Explanatory Notes





The purpose of these notes is to explain or identify words or references that might be unfamiliar to modern readers of Jean Baptiste and to call attention to words and phrases that allude to or derive from other writers. In compiling these notes, I have made extensive use of the Oxford English Dictionary, The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (1992), The Dictionary of Canadian Biography, The New Strong’s Concordance of the Bible, and Ione Dodson Young’s Concordance to the Poetry of Byron, 4 vols. (1965; Austin Texas: Best Printing Company, 1975). The explanatory notes in earlier volumes of this series have also been useful, especially those in George Longmore’s The Charivari, ed. D.M.R. Bentley (1991). Carl F. Klinck’s Golden Dog edition of Jean Baptiste (1978) has been invaluable. Quotations from Hudibras are from Samuel Butler, Hudibras, ed. John Wilders (Oxford: Clarendon P, 1967). Quotations from Byron are from Byron, ed. Jerome J. McGann, The Oxford Authors (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1986). Quotations from “Peter Pindar” are from The Works of Peter Pindar, Esq., with a Portrait (Philadelphia: M. Wallis Woodward, 1835). Quotations from Pope are from Pope, ed. Pat Rogers, The Oxford Authors (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1993). Quotations from Shakespeare are from William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, ed. Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor (Oxford: Clarendon P, 1986).



Title

Olio An “olio” is a “collection of various artistic or literary pieces, as engravings, verses, etc.; a miscellany…” (O.E.D.)


Epigraph

The epigraph is from Samuel Butler’s satire of Puritanism, Hudibras, The Second Part, Canto I, 27-30. The ironic attitude towards the writing of poetry here is characteristic of both the burlesque tradition and Byron’s [Page 65] satires. The epigraph alters the punctuation slightly, and changes line 27 from “But those that write in Rhime, still make.”


Dedication

Klinck notes that Stephen Sewell (circa 1770-1832) was “an attorney-at-law in Montreal” (see also Dictionary of Canadian Biography 6: 700-03).


Poem

Canto I

I,1-2
Docti…Id est Adams gives his own translation in quotation marks in line 2. His source is Horace, Epistles, Book 2, No. 1, 117: “Scribimus indocti doctique poemata passim.” Klinck notes that a “similar caption stood at the top of the first page of the first number of Wilcocke’s The Scribbler,” a Montreal literary periodical that ran from June, 1821 to March, 1827. The editor’s full name was Samuel Hull Wilcocke.
I,3 Old heathen Horace
I,4
the Muses have been put to flight Adams’ note refers to the “Prize Address,   spoken at the Montreal Theatre by Mr. Judah, on Easter Monday the 19th April—written by Mr. Henry John Hagan, of this City,” Canadian Courant (Montreal), April 21, 1824. Adams alludes to the sixth stanza of Hagan’s address, which describes the “starless night” and “Gothic gloom” of the period between the Classical Age and the Renaissance. As noted in the introduction and previously by Klinck, Adams may be the “X.Y.Z.” who wrote the “Rejected Address, Written for the Opening of the New-Market Theatre,” Montreal Herald April 24, 1824. In any case, Adams is unfair to Hagan in Jean Baptiste, for Hagan’s point is not that the Muses are banished now, but that the medieval period banished them temporarily, until they were restored by Shakespeare and Jonson.
I,5

scribbling scarecrows Probably a reference to The Scribbler (see note to I, 1-2 above). Wilcocke supported Hagan’s “Address” and criticized “X.Y.Z.” (see note to I, 4 above) for his depiction [Page 66] of French-Canadian youths: “The Canadian youths, are the only part of our young men, who have any learning, or comparative education at all.” He then attacks “our soi-desant British population,” and perhaps implicitly Adams, with “the most sovereign contempt and pity.” See The Scribbler 121 (May 13, 1824).

I,5 pent Confined.
I,6
ignorance’s waning night Cf. Pope, The Dunciad, for many references to the darkness associated with ignorance, especially Book IV, 640: “Art after Art goes out, and all is Night.”
I,7

Parnassus In Greek mythology, the mountain sacred to the Muses. Cf. Byron, Beppo 402-04, for the wish to “scale / Parnassus, where Muses sit inditing / Those pretty poems never known to fail.”

I,8

Jade colloquial for “horse.”

I,8
yclept Archaic for “called”; used by Longmore, The Charivari 1145, and Byron, Don Juan V, 1207, and elsewhere.
I,8

Pegasus In Greek mythology, the flying horse who started the fountain of Hippocrene, which became a source of poetic inspiration. Ironic references to Pegasus abound in the satirical tradition admired by Adams. See Peter Pindar, “An Apolegetic Postscript to Ode Upon Ode”: “my hack”; Byron, English Bards and Scotch Reviewers 85: “jaded Pegasus”; and Longmore, The Charivari 8: “old           Pegasus, thy jaded hack!”

I,11 asunder Apart.
I,16

virtu’so Virtuoso: “a connoisseur, freq., one who carries on such pursuits in a dilettante or trifling manner” (O.E.D.).

I,21

kerchiefs Handkerchiefs.

I,21 zone “girdle or belt” (O.E.D.).
I,21

sattin Satin.

I,22

Item cum multis Latin: And so on (literally, “likewise with many”).       

I,23

this stiff, wayward rhyme In this, the first of many self-deprecatory references in the poem, Adams associates his own poem with such burlesques as Hudibras (see epigraph and note).

I,24
mock sublime Anti-climactic. Byron frequently mocked his contem-poraries’ attempts at sublimity. See also Longmore’s ironic reference to the “ultra wrought sublime” (The Charivari 21) and Bentley’s note. [Page 67]
I,25

supplicate Beg in a humble manner.

I,25 the tuneful nine” The nine muses of Greek mythology.
I,27 sacred shrine” Parnassus (see note to I, 7 above).
I,30 weens Thinks.
I,33-35

Another blubbers…Parnassus” A close echo and perhaps a parody of Longmore, The Charivari 7-8: “Still, still inspire me ‘midst thy rhyming pack / Lend me, old Pegasus, thy jaded hack!” See note to I, 8 above.

I,35 Parnassus See note to I, 7 above.
I,41

recriminate Accuse.

I,41 tho’t Contraction: “though it”
I,45 quidnunc Newsmonger.
I,45 sate melancholly Sat melancholy.
I,48

such obsequious votaries The poets described in stanzas IV and V in general, and perhaps Longmore in particular.

I,49

gentle reader A conventional address used by Byron (Beppo 397) and Longmore, The Charivari 49: “Now, gentle reader…”.

I,54-56

Of the many parallels in Byron, see English Bards and Scotch Reviewers 401-03: “I’ve learned to think, and sternly speak the truth; / Learned to deride the critic’s starch decree, / And break him on the wheel he meant for me.”

I,57 Ego scribo Latin: I write.
I,62

mal-intention Malice.

I,63

perchance Perhaps.

I,69

weazon Achaic for “weasand,” meaning “gullet.”

I,70

shew Show.

I,73
digression Here and elsewhere, Adams follows Byron in foreground-ing his numerous digressions. See the comments in the introduction, and see, for similar remarks, Beppo 393-96: “…I find / Digression is a sin, that by degrees / Becomes exceeding tedious to my mind, / And, therefore, may the reader too displease…”; and Longmore, The Charivari 177-79: “But pardon, gentle reader, that before ye, / This long digression’s laid, and I have stopp’d / From the straight-forward sequel of my story.”
I,74

half a score Ten.

I,79-80
Gutta…scribendo.” According to Kate Louise Roberts, New 1947 Edition of Hoyt’s New Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations (New York: Somerset, 1947), this quotation has many parallels [Page 68] in Classical literature, but the probable source is Richard, Monk of St. Victor, Paris (died 1172). The Latin means “the drop hollows out the stone not by strength, but by constant falling.” Byron gives a version of the proverb in Don Juan VI159-60: “‘Tis the vile daily drop on drop which wears / The soul out (like the stone) with petty cares.”
I,82-86

Cf. Byron’s satire on the experiments with humble subjects by Wordsworth and Coleridge, English Bards and Scotch Reviewers 201-02: “Yet none in lofty numbers can surpass / The Bard who soars to elegize an ass.”

I,87 burthen Burden.
I,90

‘twill Contraction: it will.

I,92 soporific Inducing sleep.
I,99

Phthisic Tuberculosis.

I,100

a lecture upon skulls…The subject of phrenology held that character was determined by the shape of the skull.

I,102

verbum sat” The short form of “verbum sapienti sat est”; “a word to the wise is sufficient.”

I,103

note Colman’s Terence George Colman the Elder (1732-1785) trans-lated The Comedies of Terence, the Roman dramatist, into blank verse (1765).

I,109 e’er Ever.
I,111 thro’ Through.
I,112

patience o’ercame Troy! Probably refers to the ruse of the Trojan horse, by which the Greeks entered Troy.

I,113 sage Sagacious, wise.
I,114

Paris The trojan whose seduction of Helen led to the Trojan War.

I,114

Nero The Emperor who is proverbial for fiddling while Rome burned.

I,115

Plato The great Greek philosopher (circa 427-347 B.C.).

I,115

et cetera Cf. Byron, Don Juan III.1: “Hail Muse! et cetera.”

I,119
votaries of the famed Apollo Devoted followers of the god of the sun in Greek mythology. Longmore uses the phrase “votary of Apollo” in The Charivari 81.
I,120

beggar Outdo.

I,121

stricto sensu” Latin: “strict sense.”

I,125

tarry Wait.

I,131

Fond Foolish. [Page 69]

I,133 licentia poetica Latin: “poetic licence.”
I,135

Jean Baptiste The French form of John the Baptist, and “a name used to personify French-Canadian males since at least 1818” (Bentley, Introd., The Charivari xxi). The digression on other national nick-names in Canto II confirms that Baptiste is such a type. As Bentley has noted, Baptiste may also be based on Louis-Michel Viger (1785-1855), a prominent Montreal lawyer and cousin of Louis-Joseph Papineau. Viger’s military background, taste for fine living, interest in freedom, and July 19, 1824 wedding all seem to be echoed in the poem.

I,136 magistratus in poetica” Latin: master of poetry.
I,141 evanish Vanish.
I,153-55

Calling these lines the one “mild response” to Longmore’s attack on various “scribblers” in The Charivari, Bentley adds, “little wonder: once flayed, twice shy” (Introd., The Charivari xxxiv).

I,155

Yclept See note to I, 8 above.

I,161-64

The quotation marks probably indicate that Adams is referring to generally-held attitudes towards bachelors’s lives, not to any specific source.

I,165

stonny Stony.

I,169

And say who’d be a Bachelor Adams was a bachelor at this time; he eventually married in 1830.

I,171

lot Fate.

I,177

hie me Archaic: hurry.

I,177-78

the altar/ Of Hymen Marriage; Hymen was the Greek and Roman god of marriage.

I,179

gentle cupid’s halter Another periphrastic synonym for marriage. Cupid was the Roman god of love.

I,182-84

Because of his depiction of women, Euripides has often been considered a misogynist.

I,185

high life blade A dashing figure with a taste for the good life. This is one of several references that suggest Louis-Michel Viger (see note to I, 135 above).

I,186

tissue, tinsel, quaze and shew” I have been unable to trace this quotation.

I,187

phiz Face.

I,189

quiz An eccentric.

I,193

N’importe French: no matter. [Page 70]

I,196

voltigeur French: soldier. Viger (see note to I, 135 above) had served in the War of 1812.

I,208

abating Decreasing.

I,220

in spots, all over so!” I have been unable to trace this quotation.

I,221-22

not taken my degree, / In Cupid’s College Another reference to being a bachelor; see notes to I, 169 and I, 179 above.

I,224

all who claim connection! Those more experienced in matters of love and marriage.

I,230 certes Archaic: assuredly.
I,233-48

The criticism of “female propriety” recalls Byron’s various attacks on “blue-stockings”; see for instance the commandments in Don Juan I. 1643: “Thou shalt not bear false witness like ‘the “Blues.’”

I,249

perforce Necessarily.

I,254

deeming Judging.

I,254

Hebe The daughter of Zeus and Hera and the personification of youth, she eventually married Hercules.

I,255

Helen The legendary beauty who was the wife of Menelaus, and, after her abduction by Paris, the origin of the Trojan War.

I,256

Paris See note to I, 114 above.

I,258

limner Painter.

I,258

ergo Latin: therefore.

I,262

the graces Also called the Charites, the three goddesses of beauty who lived on Olympus and influenced artistic works.

I,265

no matter where Cf. Longmore, The Charivari 65: “In Canada’s cold clime—no matter where.”

I,277

False friends will smile” I have been unable to trace either this quotation or the one in line 273.

I,291-96

Cf. Longmore, The Charivari 66-67: “(For it might put a fetter on my lay, / To tell you it was such a spot…”

I,297 Didst Contraction: did thou.
I,297-98 
Broad grins? / It is bound up with “my night gown and slippers.” Broad Grins is a collection of satirical tales by George Colman the Younger (1762-1836), the son of George Colman the Elder (see not to I, 103 above). As the full title indicates, Broad Grins included works previously published under the title alluded to in line 298: Broad Grins; Comprising with New Additional Tales in Verse, Those Formerly Published Under the Title of “My [Page 71] Night-Gown and Slippers.” I consulted the fifth edition (London: T. Cadell and W. Davies, 1811); the prefatory advertisement (v-vii) is dated May, 1802.
I,300 verse clippers Satirical poets.
I,302 pair of nippers Pincers.
I,306
reason, nor for rhyme” According to the O.E.D., rhyme and reason have been proverbially connected since 1664.
I,309 domestic treason” Presumably treason against one’s self or home.
I,310-12
The sense that an exalted state is based on bodily sensations recalls both Swift’s “A Discourse Concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit, A Fragment” (1704) and Byron’s attacks on sublimity (see note to I, 24 above) and Platonic love (see Don Juan I, stanza 116).
I,316 Mal-à-la-tête French: mentally disturbed.
I,317
I the truth must tell Cf.. Byron’s claim that unlike the stories told by his “epic brethen gone before,” “this story’s actually true” (Don Juan I. 1610, 1616).
I,321-22
Cf. Byron, Don Juan I. 1057-58: “Man’s a phenomenon, one knows not what, / And wonderful beyond all wondrous measure.”
I,324 heathenish Not Christian.
I,329 methinks Archaic: it seems to me.
I,331 t’it Contraction: to it.
I,333

forefend Avert.

I,337

ere Before.

I,342 very high” Exalted.
I,349

saturnine Gloomy; under the influence of the planet Saturn.

I,364

batteries Military term for emplacements of weapons.

I,374

nostrums Remedies, medicines.

I,376

A dart well parried, may perchance rebound.” I have been unable to trace this quotation, perhaps because it is proverbial.

I,377

her shafts The “shafts of ridicule” in I, 368 above.

I,379

sate Sat.

I,386 dashy Either quick or “dashing,” in the sense of “striking.”
I,387

minions Servants.

I,389

prate Chatter.

I,390

Civil List” “in colonial Canada, a list of monies to be appropriated [Page 72] for the civil administration of a province, including the salaries of the governor, executive counsellors, judges, civil servants, under the control of the British parliament” (Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles, 1967). Such government expenditures were always a source of contention in Lower Canada at this time.

I,392 exercise prerogative” Use exclusive right.
I,393

Religion et Liberté” French: religion and liberty; here a code for the French-Canadian desire for autonomy that Baptiste fears.

I,392-93 

our superb / Constitution Probably refers to both the English con-stitution and the Constitutional Act of 1791 that created the separate provinces of Lower and Upper Canada. Since the Act was designed to ensure the development of British parliamentary institutions, Baptiste speaks for a British conservatism.

I,398

dear Valuable.

I,400 sackcloth Penitential clothing.
I,400

invoke St. Thomas! Since Thomas was “the doubting apostle,” Adams implies that a loss of the present constitution would have dire effects.

I,404-06 
Byron…could not do without / Them Byron was involved in politics throughout his career. Not only did he consistently satirize the Tories and other contemporary conservative European governments, he took part in several radical causes, notably the struggle for Greek independence in which he died.
I,408
To stuff with sage that verdant goose society.” Byron, Don Juan XV. 741-42: “my business is to dress society, / And stuff with sage that very verdant goose.”
I,411

E’en Even.

I,417 A love scene and good dinner are fine things” I have been unable to trace this quotation, or to identify “nature’s minstrel” in I, 419.
I,430

palid Pallid, pale.

I,432

canker Infect.

I,433-34
On these and other lines of asterisks, see the comments in the Introduction.
I,443

Elysian Heavenly; the Elysian fields were the place for the blessed after death.

I,445

fairy Eden An ideal realm such as the Elysian fields of Greek [Page 73] myth (see the previous note).

I,447 in sooth In truth.
I,452 natal From birth.
I,456 lusus naturæ” Latin: sport of nature; oddity.
I,468-70
The narrator’s lapses into melancholy confessions are discussed in the Introduction.
I,470 controul Control.
I,481 Pegasus See note to I, 8 above.
I,482
half-prose-olio” See the poem’s full title and the note above. Cf. Byron, Beppo 415-16: “I’ve half a mind to tumble down to prose / But verse is more in fashion—so here goes!”
I,483 a straw At all.
I,488 despicable critic For Byron’s mockery of critics, see note to I, 54-56 above.
I,493-94 I love to write / The truth See I, 317 and note above.
I,517 beshrew’d Cursed.
I,518 t’extend To extend.
I,519 palliating Soothing.
I,521 non compos mentis” Latin: not in his right mind.
I,526
too slender nature’s throe to brook Too weak to stand the violent pangs.
I,532 disbanded Dispersed, released.
I,538 ta’en Taken.
I,539
Samson’s flaxen cords Delilah first bound Samson with ropes, which he broke, before she cut his locks.
I,549 Finis” Latin: the end.
I,550 Pegasus See note to I, 8 above.
I,556 spurns the proffer Rejects the offer.


Canto II

II,1-8

Cf. Longmore, The Charivari 97-104 for a similar apostrophe to the changing scenes of Canadian nature.

II,10

savage man Canada’s native peoples.

II,11

scarce other care intrudes Conventional expression of primitivist nostalgia for the supposedly carefree life of the native.

II,17

cataracts Waterfalls.

II,20

I lov’d once tenderly See note to I, 468 above. [Page 74]

II,22

life’s low glass The shortness of life is evoked in the flowing sands of an hourglass.

II,25

Care to our coffin adds a nail” See Peter Pindar (pen name of Dr. John Wolcott, 1738-1819), Expostulatory Odes 15: “Care to our coffin adds a nail, no doubt; / But every grin so merry draws one out.”

II,25 Brome Alexander Brome (1620-66), minor poet.
II,26

Pindar See note to II, 25 above.

II,27

bedoom’d Doomed.

II,31-32

jovial merry, song”… “will draw it out” See note to II,25 above.

II,34

visages Faces.

II,37

our good city Montreal.

II,40

love consumption Fatal disease caused by disappointment in love; consumption is tuberculosis.

II,43 dart Cupid’s arrows caused those that they struck to fall suddenly in love.
II,44

Cupid The Roman god of love referred to at I, 179 above. He is usually depicted as a blind boy who fires arrows (see II, 43) randomly.

II,49

draw the nail out See II, 25 and II, 32 and notes above.

II,51

gutta cavet” See I, 79-80 and note above.

II,54

Vide Latin: See.

II,56 proem Preamble.
II,56

ensample Archaic: example.

II,69 Luna’s The moon’s; Luna was the Roman goddess of the moon.
II,71

evanish Vanish.

II,73-80

Klinck (Introd., Jean Baptiste 1) sees these lines as offering “some support” for the view that Adams spent a pleasant youth on his father’s farm.

II,76

grot Grotto or cave.

II,79

lambkins Diminutive form of lambs; hence little lambs.

II,96

hoary Greying or whitening with age.

II,103 thoul’t Thou wilt.
II,113

Yet there are thoughts that cannot die.” Proverbial.

II,120

throne of silent loneliness” I have been unable to locate the source of this quotation.

II,121-28

See note to I, 433-34.

II,136

evening’s silent slumbers” I have been unable to locate the [Page 75] source of this quotation.

II,138

warbling songsters Singing birds.

II,138

chaunt Sing (from French “chanter”: to sing).

II,143 amoret’s Diminutive form of amore’s, love’s.
II,150 Compassionative Compassionate.
II,154

feet Metrical units.

II,156 constitution See I, 392-93 and note above.
II,158

ensuite Corruption of French “tout de suite”: at once.

II,161

There’s music in all things, if men had ears” Exact quotation from Byron, Don Juan XV 39, and possibly a further allusion to various passages in the New Testament, such as Mark 4:23: “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus uses the words repeatedly when teaching by parables.

II,167 corse Corpse.
II,170

stational Stationary.

II,171

lucubrations Meditations.

II,173 altercations Disagreements.
II,177

Jonathan A type-name for an American male.

II,178

curious” as “tarnation” Very curious; mildly obscene expression, since “tarnation” means damnation. Adams attempts to imitate rough American colloquial speech in order to satirize American democracy.

II,179

van Winnow or fan.

II,180
spec.” Colloquial abbreviation of speculation. Like Dickens in Martin Chuzzlewit (1844), Adams emphasizes the profit motive in the American character.
II,182

“home-made education” An education in American terms, and probably (from Adams’ perspective) a provincial education.

II,183

ape Imitate.

II,184

He’ll soon become If the American is not already a “man of letters,” the “home-made education” must be lacking.

II,186

ere while Before long.

II,187

catechised Instructed by question-and-answer, as in religious learning (Catechism).

II,188

equality By-word of American democracy, enshrined in The Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal…”

II,191

not to imitate his neighbours To be nationally distinctive: what is [Page 76] now sometimes called “the myth of American exceptionalism.”

II,192 lingo Language.
II,193

John Bull” A type name for an English male since at least John Arbuthnot’s History of John Bull (1712). George Colman the Younger (see note to I, 297-98 above) wrote a popular comedy called John Bull; or the Englishman’s Fireside (1803). Longmore uses the name in The Charivari 1065; see also Bentley’s note.

II,194

common sense Stereotypical English value.

II,195

suited to the skull Another phrenological reference; see note to I, 100 above.

II,199

blustering Also part of the English stereotype.

II,201

Paddy A type name for an Irish male.

II,202

Bulls An Irish bull is a statement containing a contradiction in terms, the verbal   equivalent of the “oddities” and “blunders” mentioned in II, 201-02.

II,203

och! Gaelic: oh!

II,204

wit from reason Stereotypical association of Irish manners with eccentricity and derangement.

II,205

Pat diminutive of Paddy (see II, 201 and note above.)

II,205

odds ’sblood it is” Mild profanity in the Irish vernacular (“God’s blood”).

II,206

arrah Attempt to imitate Irish pronunciation of “ah.”

II,209

Sawney A type name for a Scottish male, at least since the time of John Lacy’s play Sawney the Scot; an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, it was     first performed in 1667. “Sawney” is a form of Sandy, a common Scottish name.

II,209

ganging bock again” Attempt to imitate the Scottish pronunciation of “going   back again.”

II,211 th’other to his gain Stereotypical association of Scottish people and thrift.
II,214

soncy bonny lasses Buxom good women.

II,216

nae to ken the wily arts o’ Cupid” Scottish expression for “not to know the wily arts of love.”

II,218

crescent Waxing, increasing.

II,222

growing convalescent Recovering.

II,224

clover Traditionally associated with both luck and luxury (as in the expression “in clover”). [Page 77]

II,227 interjections Exclamations.
II,230 rhyme, or reason” See note to I, 306 above.
II,238 tittle Whit, particle.
II,241 Cupid See notes to I, 179 and II, 43 and 44 above.
II,241 quiver Holding the arrows that cause love; see note to II, 43 above.
II,242 Author of half the misery See II, stanza V above for a similar thought.
II,243

the young, romantic mind Those most vulnerable to the throes of the passion that Cupid causes.

II,244

thy little darts of ruin Cupid’s arrows (see notes to II, 43 and II, 241 above).

II,245

poison to the poet’s liver Probably a reference to the torments of Prometheus, who was doomed to a rock in the Caucasus, where an eagle perpetually consumed his liver. See also II, 437 below.

II,247 Plenipos I have been unable to find any previous use of this word.
II,252

to morrow Tomorrow.

II,259

harbinger Forerunner.

II,260

Connubial Marital.

II,264

burthen Burden.

II,265 so ‘twould So it would.
II,270

benighted Darkened (figuratively).

II,280

constitution See I, 392-93 and note, and II, 156 and above.

II,282

’gregiously Egregiously; shockingly.

II,285

a score Twenty.

II,289

Apropos Concerning.

II,293

savoureth Tastes or smells; hence resembles.

II,298

botheration The act of bothering.

II,299

salvo Reservation.

II,301

musquetoes Mosquitoes; their annoying bites are a source of common complaint among early Canadian writers.

II,303

Job Biblical figure proverbial for his patience and long suffering.

II,309

old Sol The sun.

II,312

trout Given the association of fishing with the search for a wife in the previous stanza, there may be a pun here on the name of the woman who married Louis-Michel Viger (see note to I, 135 above) on July 19, 1824: Marie-Ermine Turgeon. Adams may be [Page 78] punning on “turgeon,” “sturgeon,” and “trout.”

II,314

au contraire French: to the contrary.

II,315 pother Fluster, worry.
II,316

trés clair French: very clear.

II,321

I hold the world, but as the world” An echo of Antonio in The Merchant of Venice, I.i.77: “I hold the world but as the world…”

II,322

Of shreds and patches” An echo of Hamlet’s speech at III.iv.92: “A king of shreds and patches.”

II,326 the first parent Adam.
II,329-30

The legalistic language reflects Adams’ legal training.

II,335
Instructs the mind Despite Adams’ note, this phrase could not be Chaucerian, since the word “instruction” was not used until the fifteenth century. Nineteeth-century editors attributed poems to Chaucer that are not now accepted as his work, but I have not been able to locate the source of Adams’ quotation.
II,347 Elysian See note to I, 443 above.
II,347

bowers Pastoral enclosures.

II,349

lowers Frowns.

II,363

bark Ship.

II,366

bewreck’d amain Quickly ruined.

II,367

shoals Shallows.

II,376

The reader findeth bitterness in my—digressing Cf. Byron, Beppo 393-96: “I find / Digression is a sin, that by degrees / Becomes exceeding tedious to my mind, / And, therefore, may the reader too displease…”

II,378 Belles Dames French: beautiful women.
II,381

Experiencia docet” Latin: experience teaches. From Tacitus, History, Book V, Chapter 6.

II,383

ween Think.

II,386

was not over slender A litotes, the figure of speech that works by negating the contrary; in this case, the denial that Rosalie is “over slender” implies that she is large.

II,391

Tout ensemble French: all together.

II,392

not perhaps, what all would idolize An ironic understatement similar to II, 386 (see note above).

II,396

pourtray’d Portrayed.

II,400

almost The qualification has an ironic effect. See II, 386 and note and II, 392 and note above. [Page 79]

II,401

Matins and Vespers In Catholic liturgy, both canonical hours of evening prayer.

II,402
Lent Period consisting of the forty weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter Eve and devoted to fasting and penitence.
II,403 pater nosters Latin: “our father,” hence the Lord’s Prayer.
II,404

faisant la pénitence French: doing penitence.

II,409

pin’d Pined: languished.

II,412

beaux French: boyfriends.

II,424 proffer Do.
II,427
cant of whigs and tories Jargon of British politics. Like Swift, Adams moves between statements of Toryism and those of non-partisanism.
II,429 yield the ghost Die (from excitement).
II,433n.

The quotation is from the widow’s response to Hudibras: Hudibras, The First Part, Canto I, 443-46.

II,437

promethean touch Prometheus was punished for stealing fire from the gods to give to humans (see also note to II, 245 above). Adams implies that those seeking a wife may also be over-reaching and therefore liable to punishment.

II,438

itching passion—near akin to snow The contradiction between “passion” and “snow” mocks Baptiste’s ardour.

II,439

dear bought philosophy Wisdom attained with difficulty.

II,445 Messe Mass (Catholic service).
II,447

You would have thought The qualification suggests that Baptiste is not what he appears to be.

II,450

en messe French: in the Mass.

II,463

parley Conference.

II,464

my present MSS. My manuscripts. The device of pretending to be working from an incomplete manuscript has many precedents, notably Swift’s Tale of a Tub (1704).

II,465

Whoe’er Contraction: whoever.

II,466

amaratos Lovers.

II,473-76

The lines are full of the clichés of love poetry.

II,478 ensignia Indications.
II,479

the letter of the story The opposition between the letter and the spirit is St. Paul’s: see 2 Corinthians 3: 6: “for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.”

II,480

ye have the case before ye The language of the courtroom. [Page 80]

II,481-82

Rosalie passed…if she slept Cf. Pope, The Rape of the Lock I.16: “And sleepless lovers, just at twelve, awake.”

II,485

bedight Array.

II,486

chid Past tense of “chide”: rebuked.

II,495 trope Metaphor.
II,498

notarial Authorized.

II,502

the best friend, is a friend in need” Plautus, Epidicus, III.ii.44.

II,505

Precaution is a virtue” Proverbial.

II,509

old saws” Traditional bits of folk wisdom.

II,512

Peter Pindar See note to II, 25 above.

II,513

he should have known A reference to a notorious incident in Wolcott’s life: charged with adultery by his London landlord in 1807, Wolcott pleaded impotence and was declared innocent.

II,516

College Wolcott studied medicine at the University of Aberdeen.

II,517

was no F.R.S. himself Not only was Wolcott not a Fellow of the Royal Society (F.R.S.), but he attacked it frequently in his work.

II,521n.

Swift I have been unable to locate this quotation in Swift.

II,523

a great king George III, whom Wolcott frequently mocked, particularly in The Lousiad.

II,525

physiology of pies” A reference to Henry James Pye (1745-1813), who became Poet Laureate in 1790, and who was often mocked by Wolcott.

II,527

Dumpling” In “The Apple-Dumplings and a King,” Wolcott depicts George III showing amazement at the making of apple dumplings by a peasant woman. George returns to his palace “to show / The wisdom of an apple-dumpling maker; / And lo! so deep was majesty in dough, / The palace seemed the lodging of a   baker.”

II,528

a Samuel An agent of divine wrath, like Samuel when he rebuked Saul.

II,528 score Slash.
II,536 rente viagere at non rachetable” A life annuity, non-redeemable.
II,538

par privilege, hypothequé” Preferred and mortgaged.

II,541 ejections” Legal dispossesions.
II,543

the wherewith” the wherewithal; the means.

II,547

flounced Pleated.

II,548 zone Belt. [Page 81]
II,549

burning crimson Even without the adjective “burning,” crimson traditionally indicates strong passion.

II,551 bobbin-nett Bobbinet: lace-like cotton net.
II,552

shoes of the whitest silk A column in the Montreal Herald for November 16, 1825 recommends for “evening dress” “white satin shoes, and short white kid gloves.” The column is reprinted “From Ackerman’s Repository of Art, Fashions, etc.”

II,552

bedeck’d Adorned.

II,553

kid Soft leather made from the skin of a young goat; see note to II, 552 above.

II,560 beaux Boy-friends.
II,564 Aught than Anything but.
II,579

superfine Affecting refinement.

II,579

à la mode” French: fashionable.

II,580 inexpressibles” Colloquial term for trousers.
II,581 cravat French: necktie.
II,585

Angélus The bell at a Catholic church.

II,590

blushing, blooming Bride” Adams puts the phrase in quotation marks to indicate that he is using a cliché ironically.

II,592

Chaunted Sung (see note to II, 138 above).

II,594

winter shocks The sudden and disconcerting indications of the imminence of winter.

II,597

verdureless Without vegetation.

II,609

en campagne or en ville French: in country or town.

II,610

Byron’s poetry Both this stanza and Byronic satire are discussed in the introduction.

II,612

cahot In a note to stanza 80 of The Charivari, Longmore writes: “the literal meaning of the word cahot, is jolt,—to the Canadian, or to those who have sojour’d in the country, the explanation of its meaning is superfluous,—to some, however, it may be necessary to describe the term “Cahot,” which is a rut or hollow found in the snow, by the cariole or traineau, passing along its surface on the snow first falling.”

II,618

fille d’honneur French: Maid of Honour.

II,622

Barouche Four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage.

II,623

blade Dashing young man.

II,623

Demoiselle Single young woman.

II,624
Jehu Biblical figure known for his furious chariot driving. See 2 [Page 82] Kings 9:20, where the watchman of Jezreel says, “the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.”
II,624
Notre Dame Famous Montreal Church built in 1823-29 in Place d’Armes.
II,633

chez son père French: At his father’s house.

II,636

cavilero Spanish: dashing young man. As Bentley notes, the rhyme of “hero” and “cavilero” also occurs in Byron, Beppo 263-64 and Longmore, The Charivari 1129-33.

II,638

first water” Highest quality.

II,641 bow and rosin Used to play a violin.
II,645

Avocat and cozen Lawyer and cheat. Adams may be referring to the same figure that Longmore mocks as “lawyer Shark” (The Charivari 857-80). As Bentley    notes, the figure is probably based on Samuel Gale (1783-1865), “a prominent Montreal lawyer.”

II,646

whereas, whys and wherefores, and ergoes” Parody of legal jargon.

II,647

cousin german Full cousin.

II,652

Venus—roving boy Cupid. (See note to I, 179 and II, 44 above).

II,654

jollity without alloy Pure mirth.

II,657 Vin rouge French: red wine.
II,657

Teneriffe Probably wine from that area.

II,658 votre santé madame” French: a toast to a woman’s health.
II,658

Monsieur votre” French: the woman returns the toast.

II,659 merci” French: thank you.
II,660 aucune autre French: any other.
II,661 Terra Firma French: firm ground.
II,662 en notre French: in our.
II,663 Assembleés French: assemblies.
II,664

Bedlam Familiar form of Bethlehem, a London hospital for the insane; hence a   name for a madhouse. Cf. Pope, “Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot” 3-4: “The dog-star rages! nay ‘tis past a doubt / All Bedlam, or Parnassus, is let out.”

II,667 visage Face.
II,669 Elysium Heaven; see note to I, 443 above.
II,670 incitation Urging.
II,680 repast Formal meal. [Page 83]
II,681

Imprimis Latin: in the first place.

II,681

Boeuf à la mode French: a beef dish.

II,683

A Jambon ragoo’d A stewed ham.

II,685 poudin de Ris French: rice pudding.
II,686 sweetmeats Candies.
II,687 charmant” French: charming.
II,687 superbe” French: superb.
II,689-90
the persuasion / Who deem a “social drop” a woeful sin Those who abstain from alcohol on religious or other principles.
II,693 shrub Cordial; liqueur.
II,695 madeira White wine produced in Madeira.
II,697 quantum suff Latin: sufficient amount.
II,699 enough’s enough” Proverbial.
II,700 keep perpendicular Stay on one’s feet.
II,701 surfeiting Drinking in excess.
II,702 toper Drunk.
II,702 vernacular Native.
II,705 vice versa Latin: the other way around.
II,706 forsooth In truth.
II,708 Pegasus See note to I, 8 above. [Page 84]