Graces : usually three in number, the personification of grace and loveliness. According to Hesiod, their names were Aglaia, Eurphrosyne and Thalia. They possibly originated as vegetation goddesses.

Repair her loss: refers to the phases of the moon, during which the moon dies and is reborn.

Minos : one of the judges of the dead, so appointed because of his just life on earth. He was, in life, King of Crete. The other judges were Rhadamanthus and Æacus.

Torquatus : a distinguished cognomen (one of the three elements of the Roman name), meaning ‘adorned with a neck chain’.