"Paul Clifford", Chapter 28, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton

God bless our King and Parliament,
And send he may make such knaves repent!
Loyal Songs against the Rump Parliament.

Ho, treachery! my guards, my cimeter!
BYRON.

----

A lot of mean things to say about Scottish people in this one. Well, the story was written by an Englishman in 1830, so it seems a product of the times...

ci-devant: from or in an earlier time (used to indicate that someone or something once possessed a specified characteristic but no longer does so)

provender: food

Epictetus: a Greek Stoic philosopher born into slavery. He taught all external events are beyond our control; we should accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.

I believe Don Raphael is meant to be a reference to a character in "Gil Blas". Ambrose Lamela is a bit too obscure a reference for me to even make a guess at. If you recognize these characters, please leave a comment!

Staines-upon-Thames is a town in northwest Surrey, England, around 17 mi (27 km) west of central London, and close to Heathrow airport. It is in the Borough of Spelthorne, at the confluence of the River Thames and Colne. Historically part of Middlesex, the town was transferred to Surrey in 1965.

curvette: to prance, caper, or frolic

aigrette: a headdress consisting of a white egret's feather or other decoration such as a spray of gems.

Vatel: the only Vatel of note that I can find is François Vatel, although he doesn't seem all that notheworthy after all - a majorodom of France in the 17th century.

Orbilius: Lucius Orbilius Pupillus, a Latin grammarian of the 1st century BC

It's not obvious to me here what "duck" means (and by way of amends ducked the gentleman whose pockets had been picked) - probably dunking the person into some water?

"The Castle of Otranto" is a novel by Horace Walpole published in 1764.

To follow along: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/7735/7735-h/7735-h.htm#link2HCH0028