Betrayal (15 page)

alchemist
— a name given to a kind of chemist who sought to turn ordinary metals into gold. Some alchemists also sought the key to eternal life and a universal cure for disease.

Allah akhbar
— an Islamic war cry. It means “God is great.”

Allemayne
— Germany

aqua vitae
—brandy

banshee
— a spirit in Irish folklore well known for wailing loudly

Bedlam
—the major asylum for the insane in London during Elizabethan times—the name came from the Hospital of St. Mary of Bethlehem

biggin cap
—a child’s hat

blackwork
—black embroidery on white linen

bracer
— an arm or wrist protector used by an archer

brig
— a small ship with two square-rigged sails, often used for piracy

brocade
— a rich, gold-embroidered fabric

bumroll
— a sausage-shaped piece of padding worn round the hips to make them look bigger

buttery
— confusingly, this was where barrels of beer, wine, and brandy were kept for people to fetch drinks from

cable tiers
— the area on a ship where the anchor chain (or cable) was stored

capstan
— a large winch, often used for hauling up the anchor or anything else that was particularly heavy

Chamberer
— a servant of the Queen who cleaned her chamber for her, which the Maids of Honour and Ladies-in-Waiting, of course, could not be expected to do

citron
— a citrus fruit similar to a lemon but with a very thick rind

close-stool
— a portable toilet comprising a seat with a hole in it on top of a box with a chamber pot inside

Cloth of Estate
— a kind of awning that went over the Queen’s chair to indicate that she was the Queen

Clown’s All-Heal
— a plant, also known as St. John’s wort

codpiece
— a flap or bag that concealed the opening in the front of a man’s breeches

copper
— usually a copper saucepan or cauldron used for cooking

damask
— a beautiful, self-patterned silk cloth woven in Flanders. It originally came from Damascus—hence the name.

daybooke
— a book in which you would record your sins each day so that you could pray about them. The idea of keeping a diary or journal grew out of this. Grace uses her daybooke as a journal.

dottle
— partly burned tobacco in the bowl of a pipe

doublet
— a close-fitting padded jacket worn by men

Duke of Alva
— the Spanish ruler in the Netherlands during Elizabethan times

false front
— a pretty piece of material sewn to the front of a plain petticoat so that it would show under the kirtle

farthingale
— a bell- or barrel-shaped petticoat held out with hoops of whalebone

fighting top
— a platform halfway up a ship’s mast where a Navy man could stand and shoot

fire pot
— a clay pot, filled with material that would easily catch fire, used as a missile in battle and to carry hot coals

fletching
— the feathers on an arrow

forecastle
— the foremost part of the upper deck of a ship

French cut
— fashionably tight and curvy

galleon
— a heavy square-rigged sailing ship used for war or trade, especially by the Spanish

galley
— the area of a ship where the crew’s meals were cooked. In Elizabethan times the galley was deep down in the ship’s bilges, where there was maximum stability and where the cooking fire could be put out easily if necessary.

gig
— a long, narrow rowing boat

grappling irons
— large hooks on ropes. These were thrown from one ship onto another to pull it closer so that it could be boarded and captured.

Habsburg
— the family name of Philip II and one of the great ruling dynasties of Europe

halberd
— a weapon consisting of a battle-axe and pike mounted on a long handle

harbinger
— a courtier who went ahead to announce the monarch

henbane of Peru
— also known as tobacco. In Elizabethan times it was regarded as a great cure for phlegm.

Henchman
— a young serving man, often related to the person he was serving. His work might well involve acting as a bodyguard.

hose
— tight-fitting cloth trousers worn by men

jakes
— an Elizabethan term for an outside toilet

jerkin
— a close-fitting, hip-length, usually sleeveless jacket

kirtle
— the skirt section of an Elizabethan dress

Lady-in-Waiting
— one of the ladies who helped look after the Queen and who kept her company

lateen
— a narrow, triangular sail on a very long yard set at an angle to the mast

lye
— a strongly alkaline ingredient in soap

Maid of Honour
— a younger girl who helped to look after the Queen like a Lady-in-Waiting

man-of-war
— a warship

marmelada
— a very thick jammy sweet often made from quinces

Mary Shelton
— one of Queen Elizabeth’s Maids of Honor (a Maid of Honor of this name really did exist; see below). Most Maids of Honor were not officially “Ladies” (like Lady Grace), but they had to be born of gentry.

merchant venturer
— a person who invested in overseas trade

merchanter
or
merchantman
— a trading ship

Muscovy
— the kingdom of Moscow; Old Russia

Mussulman
— an old name for a Muslim

Narrow Seas
— the English Channel

New Spain
— South America

New World
— South and North America together

on progress
— a term used when the Queen was touring parts of her realm. Such travel was a kind of summer holiday for her.

Parlour
— a room off the Hall that was just beginning to be used for eating, among other things

penner
— a small leather case that would attach to a belt. It was used for holding quills, ink, knife, and any other equipment needed for writing.

pitch
— a black substance similar to tar

poop deck
— a deck right at the stern of a ship

popinjay
— a parrot

posset
— a hot drink made from sweetened and spiced milk curdled with ale or wine

potherbs
— vegetables

pottage
— a thick soup

Presence Chamber
—the room where Queen Elizabeth would receive people

Privy Garden
— Queen Elizabeth’s private garden

pursuivant
— one who pursues someone else

Queen’s Guard
— these were more commonly known as the Gentlemen Pensioners, young noblemen who guarded the Queen from physical attacks

quinsy
— very bad tonsillitis

raiment
— clothing

Royal Standard
— Queen Elizabeth’s flag (
not
the Union Jack)

samite
— a heavy satin fabric

sea beggars
— a derogatory term for the Dutch rebels who fought the Spanish at sea

Secretary to the Admiralty
— the man in charge of the Navy (as it existed then)

shipworm
— teredo worm; a wood-boring beetle that rendered most ships unusable after twenty years, until copper-bottoming came in during the eighteenth century

shipwright
— a carpenter expert in shipbuilding and repair

slow match
— rope soaked in saltpeter to make it burn slowly and steadily

snips
— an early form of scissors without the pivot—a little like small sheep shears

Spaniels
— a mispronunciation of
Espagnols
(
Spanish
) by the English

statute cap
— a blue woollen cap worn by all apprentices to support the woollen industry

stays
— the boned, laced bodice worn around the body under the clothes. Victorians called the stays a corset.

sterncastle
— the back of a warship, built up to allow the crew to board other ships

stomacher
— a heavily embroidered or jeweled piece for the center front of a bodice

tinder box
— small box containing some quick-burning tinder, a piece of flint, a piece of steel, and a candle for making fire and thus light

tiring room
— a room for dressing or changing clothes in

tiring woman
— a woman who helped a lady to dress

topman
— the aristocrats of the lower deck, these were the sailors who worked high up on the mast and in the yards

tumbler
— an acrobat

vein
or
open a vein
— a cut made in a vein to let out “bad” blood. This was used as a cure for almost anything!

Verge of the Court
— anywhere within a mile of the Queen’s person

vittles
— food

waterman
— a man who rowed a ferry boat on the Thames; he was a kind of Elizabethan cabdriver

watersteps
—steps leading down to the river

wherry
—a Thames boat

willow-bark tincture
—a solution made from willow bark, which was good for pain relief but very bad for the stomach. It was later developed into aspirin.

Withdrawing Chamber
—the Queen’s private rooms

yard
— a long pole on which a sail hangs