A Modest Proposal and Other Satires Glossary

Glossary of Terms

Anabaptists

radical Protestants who rejected infant baptism because they thought only an active believer should be baptized; they emphasized free will. They historically have been considered to emphasize justification by works in addition to faith, but critics argue that this idea was circulated falsely out of misunderstanding or in order to discredit them.

arbiter

judge

besom

a broom made of twigs and a longer handle; a cleansing or sweeping-away force

commonplace-books

collections of interesting facts learned by reading or conversation; in the absence of the Internet, these were especially popular in Early Modern times, as people would write down meaningful lines and know where to find them

coxcomb

a fop; a vain and foolish person

deplorable

lamentable; worthy of harsh censure

dignities

the upper class of society

Dissenters

Protestants who separated themselves from the Church of England because they disliked the bishop structure and entanglement with government

emulation

imitation, often out of admiration

expedient

a solution or a means to an end

farrow

to give birth

fricassee

stewed dish often made with chicken

groat

a small-denomination British coin that has been discontinued

halfporth

a shortened form of “halfpennyworth,” a small amount of money

Jacobites

those who wanted the monarchy, in the form of the Stuart line, to be reinstated in Britain, and rejected the Revolution Settlement of 1689

papist

an offensive term for a Roman Catholic

paradox of the moderns

the Moderns, having returned to classical themes, are more ancient than the Ancients

periwig

the original word for wig; primarily an eighteenth-century fashion worn by both men and women, often powdered, and partly because people often shaved their heads to avoid lice

play

gambling

Privy Council

In England, a body responsible for declaring war and other administrative duties; in Ireland, a group primarily of bishops responsible for law-making. The Irish Privy Council had to first submit its proposals to the English Privy Council.

prodigious

marvelously great; inducing wonder

ragout

thick, well-seasoned stew served as a main dish

rudiments

basic principles or elements

scrupulous

careful, exacting, complying with strict morals

Scythians

an ancient eastern European and Asiatic Russian people, often nomadic, sometimes considered barbarians, who were often compared to the Irish for their supposed savagery

tenet

belief or principle; a component of a larger doctrine

Test Act

a law passed in England in 1673 that required potential office holders to take communion with the Church of England, which would demonstrate Anglicanism

viceroy

a governor, in Ireland called the Lord-Lieutenant

vintner

wine merchant

Whigs

a political party formed in 1679 whose members strongly supported the Resolution Settlement of 1689, believed in quelling domestic Catholic threats, and disapproved of monarchy