Latin
During the medieval period (and the fifteenth century—when the real, live Fra Lippo Lippi was kickin' around—certainly qualifies as medieval), Latin was the language of the upper-crust. Anythin...
Fire and Smoke, Light and Dark
Since the poem starts out with the speaker being accosted by guards on a dark street at night, it's not surprising that light and dark would be a major starting point. Figures skulking around the d...
Food
It's not surprising at all that the speaker, who was once an orphan literally starving in the streets, would be concerned with food. From his days scrabbling for scraps, to the bread he receives up...