Obs. In phr. at, of, on, upon free cost = cost-free, gratis. (See also COST sb.2 5 c.)
1563. Homilies, II. Agst. Idleness (1859), 517. Getting their own living with their own travail, but eating other men’s bread of free cost.
1627. Bp. Hall, Best Bargaine, Wks. 516. The slothfull worldling will rather take vp a falshood for Truth, than beat his braine to discerne Truth from falshood; an error of free-cost is better than an high-rated Veritie.
1655. Fuller, The Church-History of Britain, II. iii. § 26. If he affirmeth it on free cost, we can confute it as cheap, by denying it.
1676. Wycherley, Pl. Dealer, Ded. A Man in a Journey, (out of good husbandry) had better pay for what he has at an Inn, than lie on free-cost at a Gentleman’s House.
1749. Bp. Lavington, Enthus. Methodists & Papists (1754), II. III. 4. For this, and the Methodists asking her to live upon Free-Cost, she determined to admit no more of them into her House.
1764. Mem. Geo. Psalmanazar, 133–4. Considering how well acquainted I was with the way of travelling at free-cost.
b. as adv. phr. without preposition.
1648. Herrick, Hesper., ‘Nothing free-cost’ (1869), 189.
| Nothing comes free-cost here; Jove will not let | |
| His gifts go from him; if not bought with sweat. |
1720. Ozell, Vertot’s Rom. Rep., II. IX. 67. CAIUS passing through the Forum, and seeing it clogg’d up with all those Scaffolds, ordered them to be taken down, that the People might have more Room, and see the Sports Free cost.
c. attrib. or adj. Gratuitous.
1586. T. B., La Primaud. Fr. Acad., I. (1594), 136. To such parasites and scrap-gatherers at free-cost feasts, who seeke for nothing but their own gaine by the disagreement of others, we must neuer giue eare, but driue them as far from vs, as they thinke to come neere vs.
