Ward, Geoffrey, ed. Mark Twain. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. A companion to the recent PBS documentary directed by Ken Burns.
a
Parker was not a cranky, old-fashioned New England divine. He was the first Congregationalist minister in the Northeast to celebrate Christmas.
b
Play on words:
Offal
refers to the entrails and internal organs of a slaughtered animal;
pudding,
in this case, is archaic slang for “offal.”
c
The practice of begging.
d
Soft cloth or leather boots.
e
Raiment
is an archaic term for clothing;
lackeys
are male servants, especially foot-men in livery (uniform).
t
Archaic term for keeper of small amounts of money.
f
See Twain’s note 1, p. 211.
t
Indeed; Tudor- and Elizabethan-era oath derived from the practice of swearing by the Virgin Mary.
‡
Gallows; also used to display the dead body of the executed.
g
See Twain’s note 2, p. 211.
h
Archaic form of “perhaps.”
i
See Twain’s note 3, p. 211.
k
Starched frilled or pleated collar of lace, muslin, or other fine fabric worn by men and women in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
l
See Twain’s note 4, p. 212.
m
See Twain’s note 5, p. 212.
n
Richly embroidered tapestry or other fabric, named for the French town of its origin.
o
Soldiers armed with halberds—that is, long-handled weapons equipped with both spear and battle-ax.
t
Loose, embroidered tunic worn over armor and emblazoned with the wearer’s coat of arms.
‡ Or miniver; white fur used to trim the edges of ceremonial costumes.
§
Pourpoints
are quilted military doublets (closefitting jackets);
damask
is a patterned fabric of silk, linen, wool, or cotton.
p
Hunting breeches (French).
q
Rendered fat of horses, cattle, sheep, or pigs, used in cheap candles and soaps.
†
Unkempt; slovenly.
r
Low, slapstick pantomimes.
s
Infect, or corrupt; a canker is a rotting or spreading sore.
†
Loyal; faithful.
t
See Twain’s note 6, p. 212.
u
Closefitting jackets, with or without sleeves.
v
Archaic form of mummery (see footnote on p. 54).
w
See Twain’s note 7, pp. 212-213.
x
Thin mucous discharges; similar to
humors,
thought in Tudor times to cause disease.
y
He refers to the order of baronets, or baronettes,—the
barones minores,
as distinct from the parliamentary barons;—not, it need hardly be said, the baronets of later creation (Twain’s note).
z
The lords of Kingsale, descendants of De Courcy, still enjoy this curious privilege (Twain’s note).
aa
Misled or deceived through trickery.
ab
Hume (Twain’s note).
†
Hume (Twain’s note).
ac
See Twain’s note 8, p. 213.
ad
Certainly; truly (archaic).
ae
See Twain’s notes to chapter XV, p. 213.
af
Leigh Hunt’s
The Town,
p. 408. Quotation from an early tourist (Twain’s note).
ag
From “The English Rogue”: London, 1665 (Twain’s note).
t Canting terms for various kinds of thieves, beggars, and vagabonds and their female companions (Twain’s note).
ah
See Twain’s note 10, p. 214.
aj
Fire made of twigs and sticks.
ak
That is, a miniscule sum; a farthing is a former English coin worth about a quarter of a penny.
al
Clumsy.
t
Wooden weapons used in hand-to-hand combat: A
singlestick
is a sword-length piece of wood fitted with a hand guard; a
quarterstaff
is a stout, eight- to nine-foot staff traditionally held at the middle of its length.
am
From “The English Rogue”: London, 1665 (Twain’s note).
an
Thirteen and a half pennies; one and a half pennies more than a shilling (former English coin equal to twelve pence).
ao
See Twain’s notes to chapter XXIII, pp. 214-215.
ap
Gibberish Latin meaning, “Not of sound mind law of retaliation thus passes the glory of the world.”
t
Gibberish Latin meaning, “To the person purify the existing state of affairs.”
aq
Rude rustic man; churl.
ar
See Twain’s notes to chapter XXVII, p. 215.
as
Hume’s England (Twain’s note).
at
See Twain’s notes to chapter XXXIII, pp. 215-217.
au
See Dr. J. Hammond Trumbull’s Blue Laws, True and False, p. 11 (Twain’s note).