Wisely adv.

Forms: see WISE a. and -LY²; also 5 wisily, vi-, vysilie, 5–6 wys(e)-. wyislie, 6 wyslye, wislie. [OE. wíslíce = OS. wîslîco, MLG., MDu. wîslîk (Du. wijzelijk), OHG. wîslîcho (MHG. wîslîche), ON. vísliga (in the sense of vissuliga certainly): f. WISE a. + -LY².] In a wise manner.

  1.  With wisdom, sound judgment, or sagacity. Also more widely, with good sense or discretion.

c. 888.  Ælfred, Boeth., xviii. § 1. Se þe wile wislice & ʓeornlice æfter þam hlisan spyrian. Ibid. (c. 897), Gregory’s Past. C., xviii. 131. Ðæt he meahte ðæt folc ðy wislicor & ðy radlicor læran.

c. 1175.  Lamb. Hom., 105. Þet mon wisliche spene þa þing þe him god lene on þisse liue to brukene.

c. 1200.  Ormin, 2199. Ȝho toc wisliȝ to fraȝȝnenn himm whatt itt bitacnenn mihhte.

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 1091. Loth hem warnede, wislike and wel, Oc he ne troweden him neuere a del.

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 18852. Clerli spak he þat he wald, And al his skil wiseli he tald.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Troylus, I. 956. He hasteþ wel þat wysly kan a-byde.

c. 1400.  Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 70. Alle þese þingis I haue told, þat he þat rediþ hem mai þe visiloker [v.r. wyslocor] in semblable causis worchen.

a. 1450.  Le Morte Arth., 1158. Thou ne woste not Ryght wiseliche What harme hathe falle.

c. 1489.  Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon, xxv. 539. See that ye revenge yourself wysly.

1551.  Robinson, trans. More’s Utopia, I. (1895), 113. Thys I suppose is the chiefe cause whie theyr common wealthes be wyselyere gouerned.

a. 1586.  Sidney, Arcadia, III. (1922), 78. Young men, who thinke, then they speake wiseliest, when they cannot understand themselves.

1604.  Shaks., Oth., V. ii. 344. One that lou’d not wisely, but too well. Ibid. (1610), Temp., II. i. 21. Gon. … You haue spoken truer then you purpos’d. Seb. You haue taken it wiselier then I meant you should.

1667.  Milton, P. L., X. 1023. Doubt not but God Hath wiselier arm’d his vengeful ire then so To be forestall’d.

1765.  A. Dickson, Treat. Agric. (ed. 2), 63. This method of conveying the vegetable food from the earth to the air, and from the air to the earth, is wisely established, for making a just distribution of it upon all parts of the earth.

1829.  Southey, Sir T. More, I. 280. Men judge wiseliest, when they judge most charitably.

1847.  Helps, Friends in C., I. v. 85. From a genial, wisely-developed man, good things radiate.

1925.  E. Phillpotts, Voice from Dark, xvi. 220. He would have done wiselier to be home before it came.

  b.  With an air or assumption of wisdom; sagely, knowingly.

1585.  T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., IV. xiii. 126 b. [I asked him] … what religion he kept, wherupon wisely he gaue me to vnderstand that [etc.].

1600.  Shaks., A. Y. L., II. vii. 22. He … looking on it, with lacke-lustre eye, Sayes, very wisely, it is ten a clocke.

1888.  ‘J. S. Winter,’ Bootle’s Childr., iv. ‘Ah! but there’s very few Captain Ferrers about,’ said Lassie wisely.

  † 2.  Attentively, carefully, heedfully. Obs.

c. 1000.  Inst. Polity, x. in Thorpe, Laws, II. 318. Beþencan heora dæda wislice & warlice.

a. 1225.  Ancr. R., 104. Þe heorte is wel iloked ȝif muð & eien & earen wisliche beoð ilokene.

a. 1225.  Leg. Kath., 82. Ha heold hire aldrene hird wisliche & warliche.

1377.  Langl., P. Pl., B. XIII. 343. I wayted wisloker.

a. 1400[?].  Morte Arth., 1613. That they be weisely wachede and in warde holdene.

c. 1400.  Maundev. (Roxb.), xxvi. 123. Qwhen þai ga to were, þai hafe þam riȝt warly and wysely.

c. 1475.  Rauf Coilȝear, 587. I raid on full richt, To watche wyselie the wayis.

1558.  Warde, trans. Alexis’ Secr., 111. Powre the said water fynely and wisely into some other vessel that is cleane.

1594.  Plat, Jewell-ho., III. 28. If you holde the same [glass] wisely … you shall see the wine ascende in the forme of a clowd.

  † 3.  Skilfully, cleverly, ingeniously; cunningly.

a. 1000.  Cædmon’s Gen., 456. Oð ðæt he Adam on eorðrice, godes handʓesceaft ʓearone funde, wislice ʓeworht, & his wif somed.

a. 1000.  Boeth. Metr., xx. 15. Þu þe unstilla aʓna ʓesceafta to ðinum willan wislice astyrest.

c. 1250.  Gen. & Ex., 3630. God it taȝte al ear moysen Wislike hu it wroȝt sulde ben.

1390.  Gower, Conf., I. 255. With his wordes slyhe and queinte, The whiche he cowthe wysly peinte.

c. 1430.  Pilgr. Lyf Manhode, I. lxxiv. (1869), 44. She wolde it were so wysliche moolded and so subtylliche that bi seemynge it were litel.

a. 1586.  Sidney, Arcadia, Ecl. ii. (1923), 231. The hives of wisely painfull Bees.

1601.  Shaks., Twel. N., I. v. 33. Here comes my Lady: make your excuse wisely, you were best.