Obs. Forms: 4 chevisans, chevicaunce, chewisance, chefesaunce, chyvesaunce, chevyssauns, 4–5 chevissaunce, -ance, 4–6 chevysaunce, -ance, chevesance, -aunce, 4–7, 9 chevisaunce, -ance, 5 (cheysaunce, chevysshaunce), chevesauns, chevyshaunce, -ance, (7 chevisancie). [a. OF. chevisance, chevissance, f. chevissant, pr. pple. of chevir: see CHEVISE v.]
I. 1. A bringing to an end or issue; issue, end.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 105. Whan Henry herd telle þis of þat gode cheuysance.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., lx. 248 (Harl. MS.). Shamide that he ne wiste what chevisaunce he myght make.
2. Furtherance; help, assistance rendered.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 6978 (Gött.). Na folk þaim miht widstand … Quilis þai wid þaim had goddes cheuisans.
a. 1420. Occleve, De Reg. Princ., 4911. Yf a man … Of his gode yeve you a gode substaunce, Kunneth hym thanke of his goode chevysaunce.
3. Resource, remedy, means of helping or extricating oneself, shift; also, expedient, device, shiftiness.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 181. If þe Soudan ros opon Philip of France, & I wer þan in clos withouten cheuisance.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXIII. 16. Þauh he … can no betere cheuesaunce, Neode nymeþ hym a-non vnder his maynpryse.
1440. Protest Dk. Gloucester, in Rymer, Foedera (1710), X. 766. Yf … my said Lord can find noon other meen or chevesaunce to keep ony part.
c. 1470. Harding, Chron. iv. iii. Eche daye they made wyttye cheuesaunce, To helpe them selfe at their necessitee.
c. 1489. Caxton, Sonnes of Aymon (1885), 104. The foreste is soo grete, that they shall fynde some cheuysaunce.
1530. Palsgr., 267/1. Schyfte, chevesaunce, cheuesance.
1548. Hall, Chron. (1809), 406. Hir craftie chevesaunce tooke none effect in Brytayne.
1650. B., Discolliminium, 39. Violated by Leger du main, or chevisance of wit.
4. Contribution to the supply of any want; provision; supply.
138[?]. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 382. What chefesaunce & costis þe clergi makiþ.
1565. Jewel, Repl. Harding (1611), 67. There was then neither such number of Altars, nor such cheuisance of Masses, as hath beene sithence.
5. Provision of what is wanted for life; concr. provisions, substance.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 402. He gat schippyne gud plente, And wictalis in gret aboundance: Sa maid he nobill chewisance.
c. 1385. Chaucer, L. G. W., Phillis. Hys wyse folke conseyle han hym yeven … To … make in that londe somme chevissaunce, And kepen hym fro woo.
1436. Pol. Poems (1859), II. 169. Thus moste rude ware be in here chevesaunce.
1602. Carew, Cornwall, 29. The store house of Sunnes cheuisance … Oceanus.
1609. Holland, Amm. Marcell., XXIII. iii. 221. A strong towne of defence, and for rich chevisance and quicke traffique a most delectable place.
1611. Cotgr., Bien, wealth, substance, chevisance, riches, possessions.
6. Booty.
c. 1340. Gaw. & Gr. Knt., 1390. Tas yow þere my cheuicaunce, I cheued no more.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 332. As a thefe maketh his chevesance And robbeth mennes goodes about.
1526. Skelton, Magnyf., 2264. When we with Magnyfycence goodys made chevysaunce.
1530. Tindale, Pract. Prelates, xii. for him they might not slee whom they wolde, and make what cheuysaunce they lusted.
1658. W. Burton, Itin. Anton., 149–50. [They] carried their pillage … to places of safety … and full of gladnesse for their chevisance, did then come again to fetch more.
II. spec. The providing or raising of funds.
7. Regarded as the action of the borrower: Raising of money by some expedient, esp. on some surety or pledge; borrowing. To make a chevisance: to contract a loan; to pledge or pawn anything for ready money.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Shipm. T., 329. Chaffare is so dere, That nedes must he make a chevisance, For he was bonde in a recognisance, To payen twenty thousand sheldes anon.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 144. For he [Richd. I.] purposed to go to the Holy Land, and must make chevesauns for mech money, he sent aftir the Kyng of Scottis.
1461. J. Paston, Lett., 410, II. 41. I kowd make non othyr cheysaunce but I schuld a boruyed it of a strange man. Ibid. (1474), 745, III. 115. And as for the forte C. mark … he wolde, rather than joperte sholde be, purvey it by weye off chevyshaunce at London, in so moche that … he had for my sake leyde v. c. markes worthe of plate with Hewghe Fenne.
1530. Tindale, Pract. Prelates, xiii. The old Pope had none auctoryte to make anye soch cheuisaunce with St. Peters enheritaunce: he coude but haue the vse of it his lyfelonge.
b. Resource or shift to get money, way of ‘raising the needful.’ (Always in a bad sense.)
a. 1400. Cov. Myst., xxv. 243. A beggerys dowtere … To cownterfete a jentylwoman … And yf mony lakke, this is the new chevesauns With here prevy plesawns to gett it of sum man.
c. 1510. Barclay, Mirr. Good Mann. (1570), C iij. If he shame to begge … Then turneth he to fraude and crafty cheuesaunce, Of all men borowing on suertie, othe or seale.
1545. Act 37 Hen. VIII., c. 9. Pream., Punyshment of Usurye … and of other corrupte bargaynes, shiftes and chevisances.
1589. Puttenham, Eng. Poesie, I. xviii. (Arb.), 53. Pasturage was before tillage, or fishing or fowling, or any other predatory art or cheuisance.
c. Merchandise, gain (in a bad sense); esp. in To make chevisance of: to make merchandise, profit, or gain of.
1535. Coverdale, Deut. xxi. 14. Then shalt thou let her go whither she wyll, and not to sell her, nor to make cheuesaunce of her.
1555. Fardle Facions, II. vii. 161. The parentes brought to niedinesse, vse there to make cheuisaunce of their doughters bodies.
c. 1570. Thynne, Pride & Lowl., cccxxix. And to commaund and haue the world at wyll Others for they mak of it chevisaunce.
1616. Bullokar, Cheuisance, merchandise, bargaining.
1623–6. so Cockeram.
8. Regarded as the action of the lender: The furnishing of funds, money-lending on security. Also, app. The lending of goods, etc., for profit; and sometimes, merely, Dealing for profit.
(Apparently commonly applied in 15–16th c. to some device by which the statutes against usury were evaded.)
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 249. Eschaunges and cheuesaunces With suche chaffare I dele.
138[?]. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 88. Marchauntis by usure under colour of treuþe þat þei clepyn chevysaunce.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 283. So estately was he of governaunce, With his bargayns, and with his chevysaunce.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. VII. 252. Þat chaffared with my chyuesaunce, cheuede selde after.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 33. Usury and Chevesaunce, incresith the Povertie of hym that borowyth.
1487. Act 3 Hen. VII., c. 6 § 3. Ordyned … that all unlefull Chevysaunces and Usurye be dampned, and none to be used, upon payne of forfeyture of the Value of the Money or Goodez so chevysched or lent.
1570. Act 13 Eliz., c. 5. Couenous and fraudulent Feoffements … Conueyances, Bonds … to the overthrow of all true and plain dealing, bargaining and chevisance between man and man. Ibid., c. 7. (Who is a Bankrupt) Any … Person … using the Trade of Merchandize by way of Bargaining, Exchange, Rechange, Bartry, Chevisance or otherwise.
1588. J. Harvey, Disc., in Thynne’s Animadv. (1865), 146. Pitie, that any such knack of knauerie, or covenous chevisance … should … overthrow … any well governed … state.
1602. Fulbecke, 2nd Pt. Parall., 48. It is held to be simonie, and corrupt cheuisance, if any valuable consideration be giuen in such regard pacto, vel facto.
[1641. Termes de la Ley, 56.
1767. Blackstone, Comm., II. xxxi.]
¶ Misused by Spenser and others after him, who have erroneously confounded the word with chevance, chivalry, chevauchee, etc.: Enterprise, performance; chivalrous enterprise or achievement; expedition on horseback; chivalry; prowess, etc.
(Spenser app. misunderstood some passage in Gower or other old writer: modern archaists have in turn misunderstood Spenser.)
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., May, 92. They maken many a wrong cheuisaunce [gloss., Cheuisaunce, sometime of Chaucer vsed for gaine: sometime of other for spoyle, or bootie, or enterprise, and sometime for chiefdome]. Ibid. (1590), F. Q. III. xi. 24. Shameful thing Yt were t’ abandon noble chevisaunce For shewe of perill, without venturing.
1600. Fairfax, Tasso, IV. lxxxi. Be it not pardie declar’d in France … That we forsooke so faire a cheuisance, For doubt or feare that might from fight arise.
1612. Pasquil’s Night-Cap (1877), 109. None of more valour, might or cheuisance.
1624. Quarles, Div. Poems Sion’s Sonn. (1717), 377. Encreas’d in power, and high Chevisance Of Arms.
1849. Lytton, K. Arthur, VIII. xi. II. 44. Frank were those times of trustful Chevisaunce [note, Chevisaunce.—Spenser], And hearts when guileless open to a glance. Ibid., XII. cxcv. II. 300. Stand forth—bold child of Christian Chevisaunce!
1882. Shorthouse, J. Inglesant, xxxii. When the northern gods … rode on their chevisance, they went down into the deep valleys singing magic songs.
