7 (p. 15) History of Rome: The reference is to The Roman History (1769), by Oliver Goldsmith (1731-1774); the work was abridged for schools in 1772.
CHAPTER III
8 (p. 25) apothecary... physician: An apothecary, though less well trained than a physician, not only sold drugs but also administered them as a general medical practitioner.
9 (p. 27) Gulliver’s Travels: Written by the satirical novelist Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) and published in 1726, this book describes the hero’s visit to the fantastic regions of Lilliput and Brobdignag.
10 (p. 28) all gone out of England: See Brontë’s novel Shirley (1849), at the end of which it is remarked, “That was the last fairish [fairy] seen on this countryside.” See also p. 138.
11 (p. 29) another ballad ... a really doleful one: The quoted lines are from “In the Days We Went Gipsying” (1837), a popular song composed by Edward Ransford (1805-1876).
CHAPTER IV
12 (p. 42) heart of flesh: See the Bible, Ezekiel 11:19.
13 (p. 44) Child’s Guide: The Reverend William Carus-Wilson, the original basis for the character of Brocklehurst, was a wealthy evangelical clergyman who founded and ran the Clergy Daughters’ School at Cowan Bridge, attended by all the Brontë sisters. He published a monthly tract, The Children’s Friend, that warned of damnation for sinful children.
CHAPTER V
14 (p. 52) “stony street”: The reference is to Lord Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812): “The car rattling o‘er the stony street” (canto 3, stanza 22, line 2).
15 (p. 58) organ of veneration: This is one of several references in Jane Eyre to phrenology, a popular pseudoscience that emerged in the early nineteenth century; it posited a relation between the physical shaping (“bumps”) of the skull and various moral or character traits.
16 (p. 60) Rasselas: The reference is to a didactic romance published in 1759 by Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).
CHAPTER VI
17 (p. 68) like Felix: Felix, a Roman governor, put off the Apostle Paul’s trial for two years. See the Bible, Acts 24:22-27.
18 (p. 69) dream: In the journal she kept as a pupil at Roe Head, Charlotte Brontë speaks of being lost in a “divine unseen land of thought.”
19 (p. 70) Love your enemies: The reference is to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount; see the Bible, Matthew 5:44.
20 (p. 71) hope to all: This was known as the doctrine of Universal Salvation, as contrasted with the evangelical view of damnation for sinners espoused by Brocklehurst.
CHAPTER VII
21 (p. 74) Eutychus: As Paul preached, Eutychus was “overcome by sleep” and “fell down from the third story and was taken up dead” (the Bible, Acts 20:9).
22 (p. 76) take up their cross and follow him: The reference is to the Bible, Mark 8:34; see also pp. 526-527.
23 (p. 76) bread alone: This is another in a series of references to the Bible, here to Matthew 4:4.
24 (p. 76) suffer hunger: Here the biblical reference is to 1 Peter 3:14: “If you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed.”
25 (p. 77) evangelical: In this context, the term means aimed at in-stilling religious principles of the Methodist revivalist movement, including the corrupted state of human nature after the Fall.
26 (p. 77) outside of the cup and platter: The reference is to the Bible, Matthew 23:25: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.”
27 (p. 77) kingdom is not of this world: The reference is to the Bible, John 18:36.
28 (p. 80) Bethesda: In the Bible (John 5:2-4), Jesus heals the blind, sick, and lame at the pool of Bethesda.
CHAPTER VIII
29 (p. 89) Solomon said: The reference is to the Bible, Proverbs 15:17.
CHAPTER IX
30 (p. 91) fog-bred pestilence: The theory of disease prevalent in the early to mid-nineteenth century held that susceptible persons could catch disease from noxious odors or atmosphere. The germ theory of disease was not well known until later in the nineteenth century.
31 (p.98) “Resurgam”: This is a Latin word meaning “I shall rise again,” expressing the Christian faith in resurrection. Thackeray also used the word in Vanity Fair, chap. 14.
CHAPTER XI
32 (p. 122) La Ligue des Rats: “The League of Rats” is a fable by the seventeenth-century French author Jean de la Fontaine.
33 (p. 125) the Hebrew ark: See descriptions of the ark, including golden cherubs, in the Bible, Exodus 25.
34 (p. 126) life’s fitful fever: The reference is to Macbeth (act 3, scene 2), by William Shakespeare.
35 (p. 127) Bluebeard’s castle: In the folktale, Bluebeard locked the bodies of his murdered wives in a secret chamber of his castle.
CHAPTER XII
36 (p. 137) like heath: The quotation is from “Fallen Is Thy Throne,” lines 19-20, published in Sacred Songs (1816), by Thomas Moore (1779-1852).
37 (p. 138) too easy chair: The reference is to The Dunciad, by Alexander Pope (1688-1744): “Stretched on the rack of a too easy chair” (book 4, line 342).
CHAPTER XIII
38 (p. 147) head and front: The reference is to Othello (act 1, scene 3), by William Shakespeare.
39 (p. 150) “Likeness ... the shape”: The reference is to Paradise Lost, by John Milton: “The other shape, / If shape it might be call’d that shape had none / Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb, / ... what seem’d his head / The likeness of a kingly crown had on. / Satan was now at hand ...” (book 2, lines 666-673).
CHAPTER XIV
40 (p. 158) intellectual organs: This pertains to phrenology; see chap. V, note 2.
41 (p. 159) pride in his port: The reference is to The Traveller (1764), by Oliver Goldsmith (1731-1774): “Pride in their port, defiance in their eye, / I see the lords of humankind pass by” (line 327).
42 (p. 162) bad eminence: The reference is to Paradise Lost, by John Milton: “Satan exalted sat, by merit rais’d / To that bad eminence” (book 2, line 6).
CHAPTER XV
43 (p. 168) shuttlecock: This is the object hit back and forth in the game of battledore and shuttlecock, or badminton. See p. 166.
44 (p. 171) the spear, the dart, and the habergeon: A habergeon is a medieval jacket of flexible armor, or mail; Mr. Rochester’s words are a reference to the Bible, Job 41:26: “Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; / Nor does spear, dart, or javelin.”
45 (p. 171) heart’s core: The reference is to Hamlet, by William Shakespeare: “Give me that man / That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him / In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart” (act 3, scene 2).
46 (p. 181) Beulah: Beulah—a word that means “married” in Hebrew—is a place of delight in the Bible (Isaiah 62:4), as well as in Pilgrim’s Progress (1678-1684), by John Bunyan (1628-1688).
CHAPTER XVI
47 (p. 190) unvarnished tale: The reference is to Othello, by William Shakespeare: “I will a round unvarnished tale deliver / Of my whole course of love” (act 1, scene 3).
CHAPTER XVII
48 (p. 197) a very pleasant refuge: The reference is to the Bible, Psalms 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength / A very present help in trouble.”
49 (p. 198) Some natural tears: The reference is to Paradise Lost, by John Milton: “Some natural tears they dropped . . .” (book 12, line 645). See also the preface to the second edition of Lyrical Ballads (1800), by William Wordsworth (1770-1850): “Poetry shed no tears ‘such as angels weep,’ but natural and human tears.”
50 (p. 212) Rizzio: A secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, Rizzio was murdered by nobles hostile to Mary with the help of Lord Darnley, her husband; the nobles had persuaded Darnley that Rizzio was Mary’s lover.
51 (p. 212) James Hepburn: Hepburn, the earl of Bothwell, is said to have engineered the murder of Lord Darnley, husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, in order to marry her, though the nobles forced Mary to renounce
him shortly after the marriage.
CHAPTER XVIII
52 (p. 217) She hasted ... to drink: See the Bible, Genesis 24, for the story of Rebekah at the well.
CHAPTER XIX
53 (p. 238) passions may rage: The reference is to the Bible, Psalms 2: 1: “Why do the nations rage, / And the people plot a vain thing?”
54 (p. 238) still small voice: This is another reference to the Bible, this time to 1 Kings 19:11-12: “And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks... but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”
55 (p. 239) the play is played out: Shakespeare, Henry IV, “Play out the play.” (part I, scene 2, act 4, 1. 182).
56 (p. 239) Off, ye lendings: This is another reference to Shakespeare, here to King Lear (act 3, scene 4).
57 (p. 240) mystery of mysteries: The reference is to chapter 12 of The Monastery (1820), by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832).
CHAPTER XX
58 (p. 256) sun at noon darkens: The reference is to Samson Agonistes (1671), by John Milton: “... Amid the blaze of noon / Irrecov erably dark, total eclipse / Without all hope of day!” (lines 80- 82).
CHAPTER XXIII
59 (p. 290) Day its fervid fires: The reference is to line 5 of “The Turkish Lady,” by Thomas Campbell (1777-1844).
CHAPTER XXIV
60 (p. 305) gild refined gold: The reference is to King John, by William Shakespeare: “To gild refined gold, to paint the lily” (act 4, scene 2).
61 (p. 306) King Ahasuerus: In the Bible, Esther 5:3, Ahasuerus, a rich and powerful king, marries the poor Jewish maiden Esther and offers her half his kingdom.
62 (p. 307) lay that pleasant unction to my soul: The reference is to Hamlet, by William Shakespeare: “Lay not that flattering unction to your soul” (act 3, scene 4).
63 (p. 308) the world for love... well lost: The phrase is probably from the title of the play All for Love, or the World Well Lost, by John Dryden (1631-1700).
64 (p. 318) As I love—loved am I!: The song lyrics were composed by Charlotte Brontë herself.
CHAPTER XXV
65 (p. 326) heart’s core: See chap. 15, note 3.
66 (p. 327) working together for your good and mine: The reference is to the Bible, Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God.”
67 (p. 327) blossomed like a rose: This is another biblical reference, this time to Isaiah 35:1: “The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.”
68 (p. 328) sullen, moaning sound: The reference is to The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805), by Sir Walter Scott (canto 1, stanza 13, line 1).
69 (p. 328) a little child: See p. 255.
CHAPTER XXVI
70 (p. 337) Marston Moor: In 1644, during the English civil war of 1642-1648, Marston Moor was the site of an important battle that resulted in the first major victory against the Royalists.
71 (p. 340) quenchless fire and deathless worm: The reference is to the Bible, Mark 9:43-48: “It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”
72 (p. 341) mad family: This reflects popular assumptions that madness was caused by an inherited tendency to dissipation, excess, and debauchery, or “bad blood.” The term “moral insanity” was coined in 1833 by Dr. James Cowles Pritchard.
73 (p. 343) ye shall be judged: The reference is to the Bible, Matthew 7:2: “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged.”
74 (p. 345) all the first-born in the land of Egypt: In the Bible, Exodus 12:23-30 tells of the death of the first-borns of the Egyptians by the hand of the Lord.
75 (p. 346) Be not far from me: The language is from the Bible, Psalms 22:11.
76 (p. 346) the floods overflowed me: Again, this language is from the Bible, Psalms 69:2: “I sink in deep mire... the floods overflow me.”
CHAPTER XXVII
77 (p. 347) right hand: The reference is to the Bible, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:28-30), on the sin of adultery: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and cast it from you....”
78 (p. 348) in his bosom: Mr. Rochester refers to the parable of Nathan from the Bible, 2 Samuel 12:3: “The poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which... ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.”
79 (p. 350) tent of Achan: In the Bible (Joshua 7), Achan was an Israelite warrior who took and hid the spoils of war from the battle of Jericho in his tent, displeasing the Lord.
CHAPTER XXVIII
80 (p. 378) require my soul of me: The reference is to the Bible, Luke 12:20-22: “This night your soul will be required of you.... Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.”
81 (p. 392) stray dog ... hearth to-night: The reference is to King Lear, by William Shakespeare: “Mine enemy’s dog, / Though he had bit me, should have stood that night / Against my fire; ...” (act 4, scene 7).
CHAPTER XXIX
82 (p. 404) day of small things: The reference is to the Bible, Zechariah 4:10: “For who has despised the day of small things?”
CHAPTER XXX
83 (p. 408) which passeth all understanding: The phrase derives from the Bible, Philippians 4:7: “... and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
84 (p. 412) made useless: The reference is to the sonnet “On His Blindness,” by John Milton: “And that one Talent which is death to hide / Lodged with me useless....”
CHAPTER XXXI
85 (p. 419) the dew was balm: To create the line given here Brontë combines two lines from The Lay of the Last Minstrel, by Sir Walter Scott (canto 3, stanza 24).
86 (p. 418) Lot’s wife: In the Bible, Genesis 19 tells the story of Lot and his wife fleeing Sodom.
CHAPTER XXXII
87 (p. 425) sitting in sunshine, calm and sweet: The reference is to Lalla Rookh (1817), III, “The Fire-Worshippers,” by Thomas Moore: “To sit in sunshine calm and sweet—it were a world too exquisite / For man to leave it for the gloom.”
88 (p. 428) holiday: Jane is referring to Guy Fawkes Day, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
89 (p. 429) Marmion: The reference is to the romantic narrative poem Marmion, A Tale of Flodden Field (1808), by Sir Walter Scott.
90 (p. 431) the silent sea: The reference is to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798), by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, part 2: “We were the first that ever burst / Into that silent sea.”
91 (p. 432) delicious poison: The reference is to Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare: “Now I feed myself / With most delicious poison” (act 1, scene 5).
CHAPTER XXXIV
92 (p. 453) talents ... strict account: The reference is to the Bible, Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents.
93 (p. 453) confusion worse confounded: The reference is to Paradise Lost, by John Milton: “With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, / Confusion worse confounded” (book 2, lines 995-996).
94 (p. 461) When he said “Go”... “Come”... “Do this”: The reference is to the Bible, Matthew 8:9: “And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
95 (p. 466) help us: In the Bible, Acts 16:9-10: “... a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ ”
96 (p. 46
6) chiefest of sinners: The reference is to the Bible, 1 Timothy 1:15, where Paul writes to Timothy: “Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
97 (p. 467) Demas: This is another biblical reference, here to 2 Timothy 4:10: “... for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world . . .”
98 (p. 467) iron shroud: Brontë could have been thinking of a story in an August 1830 issue of Blackwood’s Magazine entitled “The Iron Shroud,” in which a prisoner is crushed to death by the contracting walls of his prison cell.
99 (p. 470) hand to the plough: The reference is to the Bible, Luke 9: 62: “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
100 (p. 473) denied the faith ... infidels: This is another reference to the Bible, this time to 1 Timothy 5:8: “... he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
101 (p. 473) looked to hill: This line echoes the opening verse of stanza 26, canto 5, of The Lay of the Last Minstrel, by Sir Walter Scott.
CHAPTER XXXV
102 (p. 477) seventy-and-seven times: In the Bible (Matthew 18:21-22), Peter asks Jesus: “... ‘how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’ ”
103 (p. 479) castaway: The reference is to the Bible, 1 Corinthians 9: 27: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (King James Version).
104 (p. 479) God sees not as man sees: This is another biblical reference, to 1 Samuel 16:7: “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
105 (p. 482) the fearful, the unbelieving ... the second death: This passage echoes the Bible, Revelation 21:7-8: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
106 (p. 483) Lamb’s book of life: The reference is to the Bible, Revelation 21:27: “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
Jane Eyre (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) Page 60