Caxton's Blanchardyn and Eglantine, c. 1489 : from Lord Spencer's unique imperfect copy, completed by the original French and the second English version of 1595

§ 2. Abstract and concrete Nouns interchanged.

Logic classifies nouns, with reference to the mode in which things exist, into concrete and abstract. However, not only in poetry, but also in simple prose both classes are often (as now) interchanged.

(a) Abstracts used in a concrete sense:—

• ...

  counseyll (as now) = French conseil. '(She) spake at that same owre wyth certayne of her counseyll,' Blanch. 76/32.

• ...

  chivalrie = knights. 'I do yelde and delyuere into your handes the kynge of Polonye, your enemye, whiche I haue taken with the helpe of your sone, and of your noble and worthy cheualrye,' [So in Byron, Macaulay's Ivry, &c.; &c.;] 108/34. Cf. Morte Darthur, 47/22.

• ...

  love = lover, sweetheart (as now), 25/2, 26/15, et passim. Cf. Gloss. lover occurs 30/14.

• ...

  grace = gracious person. 'I presente this lytyl book unto the noble grace of my sayd lady,' 1/7, 8. ('Her Grace, your Grace,' now.)

Verbal nouns in -ing, originally abstracts, often become concrete.

• ...

  clothing = clothes, Blanch. 148/18, 159/32. (Bible: 'her clothing was of wrought gold.')

• ...

  kyssing = a kiss. 'That one onely kyssyng that I toke of yow,' Blanch. 134/8.

It is doubtful whether 'helpes' in the following passage is correct, or a misprint for helpers: [ Cf. our 'lady-help,' and 'help' (American), the regular word for servant.] 'Would Subyon or not, and all his helpes, the noble lady was taken out of his power,' 197/21. Helpe = helper looks suspicious, because it does not occur, so far as I am aware, elsewhere in Caxton; but it is used in the same sense in the Story of Genesis and Exodus, l. 3409:

And (Ietro) at wið moysen festelike, And tagte him siðen witte like Under him helpes oðere don.

Of course 'helpe' is not to be confounded with 'help'; the latter is abstract, the former concrete; cf. hunte = hunter. Layamon, 21337; O. E. Hom. II. 209; Orm. 13471; Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1160; Stratmann, s. v.; Skeat, Notes to Piers Plowman, p. 402.

Abstracts used for concretes are not very common in Middle English:—

• ...

  Cursor Mundi, barunage = barons, 4627, 8533.

• ...

  Chaucer, message = messenger, Man of Law's Tale, 333. Cf. sonde = messenger, O. E. Hom. I. 249, Story of Gen. and Ex. Glossary.

• ...

  Langland (Piers Plowman), retynaunce = a suit of retainers. Skeat, Notes to P. Pl., p. 46. treuthe = a true man, a righteous man, Skeat, l. c. 297.

A few are retained in Modern English, as a justice = judge, a witness, &c.;

(b) Concrete nouns used as abstracts.

• I know of only one instance in Blanchardyn, chief = beginning: 'or euer he myght come to the chyeff of his enterpryse,' Blanch. 17/4. chief is = cap (caput), which exactly answers to heafod, head. Cf. Morte Darthur 144/8: 'ther by was the hede of the streme, a fayre fountayn.'
• ...

  field = battle, occurs in Morte Darthur 172/17, and is often to be met with in Elizabethan authors: Gorboduc, l. 230; Gascoigne, Steel-Glass, pp. 58, 63, 64; Spenser, F. Q., I. iii. 379; Shakspere, Schmidt, s. v.