Hitherto the English bishops had been vivacious almost to wonder. For, necessarily presumed of good years before entering on their office in the first year of Queen Elizabeth, it was much that but five died for the first twenty years of her reign.—Fuller, Church History of Britain, b. ix. § 27.
Voluble. This epithet always insinuates of him to whom it is now applied that his speech is freer and faster than is meet; but it once occupied that region of meaning which ‘fluent’ does at present, without any suggestion of the kind. Milton (P. L. ix. 436) recalls the word, as he does so many, to its primary meaning.
He [Archbishop Abbott] was painful, stout, severe against bad manners, of a grave and a voluble eloquence.—Hacket, Life of Archbishop Williams, part i. p. 65.
Voyage. All journeys, those alike by land and by water, were ‘voyages’ once. The word is restricted now to journeys made by water. ‘Voyage’ is the French form of the late Latin ‘viaticum.’
Holofernes went forth with his chariots and horses to go before King Nebuchodonosor in the voyage.—Judith ii. 19. (A.V.)
My life hath not been unexpensive in learning, and voyaging about.—Milton, An Apology for Smectymnuus.
This is the poynt, to speken schort and pleyn,
That ech of yow to schorte with oure weie
In this viage schal telle tales tweye
To Caunterburi-ward, I mene it so,