man-of-war—an armed navy vessel.
Aldebaran—bright red star in the eye of the constellation Taurus and the brightest of the Hyades.
Ham—In Genesis 9:22–25, Ham is Noah’s son and father of many nations. Tradition claims that Noah cursed Ham’s offspring with black skin because Ham dishonored his father.
Anacharsis Cloots—The Baron de Cloots, according to Thomas Carlyle in his French Revolution, amassed a group of men from a variety of countries at the French National Assembly.
pagod—an archaic spelling of “pagoda,” meaning pagan idol.
Assyrian priests . . . grand sculptured Bull—Priests in Babylonia, a great kingdom on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, worshipped Baal, the god of fertility and rain, in the form of a great bull.
Murat—Joachim Murat (1767–1815), Napoleon’s marshal and King of Naples, gave himself airs in both dress and mannerisms.
close-reefing topsails in a gale—climbing out on a yardarm during bad weather to tie up the sails so that they will not be ripped by strong winds.
Flemish horse—a rope used as a foothold.
Bucephalus—the favorite horse of Alexander the Great.
welkin-eyed—having eyes as blue as the sky.
impressed on the Narrow Seas—forced to leave private employ and enter the Royal Navy while sailing the Irish Sea or the English Channel.
Bellipotent—The ship takes its name from an archaic adjective meaning “mighty in war.”
forecastle—the area on the bow (forward end) of the ship where the sailors live.
Irish shindy—a noisy brawl.
buffer of the gang—a malcontented or incompetent crew member.
capstan—an upright, revolving post around which rope is wound.
waxing merry with his tipple—becoming happily intoxicated.
hardtack—a ship’s biscuits.
Apollo—the ancient Greek sun god revered for his physical beauty.
cutter—a rowboat.
coxswain—a steersman.
taffrail—railing around a ship’s stern.
rated as an able seaman top—ranking for a sailor, above “ordinary seaman” and “boy.”
starboard watch of the foretop—a guard post on a platform at the front mast on the right side of the ship.
dogwatch—a short period of duty between 4 and 6 p.m. or 6 and 8 p.m.
the Saxon strain—characterized by blond hair, fair skin, and blue eyes.
halyards—ropes used to raise and lower sails.
the Graces—three sisters from Greek mythology who bestowed charm and beauty.
by-blow—an illegitimate child.
dance-houses, doxies, and tapsters . . . a “fiddler’s green”—dance halls, prostitutes, and bartenders create a sailor’s paradise.
Cain’s city—In Genesis 4:17, Cain, a son of Adam, commits the first murder against his own brother, is exiled, and founds a city.
Caspar Hauser—a wandering youth of unknown origin who appeared in Nuremberg in 1828.
the good-natured poet’s famous invocation a quotation from Book IV of Martial’s Epigrams.
one of Hawthorne’s minor tales—“The Birthmark.”
the envious marplot of Eden—the serpent that tempted Eve in Genesis 3:4–5.
