Indian sagamores chiefs or subchiefs in the Abnakis culture.
stripes [Archaic] welts on the skin caused by whipping.
alchemy the ancient system of chemistry and philosophy having the aim of changing base metals into gold.
simples [Archaic] medicines from herbs or plants.
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.
Nepenthe a drug supposed by the ancient Greeks to cause forgetfulness of sorrow.
Paracelsus (1493-1541) The most famous medieval alchemist; he was Swiss.
bale-fire an outdoor fire; bonfire; here, a beacon fire.
Black Man the devil who "haunts the forest."
