squire of a rank just below that of knight
284 John of Gaunt father of King Henry IV
sworn brother avowed companion in arms, intimate friend
Tilt-yard area for jousting tournaments near Whitehall, London
286 burst…men got his head beaten trying to get past the guards
288 gaunt, very thin person
his own name i.e. a
him i.e. Shallow
289 eel-skin i.e. because he is so thin
treble hautboy oboe
290 beefs cattle
291 acquainted familiar
go…will be hard luck if I do not
292 philosopher’s two stones the philosopher’s stone supposedly turned base metal into gold; Falstaff intends to make money out of Shallow (two stones plays on the sense of “testicles”)
293 dace small freshwater fish
pike large, voracious freshwater fish (also, appropriately enough, known as a jack)
294 shape shape matters
124 wrought the mure made the wall
66 carriage behavior, bearing
2 vent of hearing i.e. ear
3 orient east
drooping declining, where the sun sets
4 post-horse horse kept at a post-house or inn for the use of messengers or travelers
still always, continually
unfold reveal
5 acts actions, events/divisions of a play
12 fearful…defence enrollment of troops and preparations for defense inspired by fear
13 big pregnant
griefs suffering, hardship
15 And…matter which is not the case
pipe small wind instrument, recorder
16 jealousies suspicions
17 of…stop so easy and straightforward to play
stop finger-hole of a wind instrument
18 blunt stupid, dull
19 still-discordant constantly quarreling
21 anatomize dissect, analyze
22 household domestic intimates, i.e. audience
23 King Harry’s victory Henry IV’s troops defeated Hotspur and the other rebels at the Battle of Shrewsbury (dramatized in 1 Henry IV)
24 field battlefield
Shrewsbury town on the Welsh-English border
25 Hotspur Sir Henry (or Harry) Percy, the Earl of Northumberland’s son
28 office duty, task
29 Harry Monmouth Prince Henry (or Harry, or Hal), named after the town on the Welsh-English border where he was born
31 the Douglas Archibald, Earl of Douglas;
the signifies the head of a Scottish clan
32 anointed i.e. royal, legitimate (having been marked with holy oil as part of the coronation ceremony)
33 peasant country, rustic (with connotations of “unsophisticated, credulous”)
35 hold fortress; Warkworth Castle was the Earl of Northumberland’s residence
ragged rough, eroded
37 crafty-sick feigning illness
posts messengers on horseback tiring on in tearing haste/exhausting themselves and their horses
39 Than except what
40 true wrongs the painful truth
2 Gaultree Forest ancient royal forest to the north of York
an’t if it
3 discoverers scouts
9 New-dated of recent date
11 powers forces
12 hold sortance with correspond, agree
quality rank
13 levy raise, muster
14 retired withdrawn
ripe ripen, develop
16 overlive survive
17 opposite adversary
18 touch ground run aground
22 form formation
24 rate estimate, number
25 just…out exact number we estimated
26 sway on move forward
27 well-appointed well-equipped
fronts faces, confronts
30 prince…Lancaster Prince John, although born at Lancaster, was actually Duke of Bedford
32 doth…coming does your arrival mean
35 If that if
36 like itselfin its true colors
routs mobs, gangs
37 bloody bloodthirsty
guarded adorned, trimmed/protected, flanked by
38 countenanced approved, supported
39 commotion insurrection, rebellion
40 most proper own true
41 reverend respected
42 Had not would not have been
dress dress up, adorn
44 honours noble selves
45 see diocese
47 letters scholarship
48 investments ecclesiastical robes
figure symbolize
55 point musical signal (perhaps plays on the sense of “sword”)
58 wanton uncontrolled/idle/self-indulgent/lascivious
60 bleed let blood as a medical cure/shed blood in battle
63 take…me do not take on the role of
66 show appear
67 rank coarse, gross/corrupt
70 justly exactly/fairly
72 griefs sufferings, grievances
74 most quiet there former peacefulness in the
stream of time
75 occasion circumstances
77 articles account of charges, list of grievances
79 suit supplication/legal petition
gain our audience be granted a hearing
80 unfold disclose, explain
83 but newly gone only recently passed
84 memory…earth i.e. the land bears scars of battle
85 yet appearing still visible
86 Of…instance of which every minute gives us evidence/which each moment urges upon us
87 ill-beseeming unbecoming
92 gallèd vexed, wounded
93 suborned bribed
grate on harass
94 seal approve, ratify by affixing a wax seal
96 commonwealth state, general good
103 unequal unjust
106 Construe make sense of/judge
to their necessities according to what is urgent and immediate
109 not appears doesn’t appear
113 signories estates
116 breathed reanimated
117 the state circumstances
118 force perforce with violent compulsion
banish him Richard II banished both Mowbray’s father and
Henry Bullingbrook (Henry IV), rather than allow them to meet in combat, in events dramatized in Richard II
120 rousèd raised/angry, roused
121 coursers horses
daring…spur i.e. eager to charge
122 armèd…charge lances held in position
beavers visors or face guards of their helmets
123 sights of steel slits in their visors
124 blowing them together giving them the signal to charge
125 stayed kept, prevented
127 warder staff held by one presiding over combat
129 all their lives the lives of all those
130 indictment legal accusation
dint of sword force of arms
131 miscarried come to grief
133 Earl of Hereford i.e. Bullingbrook
137 He…Coventry he would not have got away in safety from Coventry (Midlands town, the location of the combat)
141 did did so, did bless and grace (him)
145 wherein on those matters in which
147 enjoy them have those requests granted
set off put aside
148 think you make you seem
149 compel oblige him to make
150 policy strategy, cunning
151 overween go too far
153 ken range of sight
156 battle army
names noblemen, famed soldiers
157 perfect skilled
159 reason will it stands to reason
161 parley negotiation with the enemy
163 rotten…handling som
ething putrid won’t stand close examination (rotten case plays on sense of “syphilitic vagina”)
165 very ample virtue full authority
166 determine Of decide on
168 intended implied
name title
169 muse marvel
170 schedule list
172 Each several article provided that each separate charge
173 hence elsewhere
174 insinewed to an integral part of, bound to
175 Acquitted provided that we are cleared
true substantial form binding legal proceedings
176 present…confined immediate carrying out of the demands relating to us and our intentions
178 awful banks respectful (awe-full) boundaries
179 knit bind, unite
180 Please you if you’re content
181 battles armies
182 At either end on both sides
frame arrange
189 absolute unconditional
190 consist upon insist upon/consist of
192 valuation estimation in the eyes of the king
193 false-derivèd wrongly attributed
194 nice and wanton petty and frivolous
196 were…
love even if we were willing to die for love of the king
197 winnowed separated, as is the
corn from the worthless husks (chaff) by the action of the
wind
198 That…partition the king will be unable to distinguish the good from the bad in us
201 dainty petty
picking trifling
202 doubt fear
203 heirs of life survivors
204 tables records
208 precisely completely
209 misdoubts present occasion i.e. to the extent that he would like
misdoubts suspicions, fears
210 enrooted entangled by the roots
214 enraged him on provoked him
216 hangs resolved correction forestalls the determined punishment
217 execution carry out the action
218 wasted used up
rods whipping rods
219 late recent/dead
222 offer threaten
225 atonement reconciliation
231 just at an equal
233 Before lead on
234 cousin form of address between nobles, not necessarily denoting kinship
235 gentle noble
237 better…you suited you better
241 iron armored/unyielding
243 word i.e. holy word of Scripture
246 Would he were he to
countenance favor, patronage
247 set abroach unleash
250 deep…heaven learned in Scripture/firmly in God’s grace
251 speaker intermediary between monarch and parliament; here, between God and the people
253 opener and intelligencer one who explains and informs
254 sanctities holiness, sacred nature
255 workings efforts/perceptions
256 But you that you don’t
place position
257 countenance favor
258 false dishonest, disloyal
259 taken up raised
260 zeal puns on “seal,” i.e. authority
261 heaven’s substitute the monarch was regarded as God’s deputy on earth
263 upswarmèd made them rise up like an angry swarm
267 misordered confused
in common sense as all acknowledge
268 monstrous unnatural
269 hold…up maintain our security
270 parcels details
271 shoved i.e. dismissed
272 Hydra in Greek mythology, a monster that grew two heads for every one that was cut off
273 dangerous eyes refers to another monster, Argus, whose hundred eyes kept permanent watch until charmed to sleep by Mercury
280 supplies reinforcements
second support, renew
282 success succession
284 Whiles…generation for as long as people continue to be born
286 sound the bottom gauge the depth, i.e. foretell
288 How far forth to what extent
like approve of, agree to
289 allow them well approve of them
291 mistook misunderstood
292 lavishly freely
296 powers forces
several various, separate
299 tokens signs
305 part depart
306 Hie hurry
308 pledge toast
315 happy season opportune moment
316 something somewhat
317 Against in anticipation of
318 heaviness…event sadness comes over men before a positive outcome
319 coz abbreviation of “cousin”
321 passing surpassingly, extremely
323 rendered given
324 had been cheerful would have been uplifting
330 trains retinues, followers
331 peruse look over
332 coped withal had to fight with
335 lie lodge
341 steers unyoked calves freed from the yoke
343 sporting-place place of entertainment, leisure
347 Of for, on the grounds of
attach arrest
351 pawned pledged
356 Meet appropriate
357 shallowly foolishly, thoughtlessly
358 Fondly stupidly
359 stray stragglers
363 condition rank
370 Dale the sense now widens from “valley” to include “pit”
373 drops tears
374 lovers friends
375 do observance show respect
380 An if
indifferency ordinary size
378 I…name i.e. I am known by name everywhere on account of my vast stomach
school crowd
381 womb belly
387 tardy tricks delaying dodges
388 break…back i.e. get you hanged (and your weight will cause the gallows to break)
389 but…be if it were not
392 expedition speed
394 foundered lamed
nine…posts over 180 horses
396 furious violent, wrathful
398 hook-nosed…Rome i.e. Julius Caesar
402 booked recorded
403 particular ballad special ballad written about me
404 picture ballads were commonly illustrated with woodcuts
406 gilt two-pences false coins, twopenny pieces gilded and passed off as gold half-crowns
to compared to
407 cinders…element i.e. stars
410 desert mount merit be recognized
411 heavy fat, weighty/heinous, dreadful
413 thick fat/dim
421 been…me taken my advice
422 won them dearer they would have cost more, i.e. you would have had to fight for them
423 sold presented/betrayed/bartered away
425 left left off, given up
426 execution stayed bloodshed halted
428 present immediate
429 sure carefully, securely
431 sore seriously
434 sober moderate, dignified
438 in my condition according to my disposition/as military commander
440 would wish
444 come…proof turn out well
445 making many fish-meals they eat such a lot of fish (as opposed to red meat)
446 green-sickness anemia causing a greenish complexion; it often afflicted teenage girls
447 get wenches father only daughters
449 inflammation roused emotions resulting from drink/swelling weight sherry-sack sweet Spanish white wine
450 ascends me ascends (me is used colloquially for emphasis)
451 curdy thick, curdled
vapours noxious exhalati
ons supposedly produced in the body and rising to the brain environ surround
452 apprehensive intelligent, perceptive
forgetive apt at forging, inventive
456 liver considered the seat of the passions
457 pusillanimity lack of courage, timidity
459 parts extremes extremities
461 vital…spirits the “vital spirits” were thought to be the essence of life
462 muster me assemble
465 a-work to work
466 a mere is a mere
467 commences initiates, unleashes (puns on “Commencement,” the formal term for the degree award ceremony at Cambridge University)
470 husbanded cultivated
474 potations liquors
479 tempering becoming pliant, softening like wax
480 seal with him come to an agreement/shape him to my purposes
2 debate strife, conflict
3 higher fields i.e. to Jerusalem, on a crusade
4 sanctified consecrated, holy
5 addressed ready
6 substitutes…invested deputies installed in office
7 level equal
8 want lack
9 pause us rest, wait
19 in presence present/in the royal presence
22 chance does it happen
26 offices services
28 brethren brothers
29 omit neglect
32 observed treated with respect
34 melting tender
35 flint i.e. hard, unyielding
36 humorous moody, volatile
37 flaws congealèdicy gusts of wind
spring dawn/gentle warmth
38 temper disposition/mood
39 reverently respectfully
41 line range, scope
42 on ground beached
43 Confound defeat, overthrow
working exertion
47 suggestion suspicion/incitement to evil
48 force perforce of necessity
50 aconitum aconite or wolfsbane, a poisonous plant
rash hasty, violent
55 other his continual his other constant
56 fattest richest, most fertile
60 blood…heart every sigh was thought to drain a drop of blood from the heart
64 curb restraint (literally, chain passed under a horse’s jaw)
66 lavish wild, unrestrained
68 fronting advancing/confronting
opposed hostile
69 look…quite go too far in judging him
76 perfectness fullness
78 measure guide
79 mete measure
81 ’Tis…carrion i.e. people rarely give up their pleasures despite the corrupt surroundings; drawn from the biblical story of Samson, who found a bees’ nest in the carcass of a lion (Judges 14:8)
87 Bishop Scroop i.e. the Archbishop of York, Richard Scroop
91 borne carried out
93 course…particular turn of events set out in detail
95 haunch hindquarter, back end