Middle English Dictionary Entry
simplī adv.
Entry Info
| Forms | simplī adv. Also simplẹ̄, simpeli; comp. simpliere. |
| Etymology | From simple adj. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
Sincerely, honestly; without suspicion, guilelessly.
Associated quotations
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)2663 : Þo hii come In eiþer side to ambresbury..þe brutons al simpleliche In god pays hii vnderstode.
- (1340) Ayenb.(Arun 57)134/10 : He him lefþ simpleliche of al þet he zayþ ase deþ þe litel child his mayster.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Deut.19.5 : He þat smyteþ his neiȝbor vnwytynge & þat ȝerstynday..noon aȝeyns hym to haue had haate is preuyd bote to haue go awey wiþ hym sympleche into þe woode to trees to be kut, & in þe hewynge of þe trees þe axe fleeþ þe hond.
- (a1382) WBible(1) (Bod 959)Prov.10.9 : Who goþ symplely goþ trostily.
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))Mic.2.8 : Ȝe toke awey the mantil aboue the coote, and ȝe turnyden hem in to bataile, hem that wenten symply.
- c1450 Jacob's W.(Sal 103)181/14 : Ne telle noȝt in þi schryfte flateryng iapys & talys..but symplely late þin herte & þi tunge acorde in one, & reherse in þi schryfte no proces, but þat nedyth.
- c1425(?c1400) Wycl.Apol.(Dub 245)13 : Þe kirke may not riȝtwisly curse a riȝtwys man..þat in two maner of þing is seid iust; first sympli, or after trowþ, as þat vnrytwysnes is not inne.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)140 : The two kynges..dide to kynge Arthur their homage..and the kynge he receyved with gode herte and sympilliche with wepynge.
- 1530(c1450) Mirror Our Lady (Fawkes)8 : I began thys werke..for the edyfycacyon of you that fele symplely in your owne wyttes, & loue to be enformyd.
2.
(a) Without ostentation, humbly; modestly; without luxury; (b) quietly, alone.
Associated quotations
a
- a1325 SLeg.Patr.(Corp-C 145)704 : Þe holy crois he nom And wende to þe Holy Lond & holiman bicom..And wende euere vorþ sympleliche as him noþing ne roȝte.
- (1395) Wycl.37 Concl.(Tit D.1)94 : Freris..that ben clepid in Ingelond religiouse mendycauntis or beggeris, owen to lyue sympliere and streitliere than othere religiouse.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)3861 : Thanne shame cam forth full symply..Humble of hir port..Weryng a bayle [read: vayle] in stide of wymple.
- ?a1425(c1400) Mandev.(1) (Tit C.16)38/33 : The monkes..ben full deuoute men & lyuen porely & sympely with joutes & with dates.
- c1430(a1410) Love Mirror (Brsn e.9)56 : How sad was her feith..that suche a litell childe so sympilly clothed..schulde be..lord of al the world.
- ?c1430(?1382) Wycl.Pet.Parl.(Corp-C 296)518 : Crist wiþ his apostlis..lyvede simplely and scarly ynowȝ of almes, frely and wilfully ȝoven.
- c1450(c1350) Alex.& D.(Bod 264)290 : We ne wilne in þis world to wolde no more, Bute as we simpleliche our lif sostaine mowe.
- ?c1450 St.Cuth.(Eg 3309)7654 : Þare in hungir and calde full pure Þai leuyd, and sympely þai fure.
- c1425 Wycl.Antichr.(2) (Dub 245)p.cxxxii : Crist roode symply on an asse, & þei on fatt palfreyes.
- a1500 Lydg.LOL (Adv 19.3.1)p.115 : Ye schuld have pete To se a lady of soo hee degre, So symple [vr. symply; Dur-U: semely] tyred.
b
- a1425 Ben.Rule(1) (Lnsd 378)34/33 : Yef any wille dwelle for to make priue vrisun, sho ne sal make noise for to sturbe þe oþir, Bot simpelike gange in and make hir vresun wid teris..And noht wid heze voice.
- a1450(a1338) Mannyng Chron.Pt.1 (Lamb 131)7832 : Hengist..sente to þe kyng al in tresoun, Þat he wolde speke wyþ alle in pees, & simplely [vr. sempely] wyþouten pres.
3.
(a) In an unsatisfactory way, poorly, not well, inadequately; scarcely, hardly at all; also, with a weak voice [1st quot.]; (b) dishonorably, disgracefully.
Associated quotations
a
- a1325 SLeg.(Corp-C 145)25/15 : Wy spekestou so sympelliche as þou adrad were.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)6.355 : Aluredus..kouþe his gramer but sympilliche, for þat tyme was nouȝt oon techer of gramer in al his kyngdom.
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)8.59 : Henry..restored sympelliche [L exiliter] þe Chartre Hous at Witham.
- a1425(?a1400) RRose (Htrn 409)4510 : Yiftes were faire, but not forthy They helpe me but symply [F Il ne me vaudront riens james].
- c1450(?c1425) St.Kath.Sienna (Dc 114)195/32 : Þe turner of þis englysshe, þat is not but symply vndirstandynge..lowely and mekely [besecheþ] alle men and wymmen..þat þey be not ouer-capcyous..in ful many clauses.
- (a1470) Malory Wks.(Win-C)405/10 : The kynge of Irelonde was but symply purveyede of his answere; Therefore the juges gaff hym respyte by the thirde day to gyff his answere.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)3.85 : This Anchus Marcius, hauenge grete favor to Tarquinius Priscus, made hym tutor of his childere, but this Tarquinius remembrede that luffe symplely [L male].
- c1475(c1445) Pecock Donet (Bod 916)21/7 : Goddis comaundementis ben kunned so sengli and so simpli, bi cause alle vertues..comaundid mowe not in þilk x wordis of moyses tablis be seen..so cleerly.
- a1500(?c1450) Merlin (Cmb Ff.3.11)78 : We driven the remenaunt in at the yates, that sympilly [F maluaisement] hem deffended whan they hadde loste their lorde.
- a1500 Chartier Quad.(2) (Rwl A.338)220/32 : It was neuir but that in courte of princes wharas men haue don right good seruice, but oftentymes thei haue ben right symply [CQ(1): ill] rewardid.
- a1475 *Sidrak & B.(Lnsd 793)2923 : Þo þat leuen and wole not do Þe werkes þat hem fallen to, Þat simpely hem vnderstonde, As simple men þat ben in londe..Turmentid shul þei not be fore.
b
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)2.2757 : Iosie..deied in sorwe and pouerte, Sympli buried, for al his grete myht.
- (a1466) Paston2.320 : Youre cossyn Mary..hathe demenyd her ful symply..Ther ys but few with-in oure plasse but they know how yt is with her, and al by her awne bessynes of her tung.
- c1475 Body Pol.(Cmb Kk.1.5)125/19 : By cause that he had so symply [F lachement] yelden him to his enmyes, he made to take awey the frenge that was sett aboue on his garnement, and sett it bynethe at his feete.
4.
(a) Without qualification, absolutely; (b) only, merely; just; (c) med. with only one factor involved, unmixed; also, without complications endangering life [last quot.]; (d) anat. homogeneously, without differing parts; (e) pharm. without additional ingredients; (f) phys. with only one of the four elements involved, without combination of elements.
Associated quotations
a
- a1325 *Rwl.Statutes [OD col.] (Rwl B.520)lf.60b : Ȝif..þe Juree seggs in his veirdit þat te askare is bastard simpleliche ore þoru suuch adiection þat he was i-bore bifore matrimonie.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)325b/b : Oon sympleliche [L simpliciter] is oon þat may nouȝt be departed in dede þough he mowe be departed atwynne as a tree.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)3.pr.9.18 : For thilke thyng that symply is o thyng withouten ony devysioun, the errour and folie of mankynde departeth and divideth it.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)179b/b : Þe iiij þat þei [mollificative medicines] be neiþer hote neiþer drye simpellie, but in certein degree.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)3/29 : The firste case is when þe sekenesse is simpliche or by itself vncurable, as lepre.
- a1500(?a1450) GRom.(Hrl 7333)231 : Knowist thow not welle, that yf eny thinge be yevin to two simplely, and that on be take or dede, al is in the powr of him or hir that is present?
b
- a1400(c1303) Mannyng HS (Hrl 1701)7297 : Þogh þou haue haste, here ȝyt a messe..And nat symple a sakare, For hyt ys nat y-now for þe.
- ?a1425 Orch.Syon (Hrl 3432)28/29 : He schal purpose oonli & sympely to suffre peynes for þe glorye of my name in whateuere maner and for whateuere cause I haue ordeyned hym to suffre.
- c1450 Pilgr.LM (Cmb Ff.5.30)53 : In the time that j made the scrippe, it sufficed al sympilliche to leeue in god perfyteliche.
- a1500(1413) *Pilgr.Soul (Eg 615)3.11.55b : Adam was noght dampned simply for etyng of þat appell, but for disobeysaunce to the heste of god.
c
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)21a/a : It shal be seid þat som apostemez be made of naturale humours, Som of noȝt naturale, symply & componed [Ch.(2): compownedly].
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)169a/b : Durenez or hardnez is seid on 3 manerez..congelate, extensed or y-strecched, and drie, symply or componedly.
- c1475 *Mondeville (Wel 564)169b/a : Alle maner of woundis þat ben not nedis deedly, aftir thederik..þei ben founden sympilly and not deedly.
d
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(3) (Htrn 95)36b/b : Þere be no members cleped hote and drye, forwhi þer is no member founden simpellye [Ch.(2): þere is no simple membre] hotter and drier þen þe skynne.
e
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)169a/a : Of þise forsoþ may be componed infinite helpingez of oilez..As in fourme of oiles is..oile of costinum, of nardinum made symply, or with addicioun of oþer.
- ?a1425 *MS Htrn.95 (Htrn 95)156b/a : Rosine and picche ben hotter þen it nedeþ, and þerfore þei schal be leide to no sore simpellye bi hem selfe wiþouten admixtioun off oþer þingis.
- c1425 Arderne Fistula (Sln 6)25/15 : Eueriche of þise medicynes symply by hymself or medled wiþ þe white of an ey stauncheþ wele blode.
f
- a1500(a1450) Ashmole SSecr.(Ashm 396)72/36 : Vegetabill composicion is nobler than originall..And firenesse most lordshippeth in hym, and the other 3 accorden in composicion and ben found therin both symply and componed.
5.
(a) With simplicity of expression; plainly, straightforwardly; openly; (b) directly, in an uncomplicated manner.
Associated quotations
a
- (c1384) WBible(1) (Dc 369(2))2 Mac.6.6 : Sothely nether sabothis weren kept..nether symply, or pleynly, eny man knowlachide hym a Jew.
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)4.pr.2.213 : For thei that ben schrewes I denye nat that they ben schrewes, but I denye, and seie simply and pleynly, that thei ne ben nat, ne han no beynge.
- ?c1430(c1383) Wycl.Leaven Pharisees (Corp-C 296)10 : Ȝif þei..prechen here owne sotiltes to be preised of men, and not symply and pleynly þe gospel of crist..þei don gostely lecherie bi goddis word.
- ?c1430(c1400) Rule & T.St.Francis(1) (Corp-C 296)46 : He þat is hiȝest schewid to me þat I schulde lyue after þe forme of þe gospel, & I in fewe wordis & sympliche maade to write it.
- c1450(c1380) Chaucer HF (Benson-Robinson)854 : Have y not preved thus symply Withoute any subtilite Of speche?
- a1500(1413) *Pilgr.Soul (Eg 615)2.2.30a : Somwhat as I kan symply reporte, I schal it now reherse.
b
- ?a1425(c1380) Chaucer Bo.(Benson-Robinson)4.pr.6.95 : A werkman..aperceyveth in his thought the forme of the thing that he wol make, and moeveth the effect of the work, and ledith that he hadde lookid byforn in his thought symplely and presently, by temporel ordenaunce.
Supplemental Materials (draft)
- a1500(a1471) Pecock Conf.in Benet Chron.(Dub 516)220 : I, mysersable synner…all hereses and errowrys…conteynyd in my…Wrytynges here symply and openly revoke and renounce.
Note: Probably AQ for 4.(a)--per MM
Note: Version in Davis' Brut (p.76) has 'solemply'