Papist: a Roman Catholic; the Puritans thought them to be heretics.
parable: a short, simple story from which a moral or religious lesson may be drawn.
Paracelsus (1493-1541): The most famous medieval alchemist; he was Swiss.
pathos: the emotion of compassion.
pearl of great price: see the story in Matthew 13:45-46, about a merchant who sold all his goods for one pearl of great worth, which represents the kingdom of heaven. Wilson is saying here that Pearl may find salvation.
Pentecost: a Christian festival on the seventh Sunday after Easter; it celebrates the Holy Spirit descending on the Apostles.
Pequot war: raids on Indian villages by Massachusetts settlers in 1637.
petticoat and farthingale: underskirts and hoops beneath them.
phantasmagoric: dreamlike; fantastic.
pharmacopoeia: a stock of drugs.
physic: [Archaic] medicine.
physiognomies: facial features and expression, esp. as supposedly indicative of character
pigweed: any of several coarse weeds with dense, bristly clusters of small green flowers. Also called lamb’s quarters.
pillory: stocks where petty offenders were formerly locked and exposed to public scorn.
plaintiveness: melancholy, suffering.
plebeian order: the commoners.
plebian inhabitants: commoners.
portal: here, the prison door.
portent: an omen.
precocity: matured or developed beyond chronological age.
pristine: original or characteristic of an earlier period.
probity: uprightness in one’s dealings; integrity; honesty.
recluse: a solitary person; shut away from the world.
rheumatic flannel: material worn to keep warm, especially to ease the pain of rheumatism in the joints.
rich, voluptuous, Oriental characteristic: the gorgeous, exquisite, exotically beautiful.
