The phrase "wert engaged in" is an archaic form of "were engaged in." The word "wert" is a verb conjugation that was commonly used in Middle English and Early Modern English. In IPA phonetic transcription, "wert" is pronounced as /wərt/, with a schwa sound at the beginning and the "r" pronounced as a flap. This spelling was phased out of modern English, but can still be found in literature and historical texts.