1708. From Livy: 'paucis id quidem horis posse sciri, quantum ceteris praestet Lucretia sua.' 1711. 'That pleases me.' Ovid: 'Dicta placent'; l. 736. 1715. Cf. 'And knew the _estres_ bet than dide this John'; C. T., A 4295 (Reves Tale); and see Kn. Ta., A 1971; also, in particular, the Romaunt of the Rose, 1448, where the F. text has _l'estre_ (shewing where Ch. found the word); see vol. i. p. 153. We may explain _estres_ by 'inner premises' of a house or building. Godefroy's O. Fr. Dict. gives numerous examples. Cotgrave gives the verb _estre_, to be; whence the sb. _estre_, a being, substance, state; and then cites: '_les estres d'une maison_, the inward conveyances, private windings and turnings within, entries into, issues out of, a house.' The word is very common in Old French, and not uncommon in Middle English. Gower even has the sing. _estre_ in the sense of 'state'; C. A. i. 272. Cf. F. 'il sait tous les êtres de cette maison.' For all this, the old editions turned the form into _efters_, and Bell follows them! Moreover, _eftures_ is gravely quoted in Halliwell's Dictionary, with a reference to Sir T. Malory. The passage is:--'Pleaseth it you to see the _eftures_ of this castle?' bk. xix. c. 7 (p. 444 in the Globe edition). Here _eftures_ is a mere misprint (in Caxton's original edition) for _estres_, due to reading the long _s_ as an _f_. _Efters_ and _Eftures_ are mere 'ghost-words,' the products of ignorance. 1716, 7. 'Tecta petunt; custos in fore nullus erat'; l. 738. 1720. _Dischevele_, with hair hanging loose. _Malice_, evil. 1721. 'Ante torum calathi _lanaque mollis_ erat'; l. 742. Of course 'our book' means Ovid; yet Thynne reads 'saith Liui.' 1729. A fine line; but I think Chaucer has wholly misunderstood l. 752 of the original. 1732-9. 'Desinit in lacrimas, intentaque fila remittit, in gremium uultum deposuitque suum. Hoc ipsum decuit: lacrimae decuere pudicae, et facies animo dignaque parque fuit'; l. 755. 1740-3. 'Pone metum, ueni, coniux ait. Illa reuixit.' 1745-55. Six lines in Ovid; ll. 761-6. 1757. 'Iam dederat cantus lucis praenuntius ales'; l. 767. 1759-71. Twelve lines in Ovid; ll. 769-80. 1765. _Al to-shake_, wholly tossed about; see l. 962. 1771. 'Or a wicked inclination, with malice.' 'The original meaning (as of _talento_ in Italian, _talante_ in Spanish) was will, inclination, from _talentum_ ([Greek: talanton]), balance, scales, and then inclination of balance.'--Trench, Select Glossary, s.v. _Talent_. 1773. 'Audentes Forsque deusque iuuant.' We say, 'Fortune favours the bold.' Cf. 'Audentes fortuna iuuat'; Verg. Æn. x. 284; 'Audentes deus ipse iuuat'; Ovid, Met. x. 586. 1774. 'Whatever the event may be, my resolve is taken.' Audebimus ultima, dixit'; l. 781. 1775. _Girt_, girdeth; pr. t. So _rit_, rideth, in l. 1776. 1780. _Halke_, corner, hiding-place; as in Sec. Non. Ta. G 311.