The Carthaginians followed the enemies in chase as far as Trebia, and there gave over; and returned into the camp so clumsy and frozen [ita torpentes gelu] as scarcely they felt the joy of their victory.—Holland, Livy, p. 425.
This bloome of budding beauty loves not to be handled by such nummed and so clomsie hands.—Florio, Montaigne’s Essays, b. iii. c. 5, p. 536 (ed. 1603).
Coffin. The Greek κόφινος, the Latin ‘cophinus,’ is not in our early English, exclusively a funeral chest for the dead, but as often used of any basket or maund.
And that that lefte to hem of brokun metis was takun up, twelve cofyns.—Luke ix. 17. Wiclif.
Tibin, a baskette or coffyn made of wyckers or bull-rushes, or barke of a tree; such oone was Moyses put in to by the daughter of Pharao.—Sir T. Elyot, quoted in Way’s Promptorium, p. 85.
| Comfort, | } |
| Comfortable. |
The verb ‘comfortare,’ not found in classical Latin, but so frequent in the Vulgate, is first, as is plain from the ‘fortis’ which it embodies, to make strong, to corroborate, and only in a secondary sense, to console. We often find it in our early literature employed in that its proper sense. In the truce between England and Scotland, in the reign of Richard III., it is provided that neither of the kings shall maintain, favour, aid, or comfort any rebel or traitor (Hall, Richard III.).
And the child wexide, and was coumfortid [confortabatur Vulg.] in spirit.—Luke i. 80. Wiclif.
And there appered an angell unto Hym from heven, confortynge Hym [ἐνισχύων αὐτόν].—Luke xxii. 43. Tyndale.
O comfortable friar! where is my lord?—Shakespeare, Romeo, act v. sc. 3.