ALL A MORT (F. a la mort), depressed, out of spirits, dejected, melancholy. Why, how now, sir Arthur?-All a mort, master Oliver. O. P. LONDON PRODIGAL. No, I am all a mort as if I had lain MASSINGER'S PAR. OF Love. ALL AND SOME. These words frequently occur in Chaucer and Spenser, and signify altogether. We are betrayed, and y-nome Horse and harness, lords, all and some. ROM. OF RICHARD CŒUR DE LION. That hastily they would to him come, He wold abridgen her labour all and some. CHAUCER'S MERCHANT'S TALE. ALLECT (L. allecto), to draw to, to allure, to attract, to entice, or seduce. Women y farcid with fraud and deceipt, CHAUCER'S REMEDIE OF LOVE. ALLEGE (S. alecgan), to mitigate, soothe, or alleviate; answering to the modern word allay. The sight only and the savour Alegged much of my langour. CHAUCER'S ROM. OF THE ROSE. Hart that is inly hurt is greatly eased With hope of thing that may allege the smart. SPENSER'S F. QUEEN, ALLER, the same as ALDER, which see. ALLERFIRSTE, first of all. Tho allerfirste he understode That he was ryght kingis blode. ROM. OF K. ALISAUNDRE. ALLEY (F. allée), a narrow passage, a walk in a garden. So long about the alleys is he gan Till he was coming again to this pery. CHAUCER'S MERCHANT'S TALE, And all within were walkes and alleys wide With footing worn. SPENSER'S F. QUEEN. ALL LOVES, a common adjuration, meaning for the love of God, of heaven, &c. and sometimes of all loves on earth. For al the loves on erthe, Hodge, let me see it. O. P. GAMMER GURTON'S NEEDLES. Conjuring his wife, of all loves, to prepare cheer. ALLOWE (F. allouer), to approve. This is in summe what I would have you wey O. P. FERREX AND PORREX, allow obedience. KING LEAR. ALMAGISTE, the name of a work on astronomy written by Ptolemy. His Almagiste and bookes, grete and small. CHAUCER'S MILLER'S TALE.. ALMAIN, leap; a vaulting leap made in dancing. In explanation of the following quotation, it is proper to observe, that the jester of the city of London practised a piece of buffoonery, at the city feasts, by leaping into a large custard made for the occasion, and thereby, as it is said, greatly added to the entertainment of the spectators. Skip with a rhyme of the table from new nothing, ALMAINY, Germany. B. JONSON'S DEVIL AN ASS ALMATOUR, an officer attached to a religious establishment, to whom belonged the distribution of the alms of the house. By the ancient canons, onetenth of the income of monasteries was required. to be distributed in alms to the poor. This officer was subsequently called an almoner. After him came Dalmadas, A riche almatour he was. ROM. OF K. ALISAUNDRE. ALMOND FOR A PARROT, a phrase frequently used by the old dramatists, the meaning of which is not very obvious; probably a parrot was taught to ask for an almond, and hence it might be used to denote silly unmeaning prattle. The quotations seem to countenance the supposition. What a green greasy shining coat he hath; An almond for a parrot!--A rope for a parrot! O. P. ENGLISHMEN FOR MY MONEY. My tongue speaks no language but an almond for a parrot and crack me this nut. O. P. OLD FORTUNATUS. The phrase also occurs in Dekkar's Honest Whore, Middleton's Spanish Gypsey, and Ben Jonson's Magnetic Lady. ALMOUS and ALMESSE (Teut. almosen), alms, charitable gifts. He was to needy men of his almesse large and free. ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER'S CHRON. And yet he giveth almesse, And fasteth ofte and hereth messe. GOWER'S CON. AM. He was a man of almous grete, WYNTOUN'S CHRON. ALOSE (L. laus), to praise or commend. Nother lackey ne alose ne leyse that ther were. Merry and full of jollity, And of largesse alosed be. P. PLOWMAN'S VISION CHAUCER'S ROM. OF THE ROSE. ALOURIS (O. F. aloir), passages, corridors. The toures to lake and the torellis ROM. OF K. ALISAUNdre. ALOW, in an humble manner; downward. She stood and hing her vissage down alow. CHAUCER'S COURT OF LOVE. ALOWDE, to be humbled or brought low. Narcissus may example bee And mirrour to the proude; TUBERVILLE. ALOWE (F. allouer), praises; approved of. Per haps in the same sense as we now use the word allow. Kyng Richard took it to griefe, "Cursyd be he that thy werke alowe." ROM. OF RICHARD CŒUR DE LION. ALSATIA, a name given to the precinct of Whitefriars, near the Temple; it was called Alsatia the higher, to distinguish it from the Mint, in Southwark, which was called Alsatia the lower; both these places obtained certain privileges, particularly arrest from civil process, and in consequence became the resort of the profligate and abandoned of both sexes, and the scene of frequent riots and disturbances. By an act of William III. these and several other privileged places were put down. Shadwell has dramatised the manners and language of the Alsatians, in a satirical comedy called The Squire of Alsatia, acted in 1688. ALTERN (L. alternus), following in turn, acting by turns. The greater to have rule by day, The less by night altern. MILTON. AMAIN (S. magn), with vehemence, force, or vigour. A concert! that amain; play that amain. O. P. LUST'S DOMINION. AMAISTRE (O. F. maistre), to master, to overcome, to get the better of. Is he not riche that hath suffisance? and have Ye power that no man may amaistre? CHAUCER'S TEST. OF Love. AMANSE, to curse, to interdict, or excommunicate. He amansed alle that such unright adde i-do To the churche of Kanterbury. ROBERT OF GLOUCESTER'S CHRON. AMARANTH (L. amaranthus), an imaginary flower, described by the poets as never fading. There is a flower so called, a species of which is better known by the name of "Love lies bleeding." Immortal amaranth! a flower which once In Paradise, fast by the tree of life, Began to bloom. PARADISE LOST. AMATE (S. mat), to daunt, to stupify with horror, |