnham Green, a place west of London) Green, by one highwayman (a mounted robber of the roads), who despoiled (to plunder; rob) the illustrious (famous and honored) creature (a living being) in sight of all his retinue (a great person's train of followers); prisoners (one held captive) in London gaols (prison) fought battles with their turnkeys (turnkeys: prison guards who keep the keys), and the majesty (the title of a king or queen) of the law fired blunderbusses (a short gun with a wide mouth) in among them, loaded with rounds of shot and ball; thieves (one who steals) snipped (a small cut with scissors) off diamond (the hardest precious stone) crosses from the necks of noble (high-born; morally lofty) lords at Court drawing-rooms (rooms for receiving company); musketeers (a foot soldier armed with a musket) went into St. Giles (an English man's name)’s, to search for contraband (goods brought in against the law) goods, and the mob (a lawless crowd) fired on the musketeers (a foot soldier armed with a musket), and the musketeers (a foot soldier armed with a musket) fired on the mob (a lawless crowd), and nobody thought any of these occurrences (a happening) much out of the common way. In the midst (the middle) of them, the hangman (the executioner), ever busy and ever worse than useless (of no use), was in constant requisition (a demand); now, stringing (a thin cord) up long rows of miscellaneous (of mixed kinds) criminals; now, hanging a housebreaker (one who breaks into houses) on Saturday who had been taken on Tuesday; now, burning people in the hand at Newgate (the chief prison of London) by the dozen (twelve), and now burning pamphlets (a small thin book) at the door of Westminster Hall; to-day, taking the life of an atrocious (terrible) murderer (one who murders), and to-morrow of a wretched (miserable) pilferer (one who steals small things) who had robbed (to take by force) a farmer (one who works the land)’s boy of sixpence (an old British coin worth six pennies).

All these things, and a thousand like them, came to pass in and close upon the dear old year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five. Environed (the surrounding country) by them, while the Woodman and the Farmer (one who works the land) worked unheeded (unnoticed), those two of the large jaws (the mouth's bone), and those other two of the plain (simple; clear; a flat land) and the fair faces, trod (worn down by treading) with stir (to move; to rouse) enough, and carried their divine (of God; also to guess without being told) rights with a high hand. Thus did the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads (countless thousands) of small creatures (a living being)--the creatures (a living being) of this chronicle (a written record of events) among the rest--along the roads that lay before them.