language & literature

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (III: 1):

KING HENRY VI:

Stoop then and set your knee against my foot;
And, in reguerdon of that duty done,
I gird thee with the valiant sword of York:
Rise Richard, like a true Plantagenet,
And rise created princely Duke of York.

reguerdon: To reward.

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 5):

RICHARD PLANTAGENET:

This day, in argument upon a case,
Some words there grew ‘twixt Somerset and me;
Among which terms he used his lavish tongue
And did upbraid me with my father’s death.

lavish tongue: unrestrained expression or language, a standard Elizabethan dramatic cliche

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 5):

MORTIMER:

And these grey locks, the pursuivants of death,
Nestor-like aged in an age of care,
Argue the end of Edmund Mortimer.

pursuivants: 1. An officer in the British Colleges of Heralds who ranks below a herald.

2. A follower or attendant.

[Middle English pursevant, attendant, from Old French poursuivant, from present participle of poursuivre, to follow, from Vulgar Latin *prōsequere. See pursue.]

(Mortimer’s grey hair is the herald of death)

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 4):

WARWICK:

Between two hawks, which flies the higher pitch;
Between two dogs, which hath the deeper mouth;
Between two blades, which bears the better temper:
Between two horses, which doth bear him best;
Between two girls, which hath the merriest eye;
I have perhaps some shallow spirit of judgement;
But in these nice sharp quillets of the law,
Good faith, I am no wiser than a daw.

quillets: Subtilty; nicety; quibble; fine or subtle distinctions

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):

TALBOT:

Be not dismay’d, fair lady; nor misconster
The mind of Talbot, as you did mistake
The outward composition of his body.

misconster: misconstrue

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):

COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE:

Victorious Talbot! pardon my abuse:
I find thou art no less than fame hath bruited
And more than may be gather’d by thy shape.

bruited: A din; a clamor; proclaim with noise, announce loudly

[From Middle English, noise, from Old French, past participle of bruire, to roar, from Vulgar Latin *brūgīre (blend of Latin rūgīre and Vulgar Latin *bragere, to bray, of Celtic origin).]

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):

TALBOT:

These are his substance, sinews, arms and strength,
With which he yoketh your rebellious necks,
Razeth your cities and subverts your towns
And in a moment makes them desolate.

subverts: To bring about the downfall of: bring down, overthrow, overturn, topple, tumble, unhorse.

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):

COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE:

This is a riddling merchant for the nonce;
He will be here, and yet he is not here:
How can these contrarieties agree?

contrarities: contradictions

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (II: 3):

COUNTESS OF AUVERGNE:

But now the substance shall endure the like,
And I will chain these legs and arms of thine,
That hast by tyranny these many years
Wasted our country, slain our citizens
And sent our sons and husbands captivate.

captivate: past participle of captured, made prisoner

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 4):

TALBOT:

Accursed tower! accursed fatal hand
That hath contrived this woful tragedy!

contrived: planned, devised

From William Shakespeare’s Henry VI, part 1 (I: 4):

Enter, on the walls, a Master Gunner and his Boy

Master-Gunner:

Sirrah, thou know’st how Orleans is besieged,
And how the English have the suburbs won.

sirrah: a contemptuous term of address to an inferior man or boy; often used in anger