1 secretary Donado has written the letter himself.

7 a fool’s… own Proverbial (Tilley, G. 519).

12 indited composed

16 hand handwriting

16 prose ed. (I… Poggio, / Reads … Poggio Q)

20 fast firmly, utterly

22 the colour of his beard Probably just a periphrasis for age; it is tempting to suppose a latent pun on ‘white lie’, but OED does not record the term in use before 1741.

23 board ‘chat up’, make sexual advances (to Annabella); an alternative might be ‘bourd’ (= jest) occasion opportunity
or either (= ‘on the one hand’)

25 in spite of your teeth whether you like it or not (literally, notwithstanding your resistance)

30–1 prose ed. (Here’s… all, / Pray… Letter? Q)

40 Probably addressed to Donado (Poggio usually calls Bergetto ‘master’ rather than ‘sir’).

41 apish foolish (literally, like a monkey imitating a human being) motions puppet-shows

42 you… no you’ll regret it (literally, you had better not have done so)

44 take… whipping beware beating (as a punishment for disobedience)

45 prose ed. (Dost… Poggio, / Come … Poggio Q)