plebian inhabitants commoners.
draught of the cup of wormwood and aloes symbolically, a cup of bitter herbs; here, representing what Hester feels inside behind her composed face.
Elizabethan epoch the late 1500s, named for Elizabeth I and called the Golden Age in arts and literature.
Cornwall and Devonshire two counties in southwestern England.
aqua-vitae literally, water of life. Here, a strong liquor such as whiskey.
depredations robbing, plundering, laying waste.
probity uprightness in one's dealings; integrity; honesty.
scurvy or ship-fever a disease caused by lack of vitamin C.
mien a way of looking; appearance.
