campagna
a low-lying area surrounding Rome, once a great agricultural property but in Browning's time an overgrown, abandoned area
chaffinch
a Eurasian and North African finch, typically with a bluish top to the head and dark wings and tail
childe
in the Middle Ages, the son of a nobleman who had not yet attained knighthood
cloister
a covered walk in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, with a wall on one side and a colonnade open to a quadrangle on the other
cozen
to obtain by deception
cullion
a vile person; testicle
Fra
a prefixed title given to an Italian monk or friar
guerdon
a reward or recompense
hoary
having gray or white hair; aged
lappet
a small flap or fold
moulted
old feather or hair that has fallen out to make room for new hair
munificence
extremely liberal and generous of spirit
obstreperous
noisy and difficult to control
penury
extreme poverty; destitution
phial
a small bottle that contains a drug
refection
refreshment by food or drink
sepulture
burial; interment
slug-horn
a type of medieval trumpet, used for battle-cries
tocatta
a musical composition for a keyboard instrument designed to exhibit the performer's touch and technique
trepanned
an archaic medical treatment that involved entering a person's skull for brain surgery
tussis
a chronic cough
Vespers
a service of evening prayer in the church
