acrimony
bitterness or ill-feeling
Archbishop
the chief bishop responsible for an archdiocese
blackamoors
an offensive term for a black-skinned African
Chancellor
a senior state or legal official; in medieval England, a post second in power only to the King
churl
an impolite or mean-spirited person
circumlocution
the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
devolution
descent or degeneration to a lower or worse state; often used to refer to demotion within government affairs
Dies Irae
a Latin hymn sung in a Mass for the dead
excommunication
the state of being officially excluded from participating in the sacraments and services of the Catholic Church; the state of being kept from heaven for these reasons
laity
ordinary people, as distinct from the clergy
malady
a sickness of body or mind
malversation
corrupt behavior in a position of trust, especially in public office
martyr
a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs
mendicant
given to begging
prognostic
predicting the likely outcome of a disease
suffer
in the context of this play, the following definitions are most useful: to put up with, especially as inevitable or unavoidable; to passively allow
Te Deum
a hymn beginning "We praise thee, O God"
unaffrayed
uncontested in public
vespers
a service of evening prayer in the Divine Office of the Western Christian Church (sometimes said earlier in the day)
wanton
deliberate and unprovoked
