Opera Chapter

About the Opera

The Sorcerer

Having shown what could be done with Trial by Jury, Carte found financial backers and organized the Comedy Opera Company to pursue his dream of English musical theater. He then contracted with Gilbert and Sullivan to write their first full-length comic opera: The Sorcerer, which opened at London’s Opera Comique on November 17, 1877. The opera was at least moderately successful and ran for 178 performances.

The Sorcerer is historically significant in that it set the pattern and style that made the succeeding operas so successful. Gilbert’s control over the acting company and his firm insistence on disciplined teamwork were innovations that were then badly needed in British theater. He also brought into the company such stalwart performers as George Grossmith, Rutland Barrington, and Richard Temple. These performers (and soon others) stayed with the company for many years, and Gilbert and Sullivan obligingly wrote many roles specifically to suit their talents.

The Sorcerer’s plot involves an engaged couple who want everyone to be as happy as they, and so the groom-to-be brings in a “family sorcerer” to administer a love potion to the entire village. As you might expect, the love potion works, but everyone falls in love with the wrong partner. All is made right in the end, however, as the sorcerer breaks the spell by the expedient of giving himself up to the powers of evil –– in an appropriate puff of smoke. (You will soon learn that the Gilbert and Sullivan operas do not hinge on strongly convincing conclusions.)

Characters

Sorcerer
A person who is supposed to exercise supernatural powers through the aid of evil spirits (250).
Pointdextre [Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre ]
POIN-dexter
This is a family name that implies a thoroughly Norman, hence presumably noble, ancestry. Nobility is further implied by the fact that the name is actually a heraldic term. Bradley (47) informs us that “the dexter point is the top right-hand corner of a coat of arms as carried by its bearer; i.e., the top left-hand corner as seen by a spectator.”
Baronet [an Elderly Baronet ]
A baronet holds a hereditary position ranking between a knight and a baron, but without privilege of sitting in the House of Lords. See also Ruddigore.
Grenadier Guards
A grenadier was originally a soldier trained to throw grenades. The grenades were carried in a shoulder bag and were rather heavy. Moreover, the grenadiers were often called upon to lead the charge. For these reasons British grenadiers had a reputation for both strength and bravery. When the grenade ceased to be used, the grenadiers maintained their existence as crack companies of their battalions. According to the 1910 edition of The Encyclopédia Britannica (103), “In the British service the only grenadiers remaining are the Grenadier Guards.” Prestige (245) reveals what is perhaps most important, which is that, “officers in the Grenadier Guards were drawn from the aristocracy, and needed a substantial private income. Alexis is thus wealthy and aristocratic.”
Vicar [Vicar of Ploverleigh ]
There are various definitions of this term just within the Church of England. Let us simply say that Dr. Daly is the clergyman of the local parish.
Notary
Also known as a notary public, this is a public officer authorized (among other duties) to certify documents and to record the fact that certain persons swear that something is true. Some authorities (47, 245, 274) believe the signing of the marriage contract (in which the notary plays an important part) is a take-off of similar scenes in grand opera, such as The Barber of Seville and Lucia di Lammermoor.
Betrothed [betrothed to Alexis ]
Informally pledged in marriage. In the first act Alexis and Aline advance their intent to marry from a moral commitment to a legally binding, irrevocable contract (18). Going as far back as Roman times we find that betrothals were not to be taken lightly (27). The same was true in the fifteenth century. Fry (121) states that Edward V, just two months after succeeding to the throne, was declared illegitimate because his father, Edward IV, had been betrothed to Lady Eleanor Butler when he married the boy’s mother, Elizabeth Woodville. The teen-aged Edward V and his younger brother were shortly taken by their uncle (Richard III) to the Tower of London for “safe keeping,” and shortly thereafter disappeared.
Sangazure
SANG-ah-zhoor
Lady Sangazure’s family name throbs with vibrations suggesting royal lineage. It means “blue blood” in French. Her title, Lady, implies any of a long list of possible noble associations.
Partlet [Mrs. Partlet –– a Pew-opener ]
Mrs. Partlet’s personality and social standing both are implied in her family name, which the OED (229) defines as “A word used as the proper name of any hen, often Dame Partlet; also applied like ‘hen’ to a woman.” BosdĂȘt (43) says the name first surfaced in English literature as “Pertelate” in Chaucer, and has medieval connections with a village priest’s mistress. Surely this racier reference has nothing whatsoever to do with the good, virtuous and amiable Zorah Partlet.
Pew-opener
Partridge (233) gives us a clue. He defines a pew-opener’s muscle as one in the palm of the hand “because it helps to contract and hollow the palm of the hand for the reception of a gratuity.” From this we infer that a pew-opener was an impoverished parishioner who was allowed to gather tips by escorting well-heeled worshipers to their family pews and holding the pew doors open for their benefit. (If you don’t already know the word, a pew is an enclosed church bench.)

Act I

Elizabethan [Sir Marmaduke’s Elizabethan mansion ]
Pertaining to the time of Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558 to 1603. Elizabethan architecture is described as a mixed style, transitional between Gothic and Renaissance, with classic designs worked into the decadent Gothic style (75).
Knells [Forget your knells ]
The sound of slowly rung bells at funerals or other mournful occasions.
Lay [Of mournful lay ]
A song.
Green [at the feast on the green ]
Since the setting is given as the exterior of Sir Marmaduke’s mansion, we can infer that this particular green is his palatial lawn.
Plighted [plighted to Aline ]
Firmly committed, implying that Alexis and Aline have a formal understanding that marriage will ensue. That is not yet legally binding, but will be as soon as the party can be convened and the agreement signed and notarized (18).
Amatory numbers [charged with amatory numbers ]
Amatory pertains to love, or anything causing love, or anything having to do with lovers. Numbers refers here to musical compositions or poetry.
Madrigals [soft madrigals ]
A madrigal is a song with parts for several voices, sung a cappella (that is, without accompaniment).
Curate [I was a fair young curate then! ]
CURE-uht, but CURE-ate sounds better in the context

In the Church of England, an assistant to a rector or vicar.

Parish [then half a parish trembled ]
A district that has its own clergyman.
Gilded [Fled gilded dukes and belted earls before me ]
Associating nobility with gold belts apparently dates back to Roman times. Gibbon (124) mentions that in the time of the Emperor Constantine military commanders called dukes and counts were distinguished by gold belts. Even today a “gilded youth” is defined as a young man of wealth and fashion (75). That definition could as well apply to dukes, even old ones. Dukes, earls, and other noble titles are comprehensively dealt with under “Characters” in Iolanthe.
Belted [belted earls ]
“This refers to the belts and spurs with which knights, etc., were invested when raised to the dignity” (54). In addition see above for Edward Gibbon’s observation.
Stepped [as good a girl as ever stepped ]
Mrs Partlet presumably means Constance is as good a girl as ever set foot on this earth. Gillette (135) reminds us that in H.M.S. Pinafore we find Ralph loyally speaking thus of Captain Corcoran: “A better Captain don’t walk the deck.”
Take [Oh, I take you. ]
Understand.
Fogy [I am an old fogy now ]
Brewer (56) says that properly speaking the term applies to military pensioners, but Dr Daly simply means he’s an old goat.
Comely [the young maidens of the village are very comely ]
KUMM-lee
Good-looking.
Tush [But tush! I am puling! ]
Make it rhyme with gush.
“An expression of impatience, contempt, or rebuke” (115). We might say “pshaw!”
Puling
Rhymes with fueling.
Whining, whimpering, or needlessly complaining.
Plighting [most auspicious plighting ]
Act of becoming engaged to be married.
Obleege [will you obleege me ]
Oblige, i.e., do a favor.
Clerkly [In clerkly manuscript ]
clarkly
Neatly copied in a big round hand.
Sol [Ere Sol has sunk 
 ]
Rhymes with doll.
Another name for the Roman god of the sun, corresponding to the Greek Helios. In this case Dr. Daly simply means the sun. Lempriùre (187) tells us that “according to some ancient poets, Sol and Apollo were two different persons. Apollo, however, and Phoebus and Sol, are universally supposed to be the same Deity.”
Reverie
Dreamy thoughts about pleasant things or, better yet, pleasant people of the opposite sex.
House [the House of Sangazure ]
A family, usually one with prestigious ancestors.
Helen of Troy
King Menelaus’s young wife who eloped with that cad Paris and so triggered the Trojan Wars. Hers was “the face that launched a thousand ships” and won her the undying affection of the Worshipful Order of Hellenic Shipbuilders. She was reputed to be the daughter of Zeus and Leda.
Escutcheon
The word originally meant a shield. It more generally refers to the shield-shaped surface on which a family’s coat of arms is displayed. Prestige (245) suggests that what is meant is an escutcheon of pretence: “The small escutcheon bearing the arms of an heiress placed in the center of her husband’s shield” (229).
Menials
Low ranking domestic servants.
Protest [I protest I am mighty well ]
To assert.
Palpitating [With a heart palpitating ]
Beating rapidly: pitty pat!
Cloy [May their love never cloy ]
Become tiresome, excessive.
Aurora [As Aurora gilds the day ]
Dawn, after the Roman goddess of morning.
Apostrophe [I find some satisfaction in apostrophe like this ]
An address, usually a digression, to some person or personification that may or may not be present.
Portal [Take me to thy portal ]
The expression means “Take me as thy bride.”
Execute the deed
We are indebted to Evans (111) for this explanation. “To execute a deed is to sign, seal and deliver the legal document. To sign speaks for itself. To seal is to impress your own personal seal 
 on sealing wax 
 (you then) place the forefinger of your right hand on the seal and say ‘I deliver this as my act and deed.’ Until you do that the deed has no legal effect. If you are a tenor or soprano you may sing the words.” The modern meaning is simply to sign a legal document with the intention of being bound by its contents (142).
Deliver [I deliver it as my Act and Deed ]
This expression is explained in the immediately preceding entry. Knight (179) notes that what is being delivered symbolizes a legal “deal” rather than a physical handing over of the property itself. Shakespeare used it in a sense of stating, reporting, or making known (82).
Quiver [See they sign, without a quiver ]
Without hesitation.
Maxim [the truth of that maxim ]
A general rule or proverb.
Panacea [the panacea for every ill ]
pan-uh-SEE-uh
A cure-all.
Evangel [oh, evangel of true happiness ]
One who bears good news.
Mechanics’ Institutes
Rees (251) explains the term as follows:

“Mechanics” were not technicians but simply labourers at or near the very bottom of the social scale. The institutes 
 were charitable establishments where these people were taught to read and write and where the rudiments of Victorian education were instilled. A variety of penny publications was brought out weekly by several organisations dedicated to the purpose, and there were of course the “penny readings.” Alexis’ speech commencing with “I hope so 
” is a parody of the wide range of subject matter offered in these places to largely uneducated and frequently illiterate audiences. It is really all a matter of terminology: Bottom the weaver and his companions in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a carpenter, a joiner, a bellows-mender, a tinker, and a tailor, were all “mechanicals.”


George Grossmith, the original D’Oyly Carte comic baritone, started his career as an entertainer in mechanics’ institutes. In his autobiography (146) he offers a good description of them. BosdĂȘt (43) adds that the institutes were established with funds donated by Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV (who reigned from 1830 to 1837).

Workhouses
Poorhouses (no longer in use in England).
Navvie [I have addressed navvies ]
Rhymes with have ease
Laborers on the construction of roads, canals, and other civil works. The word is a truncation of navigator, the name given at first to the men who dug the canals, then called “navigations.” The term was later extended to apply to laborers in other civil works (55, 115, 251).
Countesses [what do the countesses say? ]
In Britain a countess is the wife of an earl.
St. Mary Axe
A street in the older part of London. Wells refers to it later as “Simmery Axe,” that being its common pronunciation. Terry (285) mentions that the street at one time housed conjurors’ shops. The peculiar name comes from a church that was built on the street some time before 1197. The church was called St Mary the Virgin and St Ursula and the Eleven Thousand Virgins.

Duffy (99) and McCann (206) relate two versions of an ancient tale about a certain king of England who gave his daughter Ursula and 300 (one says 11,000) of her handmaidens permission to travel abroad (one says to marry Atilla the Hun). In any event, while on the continent Atilla slaughtered them all with three axes. BosdĂȘt (43) says the atrocity occurred in A.D. 393, and one of the axes was brought back to London as a souvenir of the second Crusade. The church was built to enshrine the relic but it was dedicated to St Mary as well as Ursula. The church was converted into a warehouse in the sixteenth century and later destroyed. What happened to that revered axe remains a mystery. For the sake of scholarly integrity I have to add that Tillett (291) has reason to believe the story about Ursula is mythical in its entirety.

Philtre
A love potion. (Now we’re getting into the heart of the plot.) At this point Gilbert drags in a laborious pun on the word filter: an earthenware jar for purifying drinking water. When the opera was written (1877), theater managers were in the habit of leaving the house lights up. Audiences could buy copies of the librettos, which they were fond of reading word-for-word throughout the show. Being thus informed, they could tell the difference between philtre and filter. Modern audiences cannot, and directors could do us a favor by omitting that particular exchange altogether.
Steep [to steep the whole village ]
Saturate.
Hercules
In classical mythology Hercules was a hero noted for gigantic strength and virility. The role is traditionally played by the smallest member of the troupe, perhaps a child.
Necromancy
Magic. Specifically a supernatural procedure for foretelling the future by communicating with the dead.
Wishing caps
In folklore, caps that empower the wearer to make wishes come true (75).
Divining rods
Hand-held devices, often hazel or willow twigs, for locating subterranean water or minerals, such as gold, silver, or pirates’ chests. Everything else having been tried without success, one wonders if divining rods might not be used to locate the lost music for Thespis.
Counter-charms
The OED (229) defines this as, “Anything that counteracts, or neutralizes the influence of a charm.” Surely, you could have inferred as much; but I went to the trouble of looking it up, so there it is.
Amulets
Objects worn on the person to bring good luck or ward off the devil. Shipley (266) says the word derives from Latin amolire letum (to turn away death). Brewer (56) on the other hand says it comes from the Arabic word hamulet, meaning that which is suspended.
Nativity [We can cast you a nativity at a low figure ]
Meaning we can determine the exact position of the planets at the time of your birth. This is what an astrologer does in casting your horoscope.
Horoscope [a horoscope at three-and-six ]
A diagram of the heavens at a given time, and used by astrologers to tell fortunes.
Three-and-six
Three shillings and sixpence, or 17.5 percent of a pound sterling.
Abudah chests [Our Abudah chests, each containing a patent Hag ]
Abudah was the central character in a pseudo-Persian fairy tale by James Ridley, included in his book Tales of the Genii (255). Abudah was a wealthy and charitable merchant whose nights were disturbed: “For no sooner was the merchant retired within the walls of his chamber, than a little box, which no art might remove from its place, advanced without help to the center of the chamber, and opening, discovered to his sight the form of a diminutive old hag, who with crutches hopped forward to Abudah, and every night addressed him in the following terms 
” (Her nocturnal castigations admonished him to seek out “the talisman of Oromanes,” which would bring true contentment –– which turned out not to be the case; but we’ve told you enough to explain the term Abudah chest more thoroughly than you really wanted to know.)
Patent
Patent has several meanings. It may, for example, mean either obvious or protected by patent rights. In the present context the second meaning is patently correct; it’s more commercial and fitting to Mr. Wells’s approach to commercial sorcery. Our British friends often pronounce it PAY-tent. Evans (111) explained: “Scientists and lawyers call it –– correctly ––‘pat-tent.’ Nearly everyone else calls it ‘pay-tent,’ usually meaning not an actual legal patent but just an ingenious device.” See also Trial By Jury.
Hag
A hag is, in this case, a presumably mechanical sorceress who (by some undisclosed means) can prophecy disasters.
Spring complete [with spring complete ]
This means the Abudah chest comes completely equipped with a spring –– presumably to activate the patent hag.
Aladdin lamps
In The Arabian Nights, Aladdin acquired a magic lamp that when rubbed produced a genie to do his bidding.
Prophetic Tablets
These are flat surfaces, perhaps of wood, each containing an array of various symbols that, when correctly interpreted, allow one to predict the future. Rees (254) adds that these may contain chemicals producing “magic fire,” generating colored flames and smoke.
Change of Ministry [from a change of Ministry down to a rise in Unified ]
In England, the term “change of Ministry” usually implies a complete change of government, with one party replacing the other (257). In a broader interpretation, much more modest changes, such as the replacement of a single cabinet member, might be understood (142, 254). Within the context, the first interpretation seems more appropriate. Turnbull (294) says the term is now obsolete.
Unified
British government bonds. On opening night, in 1877, the term “Turkish stock” was used. The late George Applegate (8) reported that Turkey was then borrowing from some of the western countries of Europe, “which would, I suppose, cause her stock to rise and fall from day to day.” In modern American productions some well known stock might well be mentioned. How about General Motors, or Exxon, or perhaps the Dow Jones average?
[Note on Patter Songs] [My name is John Wellington Wells ]
Now we come to John Wellington Wells’s self-introduction, often looked upon as the first of the G&S list (or patter) songs that have become perhaps the most distinguishing and popular feature of the Savoy operas. A patter song is a comic number depending for its humorous effect on rapid enunciation of words (158). The word patter is most commonly thought to derive from pater-noster, the first two words of the Lord’s Prayer said with a Roman Catholic rosary. Brewer (54) states, “When saying mass the priest often recited in a low, rapid, mechanical way until he came to the words ‘and lead us not into temptation,’ which he spoke clearly and deliberately.”
Melt a rich uncle in wax
Dunn (100) and Walmisley (299) concur that the expression relates to a medieval superstition that one could effect the death of a person by melting his or her waxen image. Rossetti’s poem “Sister Helen” tells of a woman who, mad with jealousy, gradually melts her ex-lover’s waxen image for three days and nights, starting on the morn of his scheduled wedding to another woman.
Djinn [the resident Djinn ]

In Arabian mythology, spirits of supernatural powers. Also spelled genie or jinnee. Djinn is the plural of djinnee, in case you ever come up against one. In Arabian mythology such spirits were created two thousand years before Adam and Eve (55). The resident djinn would be a collection of such supernatural creatures available to do your bidding on a full-time basis.

Simmery Axe [Number seventy, Simmery Axe ]
The authentic Londoner’s pronunciation of St. Mary Axe.
Posthumous shade [And for raising a posthumous shade ]
POSS-cheh-muss
Posthumous refers to conditions after death. Shade has many meanings. The most likely one here is ghost. Raising pertains to calling up from the grave.
Returns [unbounded returns ]
Another word for profit, nice work for a prophet. Hyder (162) writes that Gilbert was alluding to the popular Victorian business slogan: “Small profits, quick returns,” which was, in turn, a play on the Roman S.P.Q.R. (Senatus populusque Romanus: the Senate and people of Rome).
Proclivity [Humour proclivity ]
A natural tendency.
Oracular [Answers oracular ]
Here’s a term teeming with mystic significance. It can mean an infallible guide. It can also mean an equivocal pronouncement. It is derived from the oracles at Delphi, priests or priestesses who claimed to transmit the voices of the gods. They protected their reputations by giving ambiguous advice. See also HMS Pinafore.
Bogies [Bogies spectacular ]
Hobgoblins: persons or objects of terror (54). What some of us used to call “boogie men.”
Tetrapods [Tetrapods tragical ]
Morningstar (216) explains that Gilbert was referring “to the tetrapody form of a logaoedic verse, a great favorite of Greek tragedians.” (Logaoedic means the verse is made up of long and short syllables in certain well-defined sequences.) A tetrapody is a verse of four metrical feet (6). (In poetic matters a “foot” is a patterned group of syllables.)

[Note: In some editions of the libretto the sequence of the last three items is reversed.]

[Note on sequence of terms] [Oracular, bogies, tetrapods ]
In some editions of the libretto the sequence of the last three items is reversed.
Astronomical [Facts astronomical ]
The word pertains to the study of the heavenly bodies. Asimov (11) believes that Gilbert really meant astrological, but needed a word to rhyme with comical. Asimov may be right. On the other hand might we not argue that Gilbert meant facts in large numbers?
Reflectors [And that, without reflectors ]
This pertains to the mirrors often used in stage illusions.
Spectres [gaunt and grisly spectres ]
Ghosts.
Grisly
Ghastly.
Shrouds [He can fill you crowds of shrouds ]
Interpret this as meaning he can provide you with many ghosts, each clothed in a burial wrap.
Rack [He can rack your brains ]
To torture by stretching.
Gibberings [gibberings grim and ghastly ]
Senseless chattering, like a lecture on medieval monetary practices in Faroffistan.
Organity [Changes organity, with an urbanity ]
The OED (228) has it as “The condition of having organs, or being organic.” We presume in changing organity the resident Djinn is simply using his supernatural powers to assume a different form.
Urbanity
Refined elegance, savoir-faire.
Satanity
Pertaining to Satan, who (according to Jewish and Christian beliefs) is the chief adversary of man, a.k.a. the devil.
Inanity
A senseless frivolity.
Tautology [Barring tautology ]
Needless repetition. “Posthumous shade” and “a panacea for every ill” are two handy examples.
Demonology
The study of demons (evil spirits) or of beliefs about the same. Witchcraft would be an example.
’Lectro-biology
I should have taken this to mean simply electro-biology had not Rees (251) called to my attention Merivale’s autobiography (213) in which electro-biology is described at some length. It was merely hypnotism under another name. The early practitioners seemingly believed that electricity was involved, hence the misleading terminology.
Nosology [Mystic nosology ]
Study of diseases. Asimov (11) and Huston (158) suggest that mystic nosology may be the curing of illness through magic. Stedman (274) thinks it more likely that it pertains to curing illnesses that are caused by magic.
Philology [Spirit philology ]
Study of language and the origin of words.
Puffing [We are not in the habit of puffing our goods ]
Exaggerating the worth.
Philanthropical [purely philanthropical motives ]
Pertaining to love of mankind shown through generous deeds. A thousand-dollar gift to your local Gilbert & Sullivan troupe would be a good example. Make that annual.
Wood [we should strongly advise your taking it in the wood ]
Buying it by the barrel.
Pipes [pipes and hogsheads for laying down ]
Wine containers, generally of 126 U.S.-gallon capacity.
Hogsheads
These are wooden barrels of 63 U.S.-gallon capacity.
Laying down
Storing for future use. This entry and the three preceding it are common terms in the wine wholesaling business.
Army and Navy Stores
Rees (251) explains that this is “A very smart emporium on Victoria Street. It is still there. Anyone might shop there, but officers could become members and obtain discount.” For further details see Goodman (140).
Carouse [to carouse in a few minutes ]
To revel. Although we normally associate the word with excessive drinking, the villagers presumably expect to sip nothing stronger than tea.
Incantation
A set of charm words that, when spoken at the right time (usually midnight) in the right place (a graveyard will do nicely), and in the right tone of voice (funereal preferred), will perhaps cast a magic spell, call up one or more demons, or otherwise produce supernatural effects and scare you half to death. Gilbert was presumably well acquainted with the impressive incantation scene in von Weber’s grand opera Der FreischĂŒtz.
Sprites [Sprites of earth and air ]
The sprites of earth were goblins, those of air were sylphs.
Shoals [Come here in shoals ]
Crowds.
Noisome [Noisome hags of night ]
Offensively disgusting and disgustingly offensive. They smell awful, too. Ugh.
Hags
Witches or sorceresses (56), but not to be confused with that mechanical hag from the Abudah chest.
Imps [Imps of deadly shade ]
Miniature devils or demons.
Pallid [Pallid ghosts ]
Pale.
Shell [echoed in every shell ]
Every sea shell.
Fell [Ye demons, fell, with yelp and yell ]
Villainous.
Set us free –– our work is done
Knight (178) explains that spirits may be set free after performing important tasks for their master.
Mustard and cress [Now for the mustard and cress ]
These are tender sprouts grown from mustard and cress seeds, served together as a garnish or salad.
Rollicking [the rollicking bun ]
Jovial, care free, and high spirited. A rollicking bun is one accompanied by generous quantities of strong waters. In real life Gilbert is said to have confided to George Grosssmith (the fellow who created most of the comic baritone parts): “If you promise me faithfully not to mention this to a single person, not even your dearest friend, I don’t think Shakespeare rollicking” (240). See also The Pirates of Penzance and Patience.
Sally Lunn
A plain, light tea-cake, which is split, toasted, buttered, and served usually with jam. Named after a late-eighteenth century street vendor in Bath. If you want the recipe, see Applegate’s mouth-watering opus (9). Papa (232) reports that close cousins of Sally Lunns are sold in New Orleans, where they are known as pain à la vielle tante.
Brindisi [Tea-cup brindisi ]
BRINN-dee-zee
A toast, from the Italian word for the same. Every Italian opera had to have its drinking song –– but none, we vouch, with tea. Perhaps the most rousing brindisi of all is the one in Verdi’s La Traviata, first produced in 1853. Rees (254) reports that Verdi’s opera was on the boards in London at the time The Sorcerer was produced, so it was surely well known to many in the Savoy audiences. See also The Grand Duke.
I will go bail for the liquor
Read: I will guarantee the quality of the tea. See also Princess Ida, The Mikado, and Utopia, Limited.
Jorum [At brewing a jorum of tea ]
A jorum is generally taken to mean a large punch bowl or at least a large portion of liquor (66). “A jorum of tea” is a typical Gilbertian twist, an oxymoron. The roots of jorum are uncertain but it may derive from the Biblical Jeroboam, “a mighty man of valour 
 who made Israel to sin” (54). This led somehow to jeroboam, meaning a large bowl, or goblet, or wine bottle. Those of you who take your drinking seriously can probably work thish into a convershayshun.
Caddy [tea-pot, kettle, caddy, and cosy ]
A caddy is a box, often ornamental, containing canisters of tea. Stedman (273) explains that caddies were generally kept locked so that only the mistress of the household had access to the precious leaves. BosdĂȘt (43) says the word is derived from kati a Malaysian unit of weight somewhat over a pound. The term came to be applied to the special airtight tin boxes sized to hold that amount of tea, which were used to ship the leaves to England.
Cosy
A cloth jacket for keeping a teapot warm. Often called a tea cosy.
Plot [Toil, sorrow, and plot ]
Conspiracy.
Three spoons to the pot
The normal allotment of tea is one spoonful per person to be served, “plus one spoon to the pot.” A generous allotment would allow two spoons to the pot. Dr. Daly, however, tends to get carried away; he tosses in three spoonfuls. This is really living! (And it’s someone else’s tea.)
Alloy
An addition to a material reducing its purity.
Tillage [Peace-bearing tillage ]
The normal meaning has to do with cultivation of the land. We can interpret it as the figurative land that is ploughed, i.e., tilled (276), to produce a harvest of love.
Garner [Great garner of bliss ]
A storehouse.

Act II

Dark lantern
A lantern with a sliding shutter for confining the emission of light. The burglar’s trademark. The term also appears in The Pirates of Penzance.
Manifest [manifest its power ]
To reveal, to make plain.
Meet [I did not think it meet ]
Appropriate.
Pedigree [A dame of lengthy pedigree ]
Line of ancestors.
K.C.B.
Knight Commander of the Bath: an order of chivalry. Bathing is thought to have been part of a purification ritual introduced in the eleventh century (225). Bradley (47) notes that this is but one of three classes within the Order of the Bath, this being the middle one. Ranking above it is the Grand Cross of the Bath (G.C.B.), and below it the Companion of the Bath (C.B.). [See entries for the same term in HMS Pinafore and Utopia, Limited.]
Doctor of Divinity
A person who has received the highest educational degree in theology. See also The Pirates of Penzance.
Q.C. [And that respectable Q.C. ]
The initials stand for Queen’s Counsel: “a barrister of seniority and experience who has been granted this title in recognition of eminence in the law. The colloquial phrase of becoming a Q.C. is ‘to take the silk,’ because a barrister who is a Q.C. wears a silk gown, whereas other barristers wear a ‘stuff’ gown” (244). On their appointment they are called “within the bar” and thereafter sit on the front row of the court, which is separated from other advocate rows by a wooden bar in the older courts (142). When a queen is replaced by a king, all those Q.C.’s become K.C.’s (257).

Shepherd (263) notes that in this opera the Q.C. title apparently belongs to the notary, which seems strange because notaries are of a separate profession. Donkin (257) explains that some barristers are also notaries, and even one who was a Q.C. would be honored to officiate at a betrothal ceremony uniting the parish’s two foremost families. Burgess (60) hypothesizes that Mr Wells is using the term ironically.

Al-fresco-ly [All fast asleep, al-fresco-ly ]
Outdoors. Al fresco is Italian for “in the cool.”
Approbation
Approval.
Where be oi, and what be oi a doin’
Bradley (48) states that these accents imply that Ploverleigh is located in the western part of England, probably in Dorset (a.k.a. Dorsetshire) not far from the Devon border. (See map.) On the other hand, Joseph (166) thinks those accents more indicative of Somerset (just north of Dorset). He points out, too, that Wellington and Wells are two small towns in Somerset. Walters (302) would settle for “Mummerset,” a term for an unspecified western region.
Guineas [I’ve guineas not a few for you ]
A monetary unit equal to £1.05 (i.e., one pound, one shilling). In this case read: I’ve plenty of money for you. The coin was last issued in 1813, but the term remained in general use long thereafter. It took its name from the African country that was its source of gold. See also Patience and Princess Ida.
Nectar [My cup is not of nectar ]
In Greek mythology, the drink of the gods.
Rector [Our kind and reverend rector ]
A Church of England clergyman in charge of ecclesiastical affairs of a parish. Constance may be using the term loosely as a favor to Gilbert who wanted a rhyme for nectar. Dr. Daly is clearly the Vicar of Ploverleigh. A Rector holds the equivalent position and authority, but there is a significant difference in the way their incomes are handled (75). Walters (302) says the terms are interchangeable in today’s common parlance.
Snuffy [He’s dry and snuffy ]
This may mean soiled with grains of snuff or (colloquially) irritable and cross (75). It may also mean tipsy (115). In the context I should vote for the first interpretation. If he is dry can he also be tipsy? In the next line he is called ill-tempered, so irritable and cross would be wasted.
Blind young boy
The context clearly implies Cupid (Eros), who is referred to by Shakespeare as “This wimpled, whining, purblind, wayward boy,” “The blind bow-boy,” and “Her [i.e., Venus’s] purblind son and heir, Young Adam Cupid” (82). Shakespeare is also quoted as saying, “Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”
Vaunted [thy vaunted love ]
Boasted.
Solaced [not unlikely to be solaced ]
Comforted and cheered.
Heverythink
West country language for “everything.”
Estimable [your estimable father ]
Worthy of admiration.
Minx [I’m no saucy minx ]
In Gilbert’s day the term meant a flirt or a harlot, or anything in between. Today it merely implies little more than an impertinent woman, and that may come close to Mrs. Partlet’s intent.
Hussies [Hussies such as them ]
A word of contempt for a woman, ranging from slight (36) to extreme (294) depending on the degree of venom in the voice.
Widdy [a clean and tidy widdy ]
A corruption of widow.
Lowering [Why do you glare at one with visage lowering? ]
Rhymes with cowering.
Threatening. Applegate (8) argued that the one in the quotation is likely a typographical error dating back to the earliest editions of the libretto. See Allen (3). A few of the newer editions substitute me. The old D’Oyly Carte Opera Company consistently used me, and also changed glare to gaze. Their example seems worth following.
One Tree Hill [I often roll down One Tree Hill ]

In the first edition of this book I listed seven “One Tree Hills” within reasonable distance of London. I also noted the widespread disagreement among various authorities as to which one of those Gilbert may have meant. Since then, George Williams (317) has submitted a rather poor photocopy of a cartoon by Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827). Entitled “The centre of attraction at Greenwich Fair: One Tree Hill,” it presents a wild and bawdy scene, which we have carefully copied and reproduced below. As you will note, among other disreputable actions, it shows several couples rolling down the slope while locked in close embrace. Some of the well-fed “ladies” with legs akimbo offer no evidence whatsoever of wearing undergarments. This surely is the sort of social activity that should revolt a person of Lady Sangazure’s refined tastes. In my opinion those other six hills are out of the running. This conclusion is strengthened by Rees (254) who has uncovered an 1865 comic drama named One-Tree Hill.

Act 1 is set in “Greenwich Park, Summit of One-Tree Hill.”

Enter a young husband and wife.

Annie: Tom, you won’t do anything to oblige me.

Tom: Why, haven’t I brought you here today to roll down the hill if you like?

For I suppose that is one of your reminiscences of happiness.

[Note: For those of you who don’t know London, Greenwich Park is in the southeast environs of that city. The fair had become such a nuisance that it was closed down in 1870 (161).]

Rosherville [I sometimes go to Rosherville ]
This refers to Rosherville Gardens, a lower class amusement park, described as follows by Brewer (54): “In Victorian times ‘the place to spend a happy day.’ These gardens were established by Mr. Rosher in disused chalk quarries at Gravesend. A theatre, zoological collections, and music formed part of their attraction, and the gardens were particularly favored by river excursionists.” Hardwick (149) contributes the titillation that the Gardens “were notorious for the number of prostitutes who used them to ply their trade.” Goodman (140) may be consulted for a definitive exposition on the gardens.
Abjure [abjure my lot! ]
A strong term meaning to disclaim. Strictly speaking abjure means to abandon an allegiance to a cause, break an oath, and so forth.
Mésalliances [To foster mésalliances through the nation ]
MACE-ahl-ee-AHNS
French for mismatches. This is from the original libretto as recorded by Allen (3), and is not used in modern versions.
Sovereign law [Thine uttered will is sovereign law to me! ]
A law subject to no overriding laws.
Flageolet
A small, non-reed wind instrument with a mouthpiece and six holes, usually without keys. The instrument, a variant of the recorder, was invented in 1599 by Juvignay, an instrument-maker in Paris (89). See also Iolanthe.
Pillage [hearts to pillage ]
Plunder or steal.
Love’s tillage [What a worker on Love’s tillage ]
Interpret as: What an aid in Cupid’s work. This is a somewhat different interpretation of tillage as used earlier in the libretto.
Magic fell [Its magic fell ]
Fell here is an adjective, so the term means villainous magic.
Perfidy [Thy perfidy all men shall know ]
Treachery or breach of faith.
Instance [This poor child drank the philtre at your instance ]
Urging, or insistence.
Colonial Bishopric [the congenial gloom of a Colonial Bishopric ]
A district under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of some overseas bishop. Knight (178) comments that many of those overseas dioceses were lacking in amenities, and such an appointment was originally tantamount to exile.
Ahrimanes [must yield up his life to Ahrimanes ]
Ahri-MONN-ees or Ah-RIM-enees
In Persian mythology, the personification of evil, somewhat analogous to Satan. For a closer look at the old boy, read Byron’s Manfred (65). Rees (251) observes that Ahrimanes is none other than the Oromanes already mentioned under our discussion of Abudah chest. Rees (254) also explains that Ahrimanes was a name familiar to English audiences because he was portrayed in a popular opera by Balfe.
Take stock [we take stock next week ]
To inventory the goods still unsold. (Somehow, that very small prophet was going to be unavailable to carry out the task.)
Co. [It would not be fair on the Co. ]
The company. {As printed, the word would be pronounced Ko, and it may be that in Gilbert’s time that would have been conventional. For modern audiences, however, make it KUM-penny.}