Auth. Vers. the word asp was scarcely naturalized. Latimer uses aspis as a foreign word:

But the children of this world have worldly policy, foxly craft, lion-like cruelty, power to do hurt, more than either aspis or basiliscus. Serm. p. 47.

And in Gower aspidis occurs in a passage of 'A serpent which that aspidis Is cleped,' embodying the popular belief with regard to the animal's deafness to the voice of the charmer:

He lith down his one ere al plat
Unto the ground and halt it faste,
And eke that other ere als faste
He stoppeth with his tail so sore,
That he the wordes lasse or more
Of his enchauntement ne hereth.

Conf. Am. 1. p. 57.

Shakespeare has the form aspick (Ant. and Cl. v. 2; Oth. III. 3), which is like the modern Greek form of the word, άσπικ.

Assay, v.t. (Deut. iv. 34; I Sam. xvii. 39; Job iv. 2; 2 Macc. ii. 23; Acts ix. 26, xvi. 7; Heb. xi. 29). To attempt, try. From Med. Lat. exagium 'a test,' which is derived from exigere, comes Fr. essayer, 'to try, put to the proof.'

The second of the passages in which the word occurs is illustrated by the following from Hall's Chronicle, describing an alarm in the camp of the Earl of Richmond;

With which newes the armie was sore troubled, and euery man assaied his armure, and proued his weapon. Rich. III. f. 27 a.

And whan that he was thus arraied,
And hath his harness all assaied.

Gower, Conf. Am. III. p. 57.

He rode a course to assay his stede.

Sire Eglamour, 571.

In this sense it is of common occurrence:

Good is that we assaye,

Wher he be deed or noght deed.

Piers Ploughman's Vision, 12213.

Assayth expugnation of divers castells. Pol. Verg. p. 78.
If this should fail,

And that our drift lack through our bad performance,
"Twere better not assayed.

Shakespeare, Ham. IV. 7. It is now chiefly used of the testing of precious metals.

Assemble, v.refl. (Num. x. 3; Is. xlv. 20, &c.). Used as a reflexive verb originally, as endeavour, repent, retire, submit, and many others.

The mayre with all the aldermen and chiefe comeners of the citie in their beste maner apparailed, assembling themself together resorted vnto Baynardes castell where the protector lay. Sir T. More, Works, p. 65 b.

The phrase 'assemble into' occurs in Jer. xxi. 4. Shakespeare uses the construction 'assemble to.'

To me and to the state of my great grief

Let kings assemble.

And transitively;

K. John, III. I.

Assemble presently the people hither.

Coriol. III. 3.

Assure, v.t. (Ps. lxxxi. 9, Pr. Bk.). 'I will assure thee, O Israel,' is the translation in the Prayer-Book Version of what the A. V. renders, 'I will testify unto thee, O Israel,' and the Geneva Version, 'I will protest unto thee; O Israel.'

And eche of hem assureth other
To helpe as to his owne brother
To vengen hem of thilke outrage
And winne agein her heritage.

Gower, Conf. Am. I. p. 339.

This shall assure my constant loyalty.

Shakespeare, 3 Hen. VI. III. 3.

In the contents of John xiv., xvi., it is used for 'ensure.'

Burgundy hath been privy to this plot;
Conspir'd with Lewis and the English king,
To save his own stake, and assure himself
Of all those seignories I hoped for.

Heywood, 2 Ed. IV. 1. 5.

Assuredness, sb. (Deut. vii. c.). Assurance, security. But suche persones as vtterly mistrustyng their owne assurednesse, that is to saie, al worldly ayde and maintenaunce of man, dooe wholly depende of Gods defense and helpe: suche and none others are liable to stande sure. Udal's Erasm. Luke, c. 22.

Asswage,_v.i. (Gen. viii. 1). From Lat. suavis, 'sweet,' and O. Fr. soef, souef, 'sweet, soft,' is derived assouager, 'to soften, allay,' as abreger from brevis, O.E. agregge from gravis, and alegge from levis.

In Gen. viii. I it is used intransitively, 'the water asswaged,' i.e. subsided. So in Gower, Conf. Am. I. p. 333 ; My sone, attempre thy corage

Fro wrath, and let thin hert assuage.

In Job xvi. 5, Ecclus. xviii. 16, and 'Visitation of the Sick,' it occurs as an active verb; so Piers Ploughman, Vis. 2716;

May no sugre ne swete thyng
Aswage my swellyng?

And Shakespeare (Coriol. v. 2), 'The good gods assuage thy wrath.' The form 'swage' is also of frequent

Occurrence.

Astonied, pp. (Job xvii. 8; Jer. xiv. 9, &c.). O. Fr. estonner. Astonished. Astonied is one of a numerous class of words derived from the Norman French, which had two coexistent forms, one of which only has survived. For instance, abash and abay or abawe; burnish and

burny; betray and betrash; chastie and chastise; obey and obeisse or obeyshe, are all found in contemporaneous writers, and often in the same page. Custom appears to have followed no law of selection in determining which form should remain. Many instances might be given.

The auncient fighting menn astonied at the first commotion of the Britains, &c. Pol. Verg. p. 71.

The word appears in various shapes ;-astoned (Chaucer), astoined (Spenser and Sackville), stoynde (Sackville), from which the transition is easy to the form stunned, which is etymologically the same. For instance, Alexander, fighting against the Mallians,

Had a blowe with a dart on his necke that so astonied him, that he leaned against the wall looking vpon his enemies. North's Plutarch, Alex. p. 751.

At which ceas on were left at Vannes aboute the nombre of III. Englishmen, whych not beyng called to councell and vnware of this enterpryse, but knowyng of the erles sodeyne departure wer so incontinently astonned, yt in maner they were all dispayre. Hall, Rich. III. fol. 22 b.

"Thei

Wiclif uses 'stoneyng' for 'astonishment.' weren abayschid with a great stoneyng.” (Mk. v. 42.)

At, prep. In the phrases 'to hold one's peace at' (Num. xxx. 4), 'to come at' (Ex. xix. 15).

Madam, he hath not slept to night; commanded
None should come at him.

Shakespeare, Winter's Tale, II. 3.

At one (Acts vii. 26). "To be at one' is to be united, reconciled; 'to set at one' is to reconcile.

So beene they both at one.

If gentilmen, or other of

Spenser, F. Q. II. 1, § 29. hir contre,

Were wroth, sche wolde brynge hem at oon.

Chaucer, Clerk's Tale, 8313.

Shake

The verb atone means to reconcile, make one. speare uses atone intransitively, as well as transitively;

Since we cannot atone you, we shall see
Justice design the victor's chivalry.

Rich. II. I. I.

As You Like It, v. 4.

Cymb. I. 5.

I am glad I did atone my countryman and you.

The process by which we arrive at the form atonement is illustrated by the following passage from Bishop Hall (Sat. III. 7);

Ye witlesse gallants, I beshrewe your hearts,
That set such discord 'twixt agreeing parts,
Which never can be set at onement more.

In the sense of 'reconciliation' it occurs in Sir T. More; Hauyng more regarde to their olde variaunce then their newe attonement. Rich. III. p. 41 c.

And in Shakespeare (2 Hen. IV. IV. 1);

If we do now make our atonement well
Our peace will, like a broken limb united,
Be stronger for the breaking.

Attonement, a louing againe after a breache or falling out. Baret, Alvearie, s. v.

For hereof is it [Sunday] called in the commune tongue of the Germanes Soendach, not of the sonne as certayne men done interprete but of reconcilynge, that if in the other weke dayes any spotte or fylthe of synne be gathered by the reason of worldly busynesse and occupations, he shold eyther on the Saterdaye in the euentide or els on Sundaye in the mornynge reconcile hymselfe, and make an onement with God. Erasm. on the Commandments, 1533, fol. 162.