The Listening Grove · Fifty Famous Stories Retold
Chapter 13: Sir Philip Sidney
A Charlotte Mason read-aloud lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 13, Sir Philip Sidney, about?Parent review
Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 13, Sir Philip Sidney, is a moving tale about selfless mercy. Sir Philip Sidney was a beloved English gentleman, admired for his courage and his kindness. In a battle he was gravely wounded, and as he lay thirsty and weak, water was brought to ease him. Just as he lifted the cup to his lips, he saw a dying soldier gazing longingly at it. Sidney handed the water across, saying the poor man’s need was greater than his own. He died soon after, and the whole land, rich and poor alike, mourned the good man who thought of another before himself.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 12, The Miller of the Dee?Have a look
In the last chapter, The Miller of the Dee, a troubled king rode out and heard a poor miller singing merrily beside the river. Puzzled that a working man could be so cheerful, the king stopped to ask how it could be. The miller answered that he loved his wife and children, earned his own bread, owed nothing to anyone, and asked for no more than his mill provided. The king, who had a crown and riches yet no such peace, went away envying the miller’s simple happiness. It was a lesson in being glad for what one has.
Read the previous lesson: The Miller of the Dee →Show what you know!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Fill in the vocabulary you know, then click to check your work and learn some new words today.
What are the difficult or advanced vocabulary words in Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 13, Sir Philip Sidney?stifling, wistful, comrade, mournedHave a look
- stifling: so hot it is hard to breathe
- wistful: sadly longing or wishing for something
- comrade: a close friend or companion
- mourned: felt deep sorrow for someone who died
Locate it on the map!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Use an atlas and fill in the blank map if you can find the geographic location, then click to check your work.
What important geographic location connects with Fifty Famous Stories Retold Chapter 13, Sir Philip Sidney?
- Find the Netherlands.
See it on the mapHave a look
This matches the map in your Lesson Guide.
The Books come Alive!
Read or listen to Chapter 13 of Fifty Famous Stories Retold, the Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition, read by Laura Caldwell.
Read by Laura Caldwell for LibriVox (public domain), professionally adjusted and trimmed by Kindred Thicket.
What do the Teacher’s Notes tell us about Chapter 13 of Fifty Famous Stories Retold?Parent review
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. Baldwin’s 1896 words are read exactly as he wrote them, and we add Teacher’s Notes with historical and literary context.
- About the whole bookFifty Famous Stories Retold gathers real history together with well-loved legends and traditions. These notes tell you, story by story, which is which.
- This chapterThe moment Sir Philip Sidney gives away his water is a cherished tradition, recorded by his friend Fulke Greville. It beautifully captures the kind of man he was.
- This chapterThe fight where Sir Philip Sidney was wounded, at Zutphen in 1586, was really only a small skirmish, not the great and cruel battle. His courage and his death, though, were very real.
Memory becomes Action!
Use the Response Resource* to remember and spell tricky names. Choose one way to narrate.
*Materials in the Lesson Guide.
What is the list of names, people, characters, and places that are important in Chapter 13 of Fifty Famous Stories Retold?Sir Philip Sidney, The wounded soldierHave a look
- Sir Philip Sidney: A real English nobleman (1554-1586), remembered for his gentleness and his generosity.
- The wounded soldier: A wounded man lying near Sir Philip Sidney.
Chapter 13 Q & A
This is a Kindred Thicket Enhanced Edition. Baldwin’s stories mingle real history with beloved legend, and here is what to know about this one.
Is the story of Sir Philip Sidney true?
The story of Sir Philip Sidney rests on a cherished tradition, recorded by his own friend Fulke Greville. Sidney was a real English gentleman, and he truly was wounded at Zutphen in 1586, though that fight was only a small skirmish rather than a great and cruel battle. His courage and his early death were very real, and the tale of the water beautifully captures the kind of man he was.
Why did Sir Philip Sidney give away his water?
Sir Philip Sidney gave away his water because he saw a dying soldier who needed it even more than he did. Though he was wounded and burning with thirst himself, he handed the cup across with the words that the poor man’s need was greater than his own. It was a moment of pure, forgetful kindness.
Where was Sir Philip Sidney wounded?
Sir Philip Sidney was wounded in the Netherlands, near the town of Zutphen, in 1586. English soldiers had gone there to help the Dutch, and it was on that battlefield that he was hurt and later gave away his cup of water. He died of the wound not long after.
What is the lesson of Sir Philip Sidney?
The lesson of Sir Philip Sidney is selfless mercy: thinking of another’s need before your own, even in your hardest hour. Though wounded and thirsty, Sidney gave his water to a dying man rather than drink it himself. The story invites children to see how great a small act of kindness can be.