6 Ida’s forest probably Mt. Ida near Troy

8 Natolia Asia Minor, but here apparently a city

11 Phrygia an inland district of Natolia

36 metropolis Babylon, whose walls were supposedly built by Semiramis

40 Asia the Less Asia Minor

41 stout bold
Bithynians Bithynia was the north-western region of Asia Minor.

46 Halla a town to the south-east of Aleppo is repaired have travelled

65–8 There is no such episode in the Iliad, but Marlowe could have found it in the post-Homeric Troy tales, such as Lydgate’s Troy Book.

74 glove challenge. To throw down a glove was to issue a chivalric challenge.

76 with … fight fight personally, out of confidence in your superior strength

80 gracious aspect favourable conjunction of the heavenly bodies

81–2 And joined … world which conjunction will never again be seen

86 suborned bribed

88 false betray

93 brigandine small ship

96 lusty vigorous

100 for to prevent

106 provender fodder

113 Perhaps ‘thee’ should read ‘them’, and the line would then refer to the terms of the soldiers’ oath (see Cunningham).

114 diet yourselves feed yourselves well

115 journey drive (as horses)

130 Ariadan a town on the Red Sea coast of Arabia, south of Mecca

131 Mare Roso the Red Sea

137 scutcheon heraldic shield

138 standard the distinctive flag of a nobleman

147 bugs bugbears, objects of terror to children

151 rout rabble

154 See Part One, II, iv, 10–15.

164 Loaden laden