Sottishness and dotage is the extinguishing of reason in phlegm or cold.—H. More, Grand Mystery of Godliness, b. viii. c. 14.
[Sparkle. It is probable that ‘to sparkle’ in the sense of to scatter is not the same word as our modern ‘sparkle,’ the diminutive of ‘spark,’ a small particle of fire. I think that it is almost certain that the ‘sparkle’ in the passages given below is a later form of ‘sparple,’ to scatter, see Trevisa, v. 287 (Rolls Series), and Promptorium. The Middle English ‘sparplen’ is the same word as the French ‘esparpiller,’ to scatter, disparkle asunder (see Cotgrave); compare also Italian ‘sparpagliare’ (Florio). For the etymology of ‘sparple’ see Mayhew-Skeat, Dict. of Middle English (s. v. ‘disparplen’). For a late use of ‘disparple,’ to scatter, see Davies, Suppl. Gloss.]
The Lansgrave hath sparkled his army without any further enterprise.—State Papers, vol. x. p. 718.
Cassandra yet there sawe I how they haled
From Pallas’ house, with spercled tresse undone.
Sackville, Induction to a Mirrour for Magistrates.
And awhile chawing all those things in his mouth, he spitteth it upon him whom he desireth to kill; who being sparkled therewith, dieth by force of the poison within the space of half an hour.—Purchas’s Pilgrims, part ii. p. 1495.
Specious. Like the Latin ‘speciosus,’ it simply signified beautiful once; it now means always presenting a deceitful appearance of that beauty which is not really possessed, and is never used in any but an ethical sense.
This prince hadde a dowter dere, Asneth was her name,
A virgine ful specious, and semely of stature.