Will v.²

Pres. t. 2 sing. willest, 3 sing. willeth (arch.), wills; pa. t. and pple. willed (wild). Forms: 1 willian, 3–4 willi, 3–6 wyll, 5–6 wille, 5–7 wil, 5– will. Pa. t. 1 willode, -ade, 3 will-, wyllede, 3–6 wylled, 4 willyd, 5 -ied, Sc. -it, 5–6 -id, 3– willed; 4 wijld, 4–6 wilde, 6 wild. Pa. pple. 5 willid, -yd, 5–6 wylled, 6 willet, 6– willed; 6 willd(e, 6–7 wild. [OE. willian wk. vb. OHG. willôn (MHG., G. willen, pa. pple. gewillt): 1. WILL sb.¹]

  1.  trans. To wish, desire; sometimes with implication of intention: = WILL v.¹ 1, 2, 5. Obs. or rare arch.

c. 825.  Vesp. Psalter, xxxiii[i]. 13 [12]. Hwelc is mon se wild lif & willað ʓesian dæʓas gode?

c. 1100.  Ælfred’s Boeth., xl. § 3. Ðy ne sceolde nan wis man willian [Cott. MS. wilnian] seftes lifes.

c. 1205.  Lay., 879. Ȝif ȝe hit willed [= willeð; c. 1275 wolleþ], ich hine wlle spillen.

1297.  R. Glouc. (1724), 12. Þat he wilnede [v.rr. wyllede, willed] mest of alle þing to him eliance.

1340.  Ayenb., 142. Herte þet þis heþ a-sayd naȝt ne willieþ more þanne uor to by … uoryete to þe wordle.

1377.  Langl., P. Pl., B. XII. 221. [Þu þat] willest of briddes and of bestes and of hire bredyng to knowe.

14[?].  Lat. & Eng. Prov. (MS. Douce 52), lf. 13. He þ^t a lytul me ȝeuyth to me wyllyth [optat] longe lyffe.

1471.  Caxton, Recuyell (Sommer), 218. So had he well willyd that the monstre had deuoured perseus.

1548.  Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Matt. v. 21–24. Who so euer hath gotten to hymselfe the charitie of the gospell, whyche wylleth wel to them that wylleth yll.

1581.  A. Hall, Iliad, V. 87. By Mineruas helpe, who willes you all the ill she may.

a. 1677.  Barrow, Serm. Luke xxii. 42, Wks. 1686, III. 45. Two things he willeth, that we should be good, and that we should be happy.

1875.  Tennyson, Q. Mary, I. iv. A great party in the state Wills me to wed her.

  † b.  ? To assert, affirm: = WILL v.¹ B. 4. rare.

1614.  Selden, Titles Hon., 134. None of this excludes Vnction before, but only wils him the first annointed by the Pope.

  c.  Conjoined with NILL: see WILL v.¹ B. VI.

  2.  a. To direct by one’s will or testament (that something be done, or something to be done).

871–89.  [see WILL v.¹ B. 3 b].

1338.  R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 34. At Wynchestre he lies, so himself willed.

a. 1513.  Fabyan, Chron. (1811), 613. Robert Chycheley,… the which wylled in his testament, that vpon his mynde day a good … dyner shuld be ordeyned for .xxiiii. C. poore men.

1590.  Spenser, F. Q., II. x. 32. So to his crowne she him restor’d againe, In which he dyde, made ripe for death by eld, And after wild, it should to her remaine.

1634.  Peacham, Compl. Gentl., xv. (1906), 199. Willing his body to be buried in the Cathedrall Church of Rochester.

1642.  trans. Perkins’ Prof. Bk., viii. § 547. 237. If a man willeth that his lands shall be sold for payment of his debts.

1881.  Lady Herbert, Edith, vii. It was a simple walking funeral, as he had wished and willed it should be.

  b.  To dispose of by will; to bequeath or devise.

c. 1460.  Oseney Reg., 7. Willyng and grauntyng my lorde Robert Doylly, all my londe.

1521.  Test. Ebor. (Surtees), VI. 6. First I will my saull to God Almyghtie.

1524.  Lincoln Wills (Lincoln Rec. Soc.), V. 132. The resydue of all my goodes not willet nor bequethed.

1546.  Yks. Chantry Surv. (Surtees), II. 462. iij^s. iiij^d. … willed and bestowed of one obit.

1691.  E. Taylor, Behmen’s Theos. Philos., 74. The Will of every of them willeth its Property.

1865.  Dickens, Mut. Fr., II. xiii. Was it not enough that I should have been willed away, like a horse?

1883.  Law Times, 20 Oct., 410/1. The statute of Henry VIII. did something to restore the power of willing land.

1908.  Mrs. H. Ward, Diana Mallory, iii. The vast bulk of Henry Marsham’s fortune, had been willed to Lady Lucy.

  3.  To determine by the will; to attempt to cause, aim at effecting by exercise of will; to set the mind with conscious intention to the performance or occurrence of something; to choose or decide to do something, or that something shall be done or happen.

  Const. with simple obj., acc. and inf., simple inf. (now always with to), or obj. clause; also absol. or intr. (with as or so).

  Nearly coinciding in meaning with WILL v.¹ 7, but with more explicit reference to the mental process of volition.

a. 950.  Guthlac, xx. (Prose), 161. Æfter þon fiftyne ʓear þe he gode williʓende lædde his life.

a. 1340.  Hampole, Psalter, vii. 17. He willyd noght flee synn.

c. 1440.  Alphabet of Tales, 263. Lady, þow hase willid me … to suffre suche a turmentrie, at þou sufferd þe instrument of þine offes for to be þus cut off.

1556.  Aurelio & Isab. (1608), A vij. When … I have willed experiment it, I have founde it trewe and certaine.

1581.  A. Hall, Iliad, V. 95. Fate had not willd that Vlysses Sarpadons death should be.

1594.  Hooker, Eccl. Pol., I. vii. § 2. To choose is to will one thing before another.

1615.  R. Cocks, Diary (Hakl. Soc.), I. 9. He willed to take it all, for that he had need to use money heare.

1630.  Prynne, Anti-Armin., 119. He had onely a power, not to fall into sinne vnlesse he willed it.

1667.  Milton, P. L., VIII. 549. So absolute she seems … that what she wills to do or say, Seems wisest.

1710.  J. Clarke, trans. Rohault’s Nat. Philos. (1729), I. 11. If I will to move my Arm, it is presently moved.

1712.  Berkeley, Pass. Obed., § 11. He that willeth the end, doth will the necessary means conducive to that end.

1837.  Carlyle, Fr. Rev., I. V. v. All shall be as God wills.

1880.  Meredith, Tragic Com., vi. So great,… heroical, giant-like, that what he wills must be.

1891.  Farrar, Darkn. & Dawn, liv. Who … were ready, if God so willed, to die for their faith.

1896.  Housman, Shropsh. Lad, xxx. Others, I am not the first, Have willed more mischief than they durst.

  b.  intr. To exercise the will; to perform the mental act of volition.

1582.  N. T. (Rhem.), Phil. ii. 13. It is God which worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish.

1594.  Hooker, Eccl. Pol., I. vii. § 2. To will, is to bend our soules to the hauing or doing of that which they see to be good.

1635.  Quarles, Embl., IV. viii. See how my Sin-bemangled body lies, Not having pow’r, to will; nor will, to rise!

1690.  Locke, Hum. Und., II. xxi. § 30. He, that shall turn his thoughts inwards upon what passes in his mind when he wills.

1830.  Mackintosh, Eth. Philos., Wks. 1846, I. 85. But what could induce such a being to will or to act?

1867.  A. P. Forbes, Explan. 39 Art., i. 12. Is this infinitely powerful and intelligent Being free? wills He? loves He?

  c.  trans. To bring or get (into, out of, etc.) by exercise of will.

1859.  L. Hunt, Table-t. (1882), 184. Victims of opium have been known to be unable to will themselves out of the chair in which they were sitting.

1874.  H. R. Reynolds, John Bapt., iii. § 2. 156. The great powers of nature … were willed into being by the word of Jehovah.

  d.  To control (another person), or induce (another) to do something, by the mere exercise of one’s will, as in hypnotism.

1882.  Proc. Soc. Psych. Research, I. 57, note. The one to be ‘willed’ would go to the other end of the house, if desired, whilst we agreed upon the thing to be done.

1886.  Stuart C. Cumberland, in 19th Cent., Dec., 883. They are what is called ‘willed’ to do certain things desired by the ladies or gentlemen who have hold of them.

1897.  A. Lang, Dreams & Ghosts, iii. 59. A young lady, who believed that she could play the ‘willing game’ successfully without touching the person ‘willed.’

  4.  To express or communicate one’s will or wish with regard to something: with various shades of meaning. (Cf. WILL v.¹ 3.)

  a.  To enjoin, order; to decree, ordain. Obs. or arch.

  (a)  with personal obj., usually with inf. or clause.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 11293. Þe lai of moyses … wijld Womman þat had a knaue child, At hir formast birth suld sco It offer þe hali temple to.

1481.  Cov. Leet Bk., 496. We desire and also will you that vnto oure seid seruaunt … ye yeue your aid.

1547.  Edw. VI., in Rymer, Foedera (1719), XV. 192. We Wyll and Commaunde yowe to Procede in the seid Matters.

1568.  Grafton, Chron., II. 659. Their sute was smally regarded, and shortly after they were willed to silence.

1588.  Lambarde, Eiren., II. vii. 272. If a man do lie in awaite to rob me, and (drawing his sword upon me) he willeth me to deliver my money.

1591.  Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., I. iii. 10. We doe no otherwise then wee are will’d.

1596.  Nashe, Saffron Walden, P 4. Vp he was had and … willed to deliuer vp his weapon.

a. 1656.  Hales, Gold. Rem. (1673), I. 31. The King in the Gospel, that made a Feast, and … willed his servants to go out to the high-ways side.

1799.  Nelson, in Nicolas, Disp. (1845), III. 397. Willing and requiring all Officers and men to obey you.

  (b)  with thing as obj., either sb. (alone or with inf. pass.) or obj. clause; also absol. in clause with as. (See also 2 a.)

c. 1400.  Destr. Troy, 13261. At þat orribill I asket angardly myche, Of dethe, & of deire, as destyny willes.

1412.  in 15th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. VIII. 10. We … wil for the mare sekernes this oure confirmacioune be … selit with oure grete sele.

1526.  Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 224 b. Where scripture wylleth the contrary.

1565.  Cooper, Thesaurus, s.v. Classicum, By sounde of trumpet to will scilence.

1585.  in Engl. Hist. Rev. (1914), Jan., 115. Th’act for restitucion of Taffs wife to her blod was ones red which was the second readyng thereof and was willed to be ingrosed to the third reading.

1612.  Bacon, Ess., Of Empire (Arb.), 300. It is common with Princes (saith Tacitus) to will contradictories.

1697.  Dryden, Æneis, I. 112. ’Tis yours, O Queen! to will The Work, which Duty binds me to fulfil.

1877.  Tennyson, Harold, V. i. Get thou into thy cloister as the king Will’d it.

  † b.  To pray, request, entreat; = DESIRE v. 6.

1454.  Paston Lett., Suppl. (1901), 54. As for the questyon that ye wylled me to aske my lord, I fond hym yet at no good leyser.

1564.  Haward, trans. Eutropius, III. 26 b. The Romaines sent ambassadoures to him, to wyll him to cease from battayle.

1581.  A. Hall, Iliad, II. 19. His errand done, as he was willde, he toke his flight from thence.

1631.  [Mabbe], Celestina, xiii. 150. Did I not will you I should not be wakened?

1690.  Dryden, Amphitryon, I. i. He has sent me to will and require you to make a swinging long Night for him.

  † c.  fig. of a thing: To require, demand (cf. WILL v.¹ B. 3 c); also, to induce, persuade (a person to do something). Obs.

1445.  in Anglia, XXVIII. 267. Constaunce willeth also That thou doo nouȝte with weyke corage.

1563.  Googe, Eglogs, Ded. (Arb.), 24. These … mischiefes vtterly diswaded me from the folowynge of my frendes perswasions, and wylled me rather to condem them.

1579.  Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 88. Wisedome willeth me to pawse.

1607.  Shaks., Cor., II. iii. 125. What Custome wills in all things, should we doo’t? The Dust on antique Time would lye vnswept.

1667.  Milton, P. L., IV. 633. Mean while, as Nature wills, Night bids us rest.