Obs. or arch. Forms: 4 fei, feye, fai, 4–6 fey, 4–7 fay, 5 fa, 4–6 faye, 6 foy. [ad. later OFr. fei:—earlier feit, feid: see FAITH. Feith, FAITH was the original, and became the ordinary, Eng. form: but fey, fay also passed into Eng. from contemporary Fr. a. 1300, and was for a time almost as common as the earlier form, especially in certain senses, and in phrases such as par fay, by my fay = OFr. par fei, par ma fei.]

1

  1.  Religious belief; = FAITH sb. 1–4.

2

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 7562 (Cott.). I haue in drightin fest mi fai.

3

c. 1315.  Shoreham, Poems (1849), 139. Her-to accordeth oure fay.

4

c. 1320.  R. Brunne, Medit., 18. Þat ys preved by crystes feye.

5

a. 1375.  Lay Folks Mass Bk., App. iv. 117. Þou schalt be founden, I þe fay Hoseled.

6

14[?].  Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 253. Ellis, faileþ al oure fay.

7

a. 1400[?].  Chester Pl. (1847), II. 116.

        Newe tonges shall have to preach the faye,
And edders to maister also.

8

a. 1420.  Hoccleve, De Regimine Principum, 332. Mannes resoun may not preve our fey.

9

c. 1450.  Myrc, 362.

        For who so be-leueth in þe fay
Mote be-leue thus by any way.

10

1590.  Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Sept., 107.

        Their ill haviour garres men missay
Both of their doctrine, and of their faye.

11

1596.  Spenser, F. Q., V. viii. 19.

        That neither hath religion nor fay,
But makes his God of his ungodly pelfe.

12

  2.  Credit, authority; = FAITH sb. 6.

13

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Boeth., IV. ii. 112. For as moche as þe fey of my sentence shal be þe more ferme and haboundaunt.

14

  3.  Promise, assurance; = FAITH sb. 8.

15

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 11530 (Cott.). For he [heroude] was traitur, fals in fai.

16

c. 1380.  Sir Ferumb., 2046. Þar-to sche sykerede þanne hure fay, to help hem be hure miȝte.

17

c. 1385.  Chaucer, L. G. W., 1847, Lucrece. They answerde alle unto hire fey.

18

  4.  Allegiance; = FAITH 9; also in To hold, keep, owe, swear (one’s) fay; = FAITH sb. 9 b.

19

c. 1290.  S. Eng. Leg., St. Dominic, 246. Bi þe fei, þat i schal to þe.

20

c. 1310.  Sir Tristr., 318. Þe mariner swore his faye.

21

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, XIII. 545. [He] held him lelely his fay.

22

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xli. 59. Þe Folk come to þe Fay.

23

c. 1450.  Henryson, Mor. Fab., 53.

        For to pray That … Lords keepe their fay,
Vnto their Soueraigne King both night and day.

24

1590.  Spenser, F. Q., II. x. 41.

        And of them both did foy and tribute raise,
The which was dew in his dead fathers daies.

25

  b.  To be at, to take til (= to) any person’s or persons’ fay: to be in, to take into allegiance or subjection to him or them.

26

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 12984 (Cott.). Þe kinges all ar at mi fai.

27

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, XIII. 404. Bothwell … then at yngliss mennys fay Wes.

28

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xli. 85.

        He tuk þame til þe Scottis Fay:
Til hym þare Athis of þat made þai.

29

  5.  Fidelity; = FAITH sb. 10. Also To bear fay.

30

c. 1300.  Havelok, 255.

        And alle þe englis dede he swere[n],
Þat he shulden him ghod fey beren.

31

1377.  Political Poems (Rolls), I. 215.

        So fikel in heare fay,
That selden iseiȝe is sone fonȝete.

32

a. 1529.  Skelton, Dk. Albany 437.

        In loyalte and foy
Lyke to Ector of Troy.

33

  6.  In asseverative phrases: a. In (good) fay; = FAITH sb. 12 a.

34

c. 1300.  K. Alis., 6952. He … thoughte in god fay.

35

c. 1340.  Cursor M., 13603 (Trin.). He is oure son bei seide in fay.

36

1423.  Jas. I., Kingis Q., lix. Here is, in fay, the tyme.

37

c. 1475.  Rauf Coilȝear, 88. In gud fay, Schir, it is suith that ȝe say.

38

c. 1532.  Dewes, Introd. Fr., in Palsgr., 1046. In good fay I thanke our Lorde.

39

Mod. dial. (Devon.) Iss fay!

40

  b.  In quasi-oaths. By, upon my (etc.) fay: = FAITH sb. 12 c. Also in Fr. form, (Par) (ma) fay.

41

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 13593 (Gött.). ‘A prophete,’ said he, ‘bi mi fay.’

42

c. 1300.  Harrow. Hell, 81.

        Par ma fey! ich holde myne
Alle tho that bueth heryne.

43

c. 1386.  Chaucer, Wife’s T., 201. If I say fals, sey nay, upon thy fey. Ibid., Clerk’s T., Prol., 9. Tel us som mery tale, by your fay. Ibid., Pars. T., ¶ 793. Par fay the resoun of a man tellith him [etc.].

44

c. 1460.  Play Sacram., 589. Betwyn Douyr & Calyce … dwellth non so cunnyng be my fey.

45

c. 1460.  Towneley Myst. (Surtees), 36. Ma fa! sone I hope he shalle.

46

1547.  Gardiner, in Strype, Cranmer, II. (1694), 76. To say [etc.] … by my faye is overfar out of the way.

47

1808.  Scott, Marmion, I. xxii.

        ‘Nephew,’ quoth Heron, ‘by my fay,
Well hast thou spoke; say forth thy say.’

48

1849.  G. P. R. James, The Woodman, x. By my fay, the place seems a fortress instead of an abbey.

49