sedulous hardworking and diligent.
deleterious harmful or causing injury.
malignant having an evil influence.
nightshade, dogwood, henbane plants used as poisons and in witches charms.
horn-book a sheet of parchment with the alphabet, table of numbers, etc. on it, mounted on a small board with a handle and protected by a thin, transparent plate of horn. It was formerly used as a child's primer.
precocity matured or developed beyond chronological age.
asperity harshness or sharpness of temper.
