Thomas Fuller

Abate

Nine thousand parishes, abating the odd hundreds.

Abidance

The Christians had no longer abidance in the holy hill of Palestine.

Abreast

Abreast therewith began a convocation.

Abrenunciation

An abrenunciation of that truth which he so long had professed, and still believed.

Abridge

She retired herself to Sebaste, and abridged her train from state to necessity.

Abusive

I am . . . necessitated to use the word Parliament improperly, according to the abusive acceptation thereof.

Acception

Here the word “baron” is not to be taken in that restrictive sense to which the modern acception hath confined it.

Accidental

He conceived it just that accidentals . . . should sink with the substance of the accusation.

Addict

His genius addicted him to the study of antiquity.

Admire

Examples rather to be admired than imitated.

To wonder at Pharaoh, and even admire at myself.

Advantage

The truth is, the archbishop's own stiffness and averseness to comply with the court designs, advantaged his adversaries against him.

Advoke

Queen Katharine had privately prevailed with the pope to advoke the cause to Rome.

Affect

As for Queen Katharine, he rather respected than affected, rather honored than loved, her.

Aggest

The violence of the waters aggested the earth.

Allow

We commend his pains, condemn his pride, allow his life, approve his learning.

Amplitude

The cathedral of Lincoln . . . is a magnificent structure, proportionable to the amplitude of the diocese.

Amuse

Being amused with grief, fear, and fright, he could not find the house.

Anarchy

There being then . . . an anarchy, as I may term it, in authors and their rekoning of years.

Anatomy

The anatomy of a little child, representing all parts thereof, is accounted a greater rarity than the skeleton of a man in full stature.

Ancient

Gildas Albanius . . . much ancienter than his namesake surnamed the Wise.

Ancientry

A gentleman of more ancientry than estate.

Annoyance

A deep clay, giving much annoyance to passengers.

Antic

The Saxons . . . worshiped many idols, barbarous in name, some monstrous, all antic for shape.

Apprehend

This suspicion of Earl Reimund, though at first but a buzz, soon got a sting in the king's head, and he violently apprehended it.

Arrant

I discover an arrant laziness in my soul.

Articulately

I had articulately set down in writing our points.

as

The king was not more forward to bestow favors on them as they free to deal affronts to others their superiors.

Assistance

Wat Tyler [was] killed by valiant Walworth, the lord mayor of London, and his assistance, . . . John Cavendish.

Attain

Not well attaining his meaning.

Autumn

Dr. Preston was now entering into the autumn of the duke's favor.

Aviary

Lincolnshire may be termed the aviary of England.

Avocation

Heaven is his vocation, and therefore he counts earthly employments avocations.

Avoidance

Wolsey, . . . on every avoidance of St. Peter's chair, was sitting down therein, when suddenly some one or other clapped in before him.

Avowance

Can my avowance of king-murdering be collected from anything here written by me?

Balk

Bad plowmen made balks of such ground.

Bark

Where there is the barking of the belly, there no other commands will be heard, much less obeyed.

Barn

Men . . . often barn up the chaff, and burn up the grain.

Beadsman

Whereby ye shall bind me to be your poor beadsman for ever unto Almighty God.

Befool

This story . . . contrived to befool credulous men.

Beholding

So much hath Oxford been beholding to her nephews, or sister's children.

Blur

As for those who cleanse blurs with blotted fingers, they make it worse.

Bluster

As if therewith he meant to bluster all princes into a perfect obedience to his commands.

Bow

Not to bow and bias their opinions.

Bowel

Bloody Bonner, that corpulent tyrant, full (as one said) of guts, and empty of bowels.

Brace

A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and religion, now appeared in the church.

Buckle

Cartwright buckled himself to the employment.

But

So insolent that he could not go but either spurning equals or trampling on his inferiors.

By-corner

Britain being a by-corner, out of the road of the world.

Bye

The Synod of Dort condemneth upon the bye even the discipline of the Church of England.

Cap

He that will give a cap and make a leg in thanks.

Collop

Cut two good collops out of the crown land.

Commence

I question whether the formality of commencing was used in that age.

Complexioned

A flower is the best-complexioned grass, as a pearl is the best-colored clay.

Compromise

The controversy may easily be compromised.

Confute

I confute a good profession with a bad conversation.

Consent

Flourishing many years before Wyclif, and much consenting with him in jugdment.

Containment

The containment of a rich man's estate.

Control

This report was controlled to be false.

Counter

Anne Aysavugh . . . imprisoned in the Counter.

Courteous

His behavior toward his people is grave and courteous.

Courtship

She [the Queen] being composed of courtship and Popery.

Creature

He asked water, a creature so common and needful that it was against the law of nature to deny him.

Cross

Five Kentish abbesses . . . .subscribed their names and crosses.

Cure

Vicarages of greatcure, but small value.

Curious

Little curious in her clothes.

Decide

Our seat denies us traffic here; The sea, too near, decides us from the rest.

Deject

Sometimes she dejects her eyes in a seeming civility; and many mistake in her a cunning for a modest look.

Deliquate

Dilapidating, or rather deliquating, his bishopric.

Depict

His arms are fairly depicted in his chamber.

Deplume

On the depluming of the pope every bird had his own feather.

Descend

We will here descend to matters of later date.

Detest

The heresy of Nestorius . . . was detested in the Eastern churches.

Detriment

Other might be determined thereby.

Disarm

Security disarms the best-appointed army.

Discede

I dare not discede from my copy a tittle.

Discontent

Thus was the Scotch nation full of discontents.

Discontinuer

He was no gadder abroad, not discontinuer from his convent for a long time.

Disfriar

Many did quickly unnun and disfriar themselves.

Dislocate

And thus the archbishop's see, dislocated or out of joint for a time, was by the hands of his holiness set right again.

Dispend

Able to dispend yearly twenty pounds and above.

Dispirit

This makes a man master of his learning, and dispirits the book into the scholar.

Distance

I heard nothing thereof at Oxford, being then miles distanced thence.

Distract

A city . . . distracted from itself.

Do-all

Under him, Dunstan was the do-all at court, being the king's treasurer, councilor, chancellor, confessor, all things.

Doctorate

He was bred . . . in Oxford and there doctorated.

Dominical

Some words altered in the dominical Gospels.

Drift

Cattle coming over the bridge (with their great drift doing much damage to the high ways).

Drought

A drought of Christian writers caused a dearth of all history.

Duncical

The most dull and duncical commissioner.

Dunted

Fencer's swords . . . having the edge dunted.

Dutch

Germany is slandered to have sent none to this war [the Crusades] at this first voyage; and that other pilgrims, passing through that country, were mocked by the Dutch, and called fools for their pains.

Echo

Fame is the echo of actions, resounding them.

Engage

How proper the remedy for the malady, I engage not.

Excerpt

Out of which we have excerpted the following particulars.

Excerption

His excerptions out of the Fathers.

Eximious

The eximious and arcane science of physic.

Exquisite

His books of Oriental languages, wherein he was exquisite.

Faculty

The pope . . . granted him a faculty to set him free from his promise.

Falsehood

Though it be a lie in the clock, it is but a falsehood in the hand of the dial when pointing at a wrong hour, if rightly following the direction of the wheel which moveth it.

Fantastic

Our fantastics, who, having a fine watch, take all ocasions to draw it out to be seen.

Farfetch

To farfetch the name of Tartar from a Hebrew word.

Fleece

Whilst pope and prince shared the wool betwixt them, the people were finely fleeced.

Foin

He came to the stake in a fair black gown furred and faced with foins.

Force

Ethelbert ordered that none should be forced into religion.

Foredispose

King James had by promise foredisposed the place on the Bishop of Meath.

Formality

Such [books] as are mere pieces of formality, so that if you look on them, you look though them.

The doctors attending her in their formalities as far as Shotover.

Fountain

Judea, the fountain of the gospel.

Frequency

The reasons that moved her to remove were, because Rome was a place of riot and luxury, her soul being almost stifled with, the frequencies of ladies' visits.

Futurable

Not only to things future, but futurable.

Gallantry

Guess the gallantry of our church by this . . . when the desk whereon the priest read was inlaid with plates of silver.

Gatewise

Three circles of stones set up gatewise.

Gelt

All these the king granted unto them . . . free from all gelts and payments, in a most full and ample manner.

Glutton

A glutton monastery in former ages makes a hungry ministry in our days.

Grievancer

Petition . . . against the bishops as grand grievancers.

Habited

So habited he was in sobriety.

handful

This handful of men were tied to very hard duty.

Handsel

Their first good handsel of breath in this world.

No contrivance of our body, but some good man in Scripture hath handseled it with prayer.

Harvest

The pope's principal harvest was in the jubilee.

Hazard

He hazards his neck to the halter.

Hitch

To ease themselves . . . by hitching into another place.

Hollow

Whisperings and hollowings are alike to a deaf ear.

Homonymy

Homonymy may be as well in place as in persons.

Housewife

Conferred those moneys on the nuns, which since they have well housewived.

Hugger-mugger

Many things have been done in hugger-mugger.

Husband

God knows how little time is left me, and may I be a good husband, to improve the short remnant left me.

Illure

The devil insnareth the souls of many men, by illuring them with the muck and dung of this world.

Imp

Who lazily imp their wings with other men's plumes.

Impale

Ordered the admission of St. Patrick to the same to be matched and impaled with the blessed Virgin in the honor thereof.

Impatible

A spirit, and so impatible of material fire.

Inclinable

The very constitution of a multitude is not so inclinable to save as to destroy.

Indifferency

To give ourselves to a detestable indifferency or neutrality in this cause.

Influent

I find no office by name assigned unto Dr. Cox, who was virtually influent upon all, and most active.

Ingenuous

Sensible in myself . . . what a burden it is for me, who would be ingenuous, to be loaded with courtesies which he hath not the least hope to requite or deserve.

Inroad

The Saracens . . . conquered Spain, inroaded Aquitaine.

Insolence

Loaded with fetters and insolences from the soldiers.

Instant

The instant time is always the fittest time.

Intend

My soul, not being able to intend two things at once, abated of its fervency in praying.

Intuition

What, no reflection on a reward! He might have an intuition at it, as the encouragement, though not the cause, of his pains.

item

A secret item was given to some of the bishops . . . to absent themselves.

Jeopardous

His goodly, valiant, and jeopardous enterprise.

Language

Others were languaged in such doubtful expressions that they have a double sense.

Lap

If he cuts off but a lap of truth's garment, his heart smites him.

Latitude

No discreet man will believe Augustine's miracles, in the latitude of monkish relations.

Leg

He that will give a cap and make a leg in thanks for a favor he never received.

Leger

Sir Edward Carne, the queen's leger at Rome.

Levy

Augustine . . . inflamed Ethelbert, king of Kent, to levy his power, and to war against them.

Liberty

Brought forth into some public or open place within the liberty of the city, and there . . . burned.

Listen

Soldiers note forts, armories, and magazines; scholars listen after libraries, disputations, and professors.

Lollard

By Lollards all know the Wyclifities are meant, so called from Walter Lollardus, one of their teachers in Germany.

Lombard

A Lombard unto this day signifying a bank for usury or pawns.

Losing

Amongst the many simoniacal that swarmed in the land, Herbert, Bishop of Thetford, must not be forgotten; nick-named Losing, that is, the Flatterer.

March

Geneva is situated in the marches of several dominions -- France, Savoy, and Switzerland.

Marian

Of all the Marian martyrs, Mr. Philpot was the best-born gentleman.

Matron

Grave from her cradle, insomuch that she was a matron before she was a mother.

Maturate

A tree may be maturated artificially.

Mind

He minded them of the mutability of all earthly things.

Mischief

The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs.

Mo

Likely to find mo to commend than to imitate it.

Moisten

It moistened not his executioner's heart with any pity.

Naught

No man can be stark naught at once.

Neck

These words, “bread and cheese,” were their neck verse or shibboleth to distinguish them; all pronouncing “broad and cause,” being presently put to death.

Noway

But Ireland will noways allow that name unto it.

Numeric

Would to God that all my fellow brethren, which with me bemoan the loss of their books, . . . might rejoice for the recovery thereof, though not the same numerical volumes.

Obligation

A tender conscience is a stronger obligation than a proson.

Obvention

Legacies bequeathed by the deaths of princes and great persons, and other casualities and obventions.

Obviate

Not to stir a step to obviate any of a different religion.

Occasionally

The one, Wolsey, directly his subject by birth; the other, his subject occasionally by his preferment.

Ochreate

A scholar undertook . . . to address himself ochreated unto the vice chancellor.

Oily

His oily compliance in all alterations.

Operation

The bards . . . had great operation on the vulgar.

Orderable

Being very orderable in all his sickness.

Outlet

Receiving all, and having no outlet.

Oversee

The most expert gamesters may sometimes oversee.

Pack

He lost life . . . upon a nice point subtilely devised and packed by his enemies.

Pall

About this time Pope Gregory sent two archbishop's palls into England, -- the one for London, the other for York.

Patent

Four other gentlemen of quality remained mentioned in that patent.

Pelf

Can their pelf prosper, not got by valor or industry?

Pelt

Raw pelts clapped about them for their clothes.

Perdu

He should lie perdue who is to walk the round.

Piece

His adversaries . . . pieced themselves together in a joint opposition against him.

Pittance

The inconsiderable pittance of faithful professors.

Plump

To plump up the hollowness of their history with improbable miracles.

Point-blank

To sin point-blank against God's word.

Policy

The very policy of a hostess, finding his purse so far above his clothes, did detect him.

Port

They are easily ported by boat into other shires.

Postdate

Of these [predictions] some were postdate; cunningly made after the thing came to pass.

Precedential

All their actions in that time are not precedential to warrant posterity.

Preponderate

The desire to spare Christian blood preponderates him for peace.

Prier

So pragmatical a prier he is into divine secrets.

Prog

A perfect artist in progging for money.

Punctilio

They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices.

Purge

The preparative for the purge of paganism of the kingdom of Northumberland.

Pursuit

That pursuit for tithes ought, and of ancient time did pertain to the spiritual court.

Pursuivant

Their navy was pursuivanted after with a horrible tempest.

Qualificative

How many qualificatives, correctives, and restrictives he inserteth in this relation.

Queencraft

Elizabeth showed much queencraft in procuring the votes of the nobility.

Quick

How feebly and unlike themselves they reason when they come to the quick of the difference !

Rack

Grant that I may never rack a Scripture simile beyond the true intent thereof.

Rag

Not having otherwise any rag of legality to cover the shame of their cruelty.

Rase

Except we rase the faculty of memory, root and branch, out of our mind.

Rathripe

Such who delight in rathripe fruits.

Reality

To express our reality to the emperor.

Rebus

He [John Morton] had a fair library rebused with More in text and Tun under it.

Record

Praying all the way, and recording upon the words which he before had read.

Recover

With much ado the Christians recovered to Antioch.

Reflect

Let me mind the reader to reflect his eye on our quotations.

Relate

Reckoning by the years of their own consecration without relating to any imperial account.

Report

Baldwin, his son, . . . succeeded his father; so like unto him that we report the reader to the character of King Almeric, and will spare the repeating his description.

Repose

All being settled and reposed, the lord archbishop did present his majesty to the lords and commons.

Resent

This bird of prey resented a worse than earthly savor in the soul of Saul.

Our King Henry the Seventh quickly resented his drift.

The judicious prelate will prefer a drop of the sincere milk of the word before vessels full of traditionary pottage resenting of the wild gourd of human invention.

Reversion

The small reversion of this great navy which came home might be looked upon by religious eyes as relics.

Revert

An active promoter in making the East Saxons converts, or rather reverts, to the faith.

Rewin

The Palatinate was not worth the rewinning.

Rhythmer

One now scarce counted a rhythmer, formerly admitted for a poet.

Ring

As great and tunable a ring of bells as any in the world.

Rocker

It was I, sir, said the rocker, who had the honor, some thirty years since, to attend on your highness in your infancy.

Rotundity

For the more rotundity of the number and grace of the matter, it passeth for a full thousand.

Royalet

there were at this time two other royalets, as only kings by his leave.

Sacramentize

Both to preach and sacramentize.

Scant

So weak that he was scant able to go down the stairs.

Scrape

The prelatical party complained that, to swell a number the nonconformists did not choose, but scrape, subscribers.

Scrivener

The writer better scrivener than clerk.

Scruple

We are often over-precise, scrupling to say or do those things which lawfully we may.

Second

In the method of nature, a low valley is immediately seconded with an ambitious hill.

Set

Thus this century sets with little mirth, and the next is likely to arise with more mourning.

Sick

So great is his antipathy against episcopacy, that, if a seraphim himself should be a bishop, he would either find or make some sick feathers in his wings.

Simnel

Not common bread, but vastel bread, or simnels.

Simple

Clergy and laity, male and female, gentle and simple made the fuel of the same fire.

Sise

In the new casting of a die, when ace is on the top, sise must needs be at the bottom.

Skill

Richard . . . by a thousand princely skills, gathering so much corn as if he meant not to return.

Slender

Frequent begging makes slender alms.

Slip

This good man's slip mended his pace to martyrdom.

Snip

Curbed and snipped in my younger years by fear of my parents from those vicious excrescences to which that age was subject.

Sociate

As for you, Dr. Reynolds, and your sociates.

Solemn

Frederick, the emperor, . . . has spared no expense in strengthening this city; since which time we find no solemn taking it by the Turks.

Sopite

The king's declaration for the sopiting of all Arminian heresies.

Spawn

One edition [of books] spawneth another.

Spell

The Saxon heptarchy, when seven kings put together did spell but one in effect.

Spill

Spill not the morning, the quintessence of day, in recreations.

Spirit

“Write it then, quickly,” replied Bede; and summoning all his spirits together, like the last blaze of a candle going out, he indited it, and expired.

Spirituality

Five entire subsidies were granted to the king by the spirituality.

Spite

The Danes, then . . . pagans, spited places of religion.

Stark

Held him strangled in his arms till he was stark dead.

Starve

The pens of historians, writing thereof, seemed starved for matter in an age so fruitful of memorable actions.

Stem

Wolsey sat at the stem more than twenty years.

Stock

Item, for a stock of brass for the holy water, seven shillings; which, by the canon, must be of marble or metal, and in no case of brick.

Sucker

They who constantly converse with men far above their estates shall reap shame and loss thereby; if thou payest nothing, they will count thee a sucker, no branch.

Synodist

These synodists thought fit in Latin as yet to veil their decrees from vulgar eyes.

Tail

Nevertheless his bond of two thousand pounds, wherewith he was tailed, continued uncanceled, and was called on the next Parliament.

Taking

Subtile in making his temptations most taking.

Tame

In the time of famine he is the Joseph of the country, and keeps the poor from starving. Then he tameth his stacks of corn, which not his covetousness, but providence, hath reserved for time of need.

Tang

Such proceedings had a strong tang of tyranny.

Temper

The exquisiteness of his [Christ's] bodily temper increased the exquisiteness of his torment.

Temporality

Supreme head, . . . under God, of the spirituality and temporality of the same church.

Tender

I am choleric by my nature, and tender by my temper.

To see a prince in want would move a miser's charity. Our western princes tendered his case, which they counted might be their own.

Ticket

He constantly read his lectures twice a week for above forty years, giving notice of the time to his auditors in a ticket on the school doors.

Tide

At the tide of Christ his birth.

Toothsome

Though less toothsome to me, they were more wholesome for me.

Toparch

The prince and toparch of that country.

Touch

A neat new monument of touch and alabaster.

Tradition

The following story is . . . traditioned with very much credit amongst our English Catholics.

Tribual

The tribual lispings of the Ephraimites.

Undevil

They boy having gotten a habit of counterfeiting . . . would not be undeviled by all their exorcisms.

Undirect

who make false fires to undirect seamen in a tempest.

Undividual

True courage and courtesy are undividual companions.

Unnun

Many did quickly unnun and disfriar themselves.

Unpope

Rome will never so far unpope herself as to part with her pretended supremacy.

Vernacular

His skill in the vernacular dialect of the Celtic tongue.

Vivacious

Hitherto the English bishops have been vivacious almost to wonder. . . . But five died for the first twenty years of her [Queen Elizabeth's] reign.

Vivacity

The vivacity of some of these pensioners is little less than a miracle, they lived so long.

Volant

English silver now was current, and our gold volant in the pope's court.

Water

Remembering he had passed over a small water a poor scholar when first coming to the university, he kneeled.

Wharl

A strange, uncouth wharling in their speech.

Wriggle

Covetousness will wriggle itself out at a small hole.