Now began the conflict for the winning and defending of that old castle, which proved a medley of twelve hours long.—Swedish Intelligencer, vol. ii. p. 41.
Melancholy. This has now ceased, nearly or altogether, to designate a particular form of moody madness, the German ‘Tiefsinn,’ which was ascribed by the old physicians to a predominance of black bile mingling with the blood. It was not, it is true, always restrained to this particular form of mental unsoundness; thus Burton’s ‘Anatomy of Melancholy’ has not to do with this one form of madness, but with all. This, however, was its prevailing use, and here is to be found the link of connexion between its present use, as a deep pensiveness or sadness, and its past.
That property of melancholy, whereby men become to be delirious in some one point, their judgment standing untouched in others.—H. More, A Brief Discourse of Enthusiasm, sect. xiv.
Luther’s conference with the devil might be, for ought I know, nothing but a melancholy dream.—Chillingworth, The Religion of Protestants, Preface.
Though I am persuaded that none but the devil and this melancholy miscreant were in the plot [the Duke of Buckingham’s murder], yet in foro Dei many were guilty of this blood, that rejoiced it was spilt.—Hacket, Life of Archbishop Williams, part ii. p. 80.
Some melancholy men have believed that elephants and birds and other creatures, have a language whereby they discourse with one another.—Bishop Reynolds, Passions and Faculties of the Soul, c. 39.
| Mere, | } |
| Merely. |
There is a good note on these words, and on the changes of meaning which they have undergone, in Craik’s English of Shakespeare, p. 80. He there says: ‘Merely (from the Latin merus and mere) means purely, only. It separates that which it designates and qualifies from everything else. But in so doing the chief or most emphatic reference may be made either to that which is included, or to that which is excluded. In modern English it is always to the latter. In Shakespeare’s day the other reference was more common, that namely to what was included.’
With them all the people of Mounster went out, and many other of them which were mere English, thenceforth joined themselves with the Irish against the king, and termed themselves very Irish.—Spenser, View of the State of Ireland.
Our wine is here mingled with water and with myrrh; there [in heaven] it is mere and unmixed.—Bishop Taylor, The Worthy Communicant.