Now arch. Forms: 4–5 vengyn (5 vengy), 4– venge (4 venie, uenge); 4–5 wenge, 4, 5 Sc., weng. [ad. OF. vengier, venger (mod.F. venger, = It. vengiare, Sp. vengar, Pg. vingar):—L. vindicāre VINDICATE v. Cf. AVENGE v.]
1. a. refl. = AVENGE v. 1 b.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 5345. For þat þai na wight drightin dred, He wenged him o þam ful sare.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter ii. 5. When he venges him, his vengaunce is cald woednes.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Melib., ¶ 45. But lete us now putte, that ye han leve to venge yow; I say ye ben nought of might ne power as now to venge you.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (Percy Soc.), 31. Be nat to hasty to venge the on thi foo.
c. 1450. Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.), 72. He vengid hym on his enemys horribly.
1509. Fisher, 7 Penit. Ps., vi. Wks. (1876), 18. Grete laude and prayse is in wylde beestes lackynge reason, that they wyll forgyue and not venge themselfe vpon other weyker beestes.
1581. A. Hall, Iliad, II. 29. Til that ech one here of vs al, at wil and ease be plast With Troyan Dames … to venge vs of Paris.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., I. ii. 292. Tel you the Dolphin, I am comming on, To venge me as I may.
1817. Scott, Harold, II. xv. Thou shalt know, If I can venge me on a foe.
1914. Contemp. Rev., April, 578. To venge themselves they pursued a policy of obstruction in the Diet.
b. trans. = AVENGE v. 1.
c. 1325. Metr. Hom., 137. Ef thou prai Godd that he Apon thi fais venge the.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 5533. Haly Loverd,… How lange sal be ar þow venge our blude Of our enemys þat in erthe duelles.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., x. 29 (Harl. MS.). Do vs to knowe, if þer be ony þat þretenith þe; For we ben redy to venge þe.
c. 1450. Lovelich, Grail, lvi. 435. Thus owre lord venged kyng Lawncelot certayn.
1581. A. Hall, Iliad, I. 16. I greatly dread, hir sonne to venge, obtainde some suit she hath.
1590. Greene, Orlando Furioso, 1093. Now let vs seeke to venge the Lampe of France That lately was eclipsed in Angelica.
1613. Heywood, Braz. Age, II. ii. I sweare … to … venge the Gods that gouerne Sea and Sunne.
1814. Scott, Lord of Isles, III. xxix. With this he cross’d the murderer’s path, And venged young Allan well!
1887. Bowen, Æneid, IV. 656. I have … Venged a beloved one, meted a brother measure for guilt.
c. pass. = AVENGE v. 1 c.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 24. For to plede, for to fiȝtte and … to be vengid on men þat don aȝenst here wille, worschipe, or profit.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 202. Bot I wol make this beheste, I schal be venged er I go.
c. 1400. Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton), II. lvii. (1859), 55. I myght haue ben fully venged vpon the.
1480. Cov. Leet Bk., II. 441. Be-cause þe seid Laurens … feyned maters to þentent to haue be venged for þe due punysshement yeven to hym be þe seid Maire.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of A., I. i. 7. They that gretly be vengid on their enemyes.
1611. B. Jonson, Catiline, II. i. I should be right sorry To have the means so to be venged on you.
† d. intr. = AVENGE v. 1 d. Obs.
13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 201. [He] Ne venged for no vilte of vice ne synne,… Ne neuer so sodenly soȝt vnsoundely to weng. Ibid., 559. Felly he uenged Quen fourferde alle þe flesch þar he formed hade.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 7333. Achilles … of þo kynges, þat were kild,… Wold haue vengit of þe velany, & þe vile harme.
14[?]. in Arnolde, Chron. (1811), 208. A priest ought to be swete and softe more rather to foryeue than to vengy.
a. 1500. Ratis Raving, 3540. Traist nocht thine honore in a fulle, Na weng nocht quhil thi blud be cule.
2. trans. = AVENGE v. 2.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 3806. Þys yche chylde toke hym to rede For to venge hys fadrys ded.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, I. 62 (Harl. MS.). In dyverse wise … The ravysshyng to vengyn of Heleyn, By Paris done, they wroughten all hir peine.
a. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 44. The thre oþer also deyden on spytues deþes, so þat, wythyn þre ȝere aftyr, Thomas deth was thus venget.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, ix. 244. I praye god that I maye venge your deth vpon theym or ever I deceasse.
1538. Starkey, England, 141. That hys ennemy may not pluke hym out at hys lyberty, nor yet in such place to venge hys iniury.
1587. Turberv., Trag. Tales (1837), 160. To venge which deede, and cursed cruell acte, He slue them all.
1620. J. Pyper, trans. Hist. Astrea, I. II. 13. Venge not my death vpon this faire Lady.
1638. Sanderson, Serm. (1681), II. 111. We find our selves ready to fret at any cross occurrent, to venge every injury, to rage at every light provocation.
1802. Leyden, in Life & Poems (1875), 39. Thine the mighty boast … To venge each ancient violated bust.
1851. C. L. Smith, trans. Tasso, XVIII. xlviii. And much he hoped with such a fiery brood To venge the felling of the precious wood.
† b. To punish (wrongdoing). Obs.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter, xxix. 5. Wreth, þat is vengaunce, þat he vengid in ȝow þe first syn with ded.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxv. (Julian), 116. Syk wykyt wordis of dyspyt In þat dekine ware wengyt tyt.
1401. Pol. Poems (Rolls), II. 111. Thou seist … that charite is chacid, to vengyn oure defautis, and mende us of oure mysse.
† 3. = AVENGE v. 3. Obs.–1
a. 1470. Harding, Chron., LXV. iii. The Scottes and Peightes he venged & ouercam.
† 4. To execute (vengeance); to wreak (anger) by vengeance. Obs. rare.
1382. Wyclif, Jer. li. 36. Lo! Y shal deme thi cause, and venge thi vengyng.
a. 1470. H. Parker, Dives & Pauper (W. de W., 1496), IV. xv. 179/2. He is goddes mynystre, to venge the wrath of god in hym that dooth amys.
