Forms: 5 leve(e, levye, 5, 7 levie, 6 levey, 7 leavy, 5– levy. [a. F. levée, f. lever to raise, levy:—L. levāre to raise.]
1. The action of levying: a. The action of collecting an assessment, duty, tax, etc.
1427. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 318/2. Labour and coustes hade for þe levee of þe same [revenue].
1434. Waterf. Arch., in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm., App. V. 297. The said Maire and Baliffs have leve of the said citsaine or dynsyn twies as much.
1496–7. Act 12 Hen. VII., c. 12 § 4. The Collectours deputed for the levy of the seid xvmcs and xmcs nowe graunted.
1512. Act 4 Hen. VIII., c. 19 § 7. Suche direccion and order for the levey and payment therof as … shall theyr seme requysyte.
1635. Mass. Col. Rec. (1853), I. 134. The constable of Dorchestr is ffined xxs for not retorneing his warrant for the last levy into the Court.
1714. Steele, Lover, No. 16 (1723), 94. Sir Anthony stole the manner of this Levy from Lord Peters Invention.
1828. D’Israeli, Chas. I., II. x. 252. The sole object of the Government was to settle the legal levy of the duties.
1862. Merivale, Rom. Emp. (1865), IV. xxxviii. 312. He decreed the levy of one-twentieth upon the succession to property.
1874. Green, Short Hist., v. § 4. 244. In the eastern counties its levy [poll-tax] gathered crowds of peasants together.
transf. 1872. Yeats, Growth Comm., 51. A levy was made upon nature for every delicacy of food and wines with which to spread the table.
b. The action of enrolling or collecting men for war or other purposes.
1607. Shaks., Cor., V. v. 67. To … giue away The benefit of our Leuies.
a. 1653. Binning, Serm. (1845), 490. What meant the Levy appointed immediately after Dunbar.
1843. G. P. R. James, Forest Days, x. Arrange with bold Robin for a levy of as many yeomen as possible.
1859. Jephson, Brittany, viii. 107. The Government endeavoured to carry out the celebrated levy of three hundred thousand men.
1879. Froude, Cæsar, xxi. 354. As to the levies, the men enlist unwillingly.
† c. The action of collecting debts or enforcing the payment of fines. Obs.
1463. Bury Vills (Camden), 43. That my executours … make levy of my dettys.
1702. J. Logan, in Pennsylv. Hist. Soc. Mem., IX. 150. As to fines—I have promoted and pressed their levy in this county to my utmost.
2. The amount or number levied: a. † A duty, impost, tax. Obs. In a trade or benefit society: A call or contribution of so much per head.
1640. in Virginia Mag. Hist. & Biog., V. 364. Francis Moryson … being appointed to collect and receive the levy belonging to Mr. George Sandys.
1647. N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., I. xi. 33. Offa charged this Leavy upon the Inhabitants dwelling in Nine several Diocesses.
1662. Petty, Taxes, Pref. Great and heavy Leavies upon a poor people.
a. 1680. Butler, Rem. (1759), I. 171. None but Kings have Pow’r to raise A Levy, which the Subject pays.
1765. Blackstone, Comm., I. I. viii. 280. The other ancient levies were in the nature of a modern land-tax.
1901. Scotsman, 8 March, 5/4. It was decided to call up a special levy from next week to cover the amount necessary.
transf. 1873. Tristram, Moab, x. 192. The only levy on our stores had been four bottles of raki.
b. A body of men enrolled; also pl. the individual men.
1611. Bible, 1 Kings v. 13. The leuie was thirtie thousand men.
1642. Charles I., Message Parlt., 8 April, 4. With the Addition of these Leavies.
1775. J. Trumbull, in Sparks, Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853), I. 37. Our new levies will be at your camp with all convenient expedition.
1810. Wellington, in Gurw., Desp. (1838), VI. 475. It has brought the Portuguese levies into action.
1826. J. F. Cooper, Mohicans (1829), I. vi. 79. I teach singing to the youths of the Connecticut levy.
1845. Sarah Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref., I. 181. The levy was to consist of 1058 horse, and 3038 foot.
1865. Carlyle, Fredk. Gt. (1872), VIII. XVIII. xii. 18. Daun … is … perfecting his new levies.
1867. Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), I. v. 312. The Danes put the irregular English levies to flight.
1887. M. Morris, Claverhouse, x. (1888), 177. Lord Rollo, who was camped outside the walls with some new levies of horse, came flying through the gates with the news that Dundee was upon them.
3. Levy in mass [F. levée en masse]: a levy of all the able-bodied men in a country or district for military service.
1807. Southey, Espriella’s Lett. (1808), I. 179. The levy in mass, the telegraph, and the income tax are all from France.
1830. W. Taylor, Hist. Surv. Germ. Poetry, III. 425. Körner … stimulated the levy-in-mass of the nation.
4. In some public schools: A meeting called for discussion of any matter relating to the school.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. viii. A levy of the School had been held, at which the captain of the School had got up, and after premising that [etc.]. Ibid. A levy of the sixth had been held on the subject. Ibid., I. ix. Holmes called a levy of his house.
5. Comb.: levy-money, † (a) bounty-money paid to recruits; (b) contributions called for from the members of a trade or benefit society.
1671. R. Montagu, in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.), I. 503. To learn at what rate they may have men, both as to the levy-money and the constant pay.
1702. Luttrell, Brief Rel. (1857), V. 134. That there be allowed for levy money for the dragoons, £12 for man and horse.
1777. Hist. Eur., in Ann. Reg., 70/1. An unexpected demand made by the Landgrave of Hesse for levy money.
1894. Westm. Gaz., 16 July, 2/3. The … refusal of the Federationists to share with them the English levy money.
