Now arch. or dial. Forms: α. 5 vayll(e, 5–7 vayle; 5 Sc. waill(e, waile, 6–7 vaile, 6– vail (6 Sc. vaill), 9. dial. vaail; 6 veyle, 7 veile, 8 veil. β. 5–9 vale. [f. VAIL v.1 Cf. AVAIL sb.]
I. † 1. Advantage, benefit, profit. Obs.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 9. God send also unto thy most vayle … A spiryt, a strenghte, and of good counsaylle.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 76. For, what maner vertu þat a man haue, but yf he be yn charyte, hit stondys him in no vayle.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, V. 201. He wyst no waill thar langar for to bide.
c. 1500. in Denton, Eng. in 15th C. (1888), 318. He to kepe vnder yowre tenants and haue all the vayle and thay the burdyn. Ibid. [To] destroy the cherch & the towne for a lytell vayle to yowre place.
1550. Crowley, Epigr., 392. At Paryse garden … a man shall not fayle To fynde two or thre hundredes, for the bearwardes vaile.
b. dial. Advance, progress.
a. 1847. Isle of Wight Gloss. (E.D.S.), s.v., Thee dosn’t zim to meyak much vaail.
† 2. Of (…) vail, of profit, value, or worth. Obs. Chiefly Sc.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 262. Þeras he was wont … to speke mony an ydull worde and of no vayle, aftyr he turnet al his speche ynto profyt.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, I. 167. The byschoprykis, that war of gretast waile, Thai tuk in hand.
1475. in 3rd Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., 418/1. Sayand that the brocht that Master Thomas … fand is of vayll, and the brocht that I … fand … is of na wayll.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 136. Quhen he considdert haill The Britis war bot of sa litill vaill.
† 3. Sc. Value or worth; account, estimation.
1471. Acta Audit., 11/1. And gif þai oxin be of mare vale, he to restor again þe Remanent.
1480. Acta Dom. Conc. (1839), 52/1. Henry to pay to þe said sir edward sa mekle as þe said teind was of vale.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., I. 98. Als force it is no tyme to him to faill, And lufe all thing ay efter the awin vaill.
1567. Gude & Godlie B. (S.T.S.), 74. Than man I … my Goddis name manesweir, And set him at full lytill vaill.
II. 4. A casual or occasional profit or emolument in addition to salary, stipend, wages, or other regular payment, esp. one accruing or attached to an office or position; a fee or offering of this nature. Usu. in pl. Now arch. or Obs.
The pl. is occas. found construed as a sing.
c. 1450. Godstow Reg., 648. The half of all offerynges & vayles of the auter. Ibid. The offrynges & the vaylys of fowre days by the yere.
c. 1460. Oseney Reg., 113. A … chapeleyne, þe which shall take all þe obuencions (or vayles) of þe Auter of þe same chapell.
1550. T. Lever, in Strype, Eccl. Mem. (1721), II. 103. The number of the stock reserved, all manner of vails beside.
1563–70. Foxe, A. & M. (1596), 265/2. The church of S. Helen,… which was then esteemed woorth an hundred marks by yeere, besides other vailes and commodities belonging to the same.
1618. Barnevelt’s Apol., F iij b. Out of the wages allowed by the citie with other veiles I could wel-nigh maintaine my family.
1645. Pagitt, Heresiogr. (1647), 84. Our vailes for Burialls & Christenings is … ceast.
1712. Arbuthnot, John Bull (1727), 102. For he would quickly lick himself whole again by his vails.
1720. Swift, Fates Clergymen, Wks. 1751, II. II. 27. His revenue (besides vails) amounted to about thirty pounds a year.
1834. Macaulay, Ess., Thackeray’s Earl Chatham (1897), 300. These ignominious vails Pitt resolutely declined.
transf. and fig. 1608. Topsell, Serpents (1658), 627. To shew that mindes and tongues with Learnings brand, Are blest with plenty in all wordly vails.
1694. Crowne, Regulus, V. You scorn those scorns which always are the vales Of that unlucky office [i.e., of a spy].
b. A dole or gratuity given to one in an inferior position. (Cf. 5.)
1622. J. Taylor (Water P.), Very Merry-Wherry-Ferry Voy., Wks. (1630), 13. Let Trencher-Poets scrape for such base vailes, I’l take an Oare in hand when writing failes.
1693. Dryden, Juvenal, I. 176. Since our Knights and Senators account To what their sordid begging Vails amount.
1863. W. W. Story, Roba di R., iii. 45. There are festivals and ceremonials where the people demand as of right certain vails and presents called mancie and propine.
c. A gift or present in the nature of a bribe.
1687. A. Lovell, trans. Thevenot’s Trav., I. 253. Not reckoning a great many other Vails that are to be given every day almost to the Sous-Basha and several other knaves.
1886. C. Dick, The Model, etc., 80.
| The Custom House they passed with smile and tributary vail— | |
| They’d really nothing to declare, and had to catch the ‘Mail.’ |
5. A gratuity given to a servant or attendant; a tip; spec. one of those given by a visitor on his departure to the servants of the house in which he has been a guest. Now arch. a. In pl.
In the 17th and 18th centuries servants were largely paid by these gratuities, and the practice of giving them is freg. alluded to in the literature of the period. The word is recorded in various midland dialect glossaries, but usually as obsolescent.
α. 1605. London Prodigal, II. iv. Artichoke [servant to Sir Launcelot]. Our yeares wages and our vailes will scarcely pay for broken swords and bucklers.
1653. Milton, Hirelings, Wks. 1851, V. 362. Why should he, like a Servant, seek Vails over and above his Wages?
1729. Swift, Direct. Serv., Wks. 1883, XI. 375. I advise you of the servants … who expect vails, always to stand rank and file when a stranger is taking his leave.
1757. Mrs. Griffith, Lett. Henry & Frances (1767), IV. 157, note. An Agreement entered into among the Gentlemen of several Counties in Ireland, not to give Vails to Servants.
1778. T. Hutchinson, Diary, II. 218. One custom they kept up, which is laid down almost everywhere else—they allow their servants to take vails.
1823. Spirit Public Jrnls., 107. If you tell tales, My son shall your place have, and pocket your vails.
1859. Thackeray, Virgin., i. The lacqueys rose up from their cards to open the door to him, in order to get their ‘vails.’
1904. Times, 20 Aug., 12/6. Servants in America are no longer amazed at the discretion with which English visitors measure their vails.
fig. 1632. Sanderson, Serm. (1681), I. 310. These things among other the servants of God may certainly reckon upon, as the certain vails and benefits of His service.
1742. Young, Nt. Th., I. 408. Time lodg’d in their own hands is folly’s vails.
Comb. 1760. (title) The Sentiments and Advice of Thos. Trueman, a Footman, setting forth the Custom of Vails-Giving in England.
1860. Smiles, Self-Help, vii. 188. One of the minor social evils … was the custom of what was called vails-giving.
β. 1715. Addison, Drummer, II. i. (1722), 18. But. Rare News, my Lads, rare News! Gard. What’s the Matter? hast thou got any more Vales for us?
a. 1763. Shenstone, Odes, Wks. (1765), 197. Phoo—how she stands—biting her nails—As tho’ she play’d for half her vales.
1823. A. Clarke, Mem. Wesley Fam., 453. Vales to servants, that sovereign disgrace to their masters.
1878. Lecky, Eng. in 18th C., I. iv. 571. The system of vales which made servants in a great degree independent of their masters.
1894. Weyman, Man in Black, 116. They expect their vales at those places.
b. In sing. rare.
1682. Wheler, Journ. Greece, II. 192. There are commonly Attendance, who, for a small Vale, will provide you such things as you have Occasion for.
1807. Hoare, Tour Irel., 329. The vale or parting token, which the menial servants still in many houses expect.
1866. Lond. Rev., 7 April, 337/2. Calling for the bill, and settling it off-hand was pleasant, but the vail to the waiter was delicious.
6. pl. = PERQUISITE 3 c. Now rare.
In early use applied to the remnants of material left over by a tailor after making a garment or suit.
1592. Greene, Upst. Courtier, D b. He is paide for his workmanship, vnlesse by misfortune his shieres slippe awrye, and then his vales is but a shred of home spunne cloth. Ibid. The vales of one veluet breech is more then twenty paire of mine.
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus i. 7. All that is gotten … by stealth or vailes, whereby men vnconscionably shape out their owne commoditie out of another mans cloth.
a. 1658. Cleveland, Wks. (1687), 75. By the same title as the upper Garment is the Vails of the Executioner.
1677. Compl. Servant-Maid, 114. Do not covet to have the Kitching Stuff for your Vales, but rather ask the more wages.
1731. Fielding, New Way to keep a Wife, III. iii. Where ladies govern there are secrets, and where there are secrets there are vails. I lived with a lady once who used to give her cloaths away every month.
a. 1732. Gay, Fables, II. xi. A Carrier … Would see his horses eat their corn: This sunk the hostler’s vails, ’tis true; But then his horses had their due.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., xxxvi. These tell-tale articles must not remain here—they are rather too rich vails for the drudges who dress the chamber.
1890. Glouc. Gloss., s.v., The malter did always get the malt-dust for his vails.
fig. 1659. Owen, Epigr., No. 34. Things only proper unto Males, The Female Sex claim as their Vales.
