the King’s levee a morning reception held by a sovereign or person of high rank upon arising.
awl a small, pointed tool for making holes in wood, leather, etc.
consorts seventeenth-century English chamber music ensembles, sometimes including vocalists.
spinet an early, small variety of harpsichord with a single keyboard.
play a jig to perform a fast, gay, springy sort of dance, usually in triple time.
sifted me to inspect or examine with care, as by testing or questioning; here, meaning the King asked many probing questions of Gulliver.
chancery the court of the Lord Chancellor of England.
gaming the act or practice of gambling.
