PREFACE.

The prevailing ardour for rescuing the Works of our old Poets and Dramatic Authors from the oblivion to which they were fast approaching, is creditable to the taste and liberality of the age; new editions of the old Drama, collectively, and of the separate Works of PEELE, GREENE, WEBSTER, MARLOWE, FORD, MASSINGER, and others have recently been published: the Works of CHAUCER and SPENSER have been repeatedly reprinted, but the Glossaries appended to them have been both meagre and unsatisfactory. Notwithstanding the numerous Commentaries on the Works of SHAKESPEARE, it is an undeniable fact that many of the peculiar phrases and local allusions abounding in his Works, have neither been properly defined or satisactorily elucidated; this defect has arisen from the vant of a competent knowledge of the dialect of the lidland Counties. Numerous words used by SHAKEPEARE being local, are not to be found in any otemporary Author, and hence the Commentators, nacquainted with the Archaisms of the County of tafford and other adjoining Counties, were puzzled

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to find among their philological researches the derivation and definition of those words, and therefore adopted many very fanciful and some very absurd ones. The words blood bolter'd may be adduced, among others, to prove the fact. The definition of WARBURTON, adopted by Malone, has no analogy with the true meaning of the word bolter, which is purely local and in use at the present day.

The Author of the present Work, without pretending to the critical acumen of his Predecessors, has, he flatters himself, elucidated the meaning of many words hitherto unexplained or improperly defined; but where he has taken the liberty of differing with persons whose names deservedly rank high as philologists, he trusts he has done so with the deference which ought always to be paid to the superior talents and great authority of the Authors.

A

GLOSSARIAL AND ETYMOLOGICAL

DICTIONARY,

&c. &c.

A.

A. This letter was formerly used as a prefix to

many words now become obsolete, in some it is still retained by the vulgar; as, abear, ado, adays, acold, abed, aweary, adream, &c.; but aggrate, adread, addeem, and others are now wholly disused; ameliorate, amidst, abroach, abroad, &c. still retain their place in our vernacular tongue

As present age and eke posterite
May be adread with horrour or revenge.

FERRRX AND PORREX.
I gin to be aweary of the sun.

MACBETI.
He scorns to be addeem'd so worthless, base.

DANIEL'S CIVIL WAR.

BACK (S. on bæc), on back, backwards; also, to put behind, or retard.

He shall aye find that the trew man
Was put abacke, whereas the falshede
Yfurthered was.

CHAUCER'S COMPLAINT OF THE BLACK KNIGHT,

B В

A noble heart ought not the sooner yield,
Not shrinke abacke for any weal or woe.

MIRROUR POR MAGISTRATES.

But when they came where thou thy skill didst shew,
They drew
acke.

SPENSER's PASTORALS. ABAND (F. abandonner), to abandon, of which

word it is a contraction; to resign, quit, desert,
forsake; and, according to its primary significa-
tion, to band or put in bondage.
AU pleasures quite and joys he did aband.

MIRR. FOR MAG.
The barons of this land
For him trauvailed sore, and brought him out of band.

ROB. GLOUCESTER'S CARON. ABAST (B. bastardd), an illegitimate child or bastard.

Bast Ywain he was yhote,
For he was bigeten abast, God it wote.

TALE OF MERLIN. ABATE (S. beatan, F. abbatre), to deject, subdue,

dispirit; in its more modern sense, it signifies to beat down, subtract.

This iron world
Brings down the stoutest hearts to lowest state,
For misery doth bravest minds abate.

SPENSER'S MOTHER HUBBARD'S TALE.

Till at length
Your ignorance deliver you
As most abated captives.

CORIOLANUS.
ABATYDE, lowered, cast down. See “ Abate.”

Doun he felle deed to grounde,
Gronynge faste, with grymly wounde;
Alle the baners that Chrysten found
They were avatyde.

Rom. or OCTAVIAN IMPERATOR.

ABAWE (F. à bas), to abash, daunt, astonish, lower.

My countenance is nicete
And al abawed whereso I be.

CHAUCER'S DREME.
For soch another as I gesse
Aforne ne was, ne more vermaile
I was abawed for merviele.

CHAUCER's Rom. OF THE ROSE. ABAYE (F. abbor), at bay, environed by enemies.

Gif he myghte come on cas
When by hym so hound abaye.

Rom. of KYNGE ALISAUNDRR. ABEAR (S. abæran), to bear, to demean, as applied to courage or behaviour.

Thus did the gentle knight himself abeare
Amongst that rustic route.

SPENSER'S F. QUBEN. ABEDGE, the same as ABY; to pay dear for, or suffer.

There durst no wight hond on him ledge,
But he ne swore he shold abedge.

CHAUCER'S REVE'S TALE,
A BJECT (L. abjectus), to be degraded to a low or

mean condition; also, the person so degraded or brought to contempt.

I deemed it better so to die,
Than at my foeman's feet an abject lie.

MIRR. FOR MAG.
Rebellion
Came like itself, in base and abject routs,
Led on by bloody youth.

K. HENRY I.
I was, at first, as other beasts that graze
The trodden herb, of abject thoughts, and low.

PAR. LOST, BLAND, blinded, made blind.

With seven walmes boiland,
The walmes han th' abland.

Rom. OF THE SEVEN SAGS.