Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Regions of the World, Page 23

  FOOTNOTES:

  [1] _Redriff Rotherhithe_: then a Thames side village, now part ofLondon.

  [2] _Pound_: nearly five dollars.

  [3] _Levant_: the point where the sun rises. The countries about theeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and its adjoining waters.

  [4] _Mrs._: it was formerly the custom to call unmarried women Mrs.

  [5] _The South Sea_: the Pacific Ocean.

  [6] _Van Diemen's Land_: N.W. from Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) and inlatitude 30 degrees 2 minutes would be in Australia or off the WestCoast.

  [7] _Cable's length_: about six hundred or seven hundred feet.

  [8] _Buff jerkin_ a leather jacket or waistcoat.

  [9] _Small_: weak, thin.

  [10] _Signet-royal_: the king's seal.

  [11] _Half-pike_ a short wooden staff, upon one end of which was asteel head.

  [12] _Stang_: an old word for a perch, sixteen feet and a half, alsofor a rood of ground.

  [13] _Chairs_: a sedan chair is here meant. It held one person, andwas carried by two men by means of projecting poles.

  [14] _Crest_: a decoration to denote rank.

  [15] _Lingua Franca_: a language--Italian mixed with Arabic, Greek,and Turkish--used by Frenchmen, Spaniards, and Italians trading withArabs, Turks, and Greeks. It is the commercial language ofConstantinople.

  [16] _Imprimis_: in the first place, (pr.) im pri' mis.

  [17] _Lucid_: shining, transparent.

  [18] _Yeomen of the guards_: freemen forming the bodyguard of thesovereign.

  [19] _Pocket perspective_: a small spy-glass or telescope.

  [20] _Trencher_: a wooden plate or platter.

  [21] _Corn_: such grains as wheat, rye, barley, oats.

  [22] _Quadrant_: an instrument long used for measuring altitudes.

  [23] _Skirt_: coat-tail.

  [24] _Alcoran_ the Koran or Mohammedan Bible.

  [25] _Embargo_: an order not to sail.

  [26] _Discompose them_: displace them.

  [27] _Puissant_: powerful.

  [28] _Junto_: a body of men secretly united to gain some politicalend.

  [29] _Pulling_: plucking and drawing, preparatory to cooking,

  [30] _Meaner_: of lower rank.

  [31] _Portion_: the part of an estate given to a child.

  [32] _Domestic_: the household and all pertaining thereto.

  [33] _Exchequer bills_: bills of credit issued from the exchequer byauthority of parliament.

  [34] _Close chair_: sedan chair.

  [35] _Cabal_: a body of men united for some sinister purpose.

  [36] _Lee side_: side sheltered from the wind.

  [37] _Ancient_: flag, corrupted from ensign.

  [38] _Downs_: A famous natural roadstead off the southeast coast ofKent, between Goodwin Sands and the mainland, south of the Thamesentrance.

  [39] _Black Bull_: inns in England are often named after animals withan adjective descriptive of the color of the sign; as, _The GoldenLion, The White Horse_.

  [40] _Towardly_: apt, docile.

  [41] _Straits of Madagascar_: Mozambique Channel.

  [42] _The line_: the equator.

  [43] _Hinds_: peasants; rustics.

  [44] _Pistoles_: about three dollars and sixty cents.

  [45] _Trencher-side_: up to his trencher or wooden plate.

  [46] _Discovering_: Showing.

  [47] _From London Bridge to Chelsea_: about three miles as the birdsfly.

  [48] _Pillion_: a cushion for a woman to ride on behind a person onhorseback. _From London to St. Alban's_: about twenty miles.

  [49] _Pumpion_: pumpkin.

  [50] _Parts_: accomplishments.

  [51] _Sanson's Atlas_: a very large atlas by a French geographer inuse in Swift's time.

  [52] _As good a hand of me_: as much money of me.

  [53] _Moidore_: a Portuguese gold piece worth about six dollars.

  [54] _Guineas_: an obsolete English gold coin, of the value of fivedollars.

  [55] _Phoenix_: a bird of fable said to live for a long time and riseanew from its own ashes.

  [56] _Cabinet_: a private room.

  [57] _Scrutoire_: a writing-desk.

  [58] _Waiting_: attendance on the king.

  [59] _Lusus naturae_: a freak of nature.

  [60] _Royal Sovereign_: one of the great ships of Swift's time.

  [61] _Dunstable lark_: large larks are caught on the downs nearDunstable between September and February, and sent to London forluxurious tables.

  [62] _Drone_: the largest tube of a bag-pipe, giving forth a dullheavy tone.

  [63] _Gresham College_, in London, is named after the founder, anEnglish merchant, who died in 1579.

  [64] _The square of_: as large as the square of.

  [65] _Salisbury Steeple_: this is about four hundred feet high.

  [66] _Battalia_: the order of battle.

  [67] _Espalier_: a lattice upon which fruit-trees or shrubs aretrained.

  [68] _Scull_: a short oar.

  [69] _Starboard or larboard_: right or left.

  [70] _Corking-pin_: a larger-sized pin.

  [71] _Stomacher_: a broad belt.

  [72] _Varlet_: knave.

  [73] _Levee_: a ceremonious visit received by a distinguished personin the morning.

  [74] _Spinet_: a stringed instrument, a forerunner of out piano.

  [75] _Closet_: private room.

  [76] _Signal_: memorable.

  [77] _Chancery_: a high court of equity.

  [78] _Glossing_: commenting.

  [79] _Dionysius of Halicarnassus_ was born about the middle of thefirst century, B.C.; he endeavored in his history to relieve his Greekcountrymen from the mortification they had felt in their subjection tothe Romans, and patched up an old legend about Rome being of Greekorigin and therefore their "political mother."

  [80] _Ideas, entities, abstractions, transcendentals_, words used inthat philosophy which deals with thinking, existence, and thingsbeyond the senses.

  [81] _Mercurial_: active, spirited.

  [82] _Composition_: compact, agreement.

  [83] _Progress_: an old term for the travelling of the sovereign todifferent parts of his country.

  [84] _Tumbrel_: a rough cart.

  [85] _Page_: a serving-boy, and especially one who waits on a personof rank.

  [86] _Quarry_: prey.

  [87] _Squash_: shock, concussion.

  [88] _To rights_ speedily.

  [89] _To make_ To get alongside.

  [90] _Phaeton_ a son of Apollo who was dashed into the river Endanusfor his foolhardiness in attempting to drive the steeds of the sun forone day.