John the Baptist the preacher who announced in the Bible the coming of Jesus. He was beheaded by Herod whom he accused of adultery.
John Wilson the Reverend John Wilson (1588-1667), a minster who was considered a great clergyman and teacher. He was a prosecutor of Anne Hutchinson.
King James King James I (1603-1625) of England. He ordered the translation of the Bible, now called the King James Version.
King's own mint-mark here, a mark guaranteeing authenticity.
Knights Templars a medieval order of knights founded in 1119 in Jerusalem.
leech [Archaic] a doctor. In Hawthorne's time, blood-sucking leeches were used to effect a cure by removing blood.
Lethe the river of forgetfulness, flowing through Hades, whose water produces loss of memory in those who drink of it.
Lord of Misrule a part acted out in court masques in England during the Christmas season. He was part of a pagan, not Christian, myth.
Luther Martin Luther (1483-1546), the first rebel against Catholicism; leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
