accompt: account

advaunce: bring forth; raise up

advize: consider

affection: disposition, affect

affections: passions

Affyaunce: betrothal

After this sort: accordingly

agree: conciliate

al . . . his: all of his other forenamed

alonly: alone

amenage: domesticate

anone: immediately

anoy: vex

antique: ancient

argument: theme

arke: arch

Arke triumphant: triumphal arch

assayd: afflicted

assay: proven worth

as: such as

assynd:allotted

Asteris: star;

astonned: stunned, amazed

at earst: promptly;

Attonce: together

auncient: ancient

bane: woe; ruin

bashed not / For : ‘was unabashed by’

bate: discord

behight: commanded

Bene: are

betimes: speedily; before it is too late

blent: blinded

blent: blinded

blowe . . . eares: whisper to them concerning, secretly propose

boorded: approached

borne: carried; born;

boulted: sifted

bravely: splendidly

brought: in introduced

by your grace: by means of your liberality

carefull: full of care or grief

careful: anxious

care: sorrow, anxiety;

carnall: worldly

chaire: chariot

chapters: capitals, the top portion of a column

chasyng: chasing away, expulsion

chawing: chewing; ruminating

Christall: crystal

cloune: peasant

clownish: rustic;

come to great estate: come into great wealth (or achieve eminent status)

commissaries: papal appointees with judicial or executive responsibilities specified to particular causes

commodities: sources of sustenance and comfort

commodities: useful things, goods

confidence: impudence

confusion: destruction

considering with him self: reconsidering, reflecting

contentation: contentment

contentation: contentment

conveniencie: aptness

corage: wrath

couth: E.K.

covete after: long for

cracknelles: a light, crisp biscuit of hollow shape

crosses: misfortunes, impediments

cunnyng: artfulness

curtsies: courteous acts, gifts

dartes: javelins or light spears

deceivable : deceitful

Declaration: explanation

deface: outshine

defaste: undone

delay: allay; dilute or temper

depend: hang down

described of: described by

devise: design

dight: dress, clothe

dight: prepared

dignities: positions of elevated status

diriges, obsequies: funeral or commemorative rites

distaind her honorable blood: stained her family’s honor

Drad: dreaded

drave: drove

dyvers: diverse

Eastgothes . . . Westgothes: Ostrogoths and Visigoths

eath: easy;

embosome: cherish; conceal

emboyling: boiling, agitated

embrued: soaked, stained

empight: implanted itself

Emplaster: plaster of Paris

emprise: undertaking

endite: compose

endued: endowed

enduing: endowing

enforst: compelled; reinforced

engin: plot, scheme

engreeved: filled with grief

enorme: enormous

enter: into take up

entertainement: welcome

erst: originally

estate: state

estate: status, situation

estimation: reputation

evill: unwholesome

exquisite: highly accomplished

faine: ‘pretend’ (feign), with a play on ‘wish’ (fain)

falser: very false

fansie: fantasy

faynting: feeble, sluggish

faytour: impostor

fell: cruel

Figures: images

filth: lust; sins of the flesh

flit: swift

following: deriving from

for all that: despite the fact that

for as much: insofar

for these alonely: only for these

for this . . . us: that is given to us for this purpose

found out: invented

frame: structure, building

frises: friezes

from time to time: from age to age

Furor: madness fueled by anger

gapeth for: longs for

garnisht: adorned

gealous worme: serpent of jealousy;

ghostly: spiritual

gladsome: pleasant

glosing: specious praise

glystering: glittering

go about: undertake

God of: God in exercise of

grace: favor

graunted of: granted by

gronde: groaned

gynerastice: loving women

Guyons lookes: Guyon’s glances

gyve: devote

habite: clothing

happie: fortunate

happily: by chance or good fortune

hap: chance

harborough: harbor

harde by: very close at hand

heartie: heartfelt

Heben : ebony

hent: seized

Hereout . . . like: From these and similar instances

he: Guyon

Hinde: a female deer

His am I: i.e. his attendant

his nine sisters: the Muses

history: narrative

holds: strongholds

honestly: honourably, chastely

hundreth: hundred

Ianthis: violet

il favored of fashion: ugly in shape

ill government: poor care

impetuous: rash

inconveniences: improprieties

inconveniences: misfortunes

inconveniencie: unsuitableness

in it is no suche default: in the right use of worldly good there is no moral defect

in signification: as a sign

in store: laid up

intended: guided

in the comparison of: Compared to.

in the place: right then and there

late age: recent ages, as opposed to antiquity

leames: flashes

lieuetenant: The term is used here in its technical sense, i.e. place-holder, or vice-regent.

lightened: enlightened

lorne: left

lovablenesse: praiseworthiness

lyvings: vocations, positions in life

make: compose

meane space: meantime

me doen to dye: they have almost killed me

menage: handle

menaging / Of armes: skilled handling of weapons

mete: deserving

mickle: much

mischiefe: misfortune;

mislike of: begrudge, disapprove of

misweene: misconceive, suppose incorrectly

more a greate deale: a great deal more

more enfierced: provoked to greater fierceness

mortall: deadly

mought: might, could

moyle: drudge

nathemoe: not at all

native influence: birth rather than training

naturall: native

nearer move: more closely affect

n’ote: could not, a contraction of ‘ne mote’

note: could not

n’ote: might not

n’ould she stent: she would not cease

nourice: nurse

observings: observances

odible: odious

Of bricke, ne yet: neither of brick nor

officialls: bishops’ representatives to diocesan ecclesiastical courts

of hir: out of her; as an exercise of her

of other: for others

Of some: by some

onely I meane: I only mean

other my: my other

other some: some others

outbrast: burst forth

outweed: weed out

overthwartly . . . hair: perversely and completely contrariwise

pæderastice: loving boys;

Paralipomenon: Chronicles.

parget: ornamental work (usually in plaster) on walls;

partake: inform

partener Paramoure: partner by way of sexual desire

particular: narrowly self-interested

passed over: spent

patriarks: the titles afforded to the highest-ranking of Catholic bishops

peculiarly: particularly, preferentially

pensife: sad, brooding

perfect: mature or complete

playnd:complained, lamented

possessed of: possessed by

Pourphere: porphyry

prebendaries: cathedral administrators

preferments: positions conferring social and financial advantage

president: appointed governor, viceroy

pretence: purpose or intention

privie: narrowly self-interested

privitie: personal business, intimacy, or secrets

proceede of: derive from

pronotaries: high-ranking Monsignors of the Catholic church

proper: own

propre: legitimate

prove: experience, suffer

puissant: powerful

puissant : powerful

put case: propose by way of example

pyne: waste from grief

quaild: daunted

race: ancestry

ranck: extreme

rased: razed

raught him: ‘brought him’, from ME past tense of ‘reach’ in the sense of ‘give, pass’ (OED).

read: tell

redoubted: dreaded or respected

rehearse: recount

re’nforced: reinforced

renoumed: renowned

Renting: rending

repriefe: disgrace

resembled: likened

Romyshe: Roman

rude: rustic

rusty: reddish-brown with dried blood

set by: esteem

sheade: shed

sielyng: ceiling

silly: defenseless

since: thereafter

Sith: since

Sith: Since

slea: slay

slide: go astray

sodein: sudden

Sodometrie: sodomy

sore chauffed: severely chafed; raged

spring: youth

sprites: spirits

stay hym selfe: rely

stay: pause

stay: to hold fixed

stay: wait for

stead: place

stile: full legal title

stoures: turmoils, upheavals, emotional crises

stoutnesse: stubbornness

strakes: streaks

stubborne handeling: ruthless treatment

studieth: exerts himself in planning

suborne: adorn

that: that which;

the fewest numbre of: very few

the livelier: more vividly

the matter: the substance of the argument

the rather: instead

the rather: the more easily

the rather: the more easily

the same: i.e., the matter of the book

thilke: this, or that

thorough: through, by means of

Tho: then;

tho: then, thereupon

thraldome: captivity

thrillant: piercing

tofore: earlier

to Godwarde: toward God

tooke: suffered

to the ende: so that

to the ordinaunces: in comparison to the ordinaunces

toward: approaching

travaile: strive

traveled: travailed, burdened

treachour: traitor; deceiver

trech: trick

Tullie: Marcus Tullius Cicero

unbrace: loosen

understode: meant

unkindly: unnatural; hurtful

unlikelyhood: dissimilarity, discrepancy

unnethes: not easily, with difficulty, hardly

unquietness: discontent

unquiet: restless

unsaciable: insatiable

upbray: reproach (cause to be blamed)

varlet: male servant

vengeable despight: cruel injury

Vicare: representative

villein . . . clownish: peasant . . . rustic

voluptuous: sensuous, sensual

vouchsafe: be willing, deign

vulgar . . .seed: the common people

waine: wagon

walke: ‘move briskly’ (unlike her feet)

waste: waist

wastful: creating desolation

weal: well-being

weend: supposed

welked: faded, diminished in brightness

welkin: sky

whelming: engulfing

whereout . . . flushing: out from which a bird abruptly flying upwards

Wherunto: to which end

wher with: by means of which

whilome: erstwhile, once upon a time

Whilome: in the past, some time ago, once upon a time

wight: creature

wil not be: wish not to be

wist: knew

with . . . afrayde: frightened by

withdrawe: distract

wold not be: desire not to be

wood: mad

woxe: waxed, grew

ydle: unoccupied

yeed: go

yet: still

ypent: penned up