Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) An Italian scientist, Galileo furthered the theories advanced by Copernicus through use of the telescope; his views were considered a threat to certain religious doctrines, and he was obliged to publicly retract some of his assertions.
gazetted Here, meaning "dismissed."
Gibbon, Edward (1737-94) Considered to be one of the greatest English historians, Gibbon authored the six-volume History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
glazed Having a roof of glass.
Gnostics A sect that believed that human experience was characterized by a radical disjunction between the spiritual, which they regarded as real, and the physical, which they regarded as illusory.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von (1749-1832) The German writer who profoundly influenced literary romanticism; he is noted for his two-part dramatic poem Faust, published in 1808 and 1832.
gold eagle A gold coin.
Goldsmith, Oliver (d. 1774) English poet, playwright, and novelist.
Gothic A European style of architecture noted for its pointed arches and flying buttresses.
grandames Grandmothers.
Greenwich nautical almanac Initiated in 1767, the Nautical Almanac, published by the Royal Greenwich Observatory in England, was indispensable to ship captains and navigators,
Gustavus (1594-1632) Gustavus was the Swedish king responsible for making Sweden a major European power; after his troops marched through Germany, he became known as the "Lion of the North." During his reign, a short-lived Swedish colony — the only one in the Americas — was founded in what is now Delaware.
harbingers Those who foreshadow the approach of someone or something.
Haydn, Franz Joseph (1732-1809) Austrian composer.
heosophists Broadly applied to theologians who claim direct knowledge of God by mystical insights.
Heraclitus The sixth-century B.C. Greek philosopher who claimed that strife and change are natural conditions of the universe.
Herbert, George (1593-1633) An English metaphysical poet, he wrote The Temple (1633), a famous posthumous collection of religious poems.
Hercules The Roman name for the Greek mythological hero Heracles, who was famous for his bravery and strength; his many incredible feats are customarily divided into the famous twelve labors.
Herschel, Sir William (1738-1822) An English astronomer, he is credited for discovering Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun.
hieroglyphic A picture or symbol representing a sound or a word; best known for being used by the ancient Egyptians.
Himmaleh The Himalaya Mountains are the highest in the world, forming the northern border of Nepal.
hobgoblin A frightening apparition; a goblin.
Hohenlohe Emerson makes reference to Leopold Franz Emmerich, prince of Hohenlohe (1794-1849), a reputed miracle healer.
Homer (eighth century B.C.) The reputed author of the earliest surviving epic poems in the European tradition, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Homer The eighth-century B.C. reputed author of the earliest surviving epic poems in the European tradition, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Hudson, Henry (d. 1611) The English explorer who sailed up the river now bearing his name and established an English claim to it; he died after being set adrift by a mutinous crew in the Canadian bay that was later named for him.
Hutton, James (1726-97) A Scottish geologist, he advanced the hypothesis that geologic changes in the earth's surface occur slowly over long periods of time.
ichor In Greek mythology, the heavenly fluid that flows through the veins of Greek gods.
Idealism The philosophical assumption that material objects do not exist independently of humans' perceptions of them.
ief Willingly.
impalpable Incapable of being readily grasped or comprehended.
interloper One who interferes in the affairs of others.
irrefragable indisputable.
Isaiah A Hebrew prophet of the eighth century B.C.
