Forms: 1 balu, bealu, bealo, gen. beal(o)wes, pl. beal(e)wu, 3 balu, bælu, balw, ballu, baluw, balluw, baleu, balwe, 3– bale, (4 bal, baal, 5 bael, bayle, 5–6 Sc. baill, bayle, 7 baile). [Common Teut.: OE. balu, bealu (gen. bealw-es) = OS. and OFris. balu, OHG. balo, ON. böl:—OTeut. *balw-o(m), the neuter of the prec. adjective; cf. evil, ill, good, as sbs. Almost confined to poetry from OE. downwards; in ME. it seems to have derived fresh vitality from the ON. böl, whence also its alliterative use with bote ‘remedy, relief,’ and bete ‘to relieve.’ More of English origin, perhaps, is its alliterative opposition to bliss. Marked obsolete in dictionaries soon after 1600, and rare thence to the 19th century, when its undefined vague sense of evil has made it a favorite word with the poets.]
I. Senses.
1. Evil, especially considered in its active operation, as destroying, blasting, injuring, hurting, paining, tormenting; fatal, dire, or malign, quality or influence; woe, mischief, harm, injury; in earlier use often = death, infliction of death.
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Satan (Gr.), 682. Bealowes gást [= the devil].
a. 1000. Ags. Ps. lix. 2. Me wið blodhréowes weres bealuwe ʓehǽle.
1076. O. E. Chron. Þær wæs þæt bryd ealo, þæt wæs maneʓra manna bealo.
c. 1205. Lay., 1455. Balu com on ueste. Ibid., 5016. Whet wult þu balwe menge?
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 74. Þe Komyn had his bale, his lif was lightly sold.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 6103. That day [of doom], Þe day of bale and of bitternes.
c. 1340. Alex. & Dind., 163. Þi bestus of bale · þat bi þe water ferde.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom. (1879), 188. I am worthi al this bale, for I tolde to the woman al my counseill.
1579. Spenser, Sheph. Cal., Nov., 84. The flouret … buryed long in Winters bale.
1647. Cleveland, Smectymn. Caligula, whose pride was Mankinds Baile.
1748. Thomson, Cast. Indol., I. i. Withouten that would come an heavyer bale.
1870. Bryant, Homer, I. II. 75. Tidings of bale she brought.
b. Evil-speaking, abuse.
c. 1220. Leg. St. Kath., 551. Ha tukeð ure godes to balewe & to bismere.
2. Evil in its passive aspect; physical suffering, torment, pain, woe.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 68. Deuel dwale, Ðat made ile sorȝe, and euerilc bale.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 19379. Þat neuer for na bale ne buud.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 477. & lyued in penance … With bodyly bale hym blysse to byye.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXI. 34. And bringe adoun · bale and deþ for euere.
c. 1460. Frere & Boy, in Ritson, Anc. P. P., 35. God that … dranke both eysell and gall, Brynge vs out of bale.
1575. Churchyard, Chippes (1817), 211. Borne vnto bale, and subiect to debate.
c. 1824. Campbell, Fragm. Oratorio, 37. The bitterness of my bale.
1834. Southey, Doctor (1862), 35. Death … calls up a soul from bale, to give an account of his own sufferings.
3. Mental suffering; misery, sorrow, grief.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 18. My breste in bale bot bolne & bele.
c. 1400. Melayne, 576. For bale hym thoght he brynt.
c. 1425. Sev. Sages (P.), 258. He that tolde hire that tale, Broght him in mykil bael.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., I. ix. 29. Our feeble harts Embost with bale, and bitter byting griefe.
1616. Bullokar, Bale (Now out of vse), Sorrow, great miserie.
1847. Disraeli, Tancred, II. i. (1871), 55. Relieve my spirit from the bale that bows it down.
II. Phrases and locutions:
4. To work, bake, brew bale: to make mischief, prepare woe or misery.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 257. Bale to breówe.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 55. How falsnes brewes bale with him, and many mo.
c. 1400. Judicium (1822), 11. Your baill now brewys.
c. 1460. in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 144. Whan þou doest thus, there bale þou bakeste. Ibid., 100. Y am worsse than wode Myn owne bale for to brewe.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., 37. To work hir bale.
5. Opposed alliteratively to bliss, blithe.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 373. My blysse, my bale ȝe han ben boþe.
c. 1400. St. Alexius (Trin.). 140. Hire blesse turnde to Bale.
c. 1450. Henryson, Mor. Fables, 19. Be blith in baill, for that is best remead.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, IV. 337. Now lycht, now sadd, now blissful, now in baill.
1576. Gascoigne, Princely Pleas. (1821), 33. And turn your present bliss to after bales.
1598. Yong, Diana, 440. That still deducts my life in blisselesse bale.
1797. Coleridge, Christabel, I. Her face resigned to bliss or bale.
1876. Lowell, Poet Wks. (1879), 468/2. Was it a comet or star; Omen of blessing or bale?
6. Opposed to boot (ME. bote) ‘relief, remedy,’ and bete vb. ‘to relieve, mend.’ So in Icel., böl og bót ‘bale and boot,’ bölva bætr ‘boots of bales.’
c. 1275. Luue Ron, 125, in O. E. Misc., 97. Þar-inne is vich balewes bóte.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 44. Quedur þai be worthi or bale or bote. Ibid., 105. All vr balis for to bete.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXI. 208. Hit is a botles bale.
c. 1420. Sir Amadace, iv. That myȝte not bete my bale!
c. 1460. J. Russell, Bk. Nurture, in Babees Bk. (1863), 183. Than brynge hym to his bed, his bales there to bete.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., 28. Thank we that fre, Beytter of baylle.
1488. Chevy Chase, in Maidment, Scot. Bal. (1861), I. 80. Ihesue Crist our ballys bete And to the blys us brynge.
1496. Dives & Paup. (W. de W.), II. xix. 157/2. The holy ghoost … is bote of euery bale.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 52. This rather bryngeth bale then boote.
1565. J. Hall, Hist. Expost., 34. Oure boote mixed wyth bale.
1867. G. Macdonald, Poems, 144. Where he had found Boot for every bale.
7. Proverbs. Cf. Icel. pegar böl er hæst er bót næst ‘when bale is highest boot is nighest,’ etc.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 687. Hwon þe bale is alre hecst Þonne is þe bote alre necst.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 4775. Quen þe bal ys alder hext þen sum time ys bote next.
c. 1330. Florice & Bl., 858. After bale hem com bote.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. V. 88. Betere ys þat bote · bale a-doun brynge, Than bale be ybete · and bote neuere þe betere.
c. 1400. Test. Love, II. (1560), 288 b/1. When bale is greatest then is bote a nie bore.
c. 1430. Syr Gener., 3328. Altre bale euer cometh bote.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 38. Comforte your selfe with this old text … when bale is hekst, boote is next.
a. 1600. Sir Aldingar, 117, in Furniv., Percy Folio, I. 171. When Bale is att hyest, boote is att next.
1870. Morris, Earthly Par., II. III. 524. Bettered is bale by bale that follows it, The saw saith.
8. Comb. † Bale-sithe [OE. bealu-síð, f. sið expedition, adventure, fortune, lot], death, destruction; evil-doing mischief; evil fortune, calamity. † Bale-stour [stour tumult, battle], fatal struggle, death-throe. The OE. poetical compounds were very numerous, e.g., bealu-cræft magic art, bealu dǽd sin, bealu-ráp deadly rope, bealu-spell fatal news, bealu-þanc malicious thought.
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Ex. (Gr.), 5. Æfter bealusiðe.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 185. Al imengd wiþ balewsið and wiþ bitternesse.
c. 1200. Saloman & Sat. (1848), 236. Þat he ne solde þe upbreidin of þine balesiþes.
c. 1205. Lay., 567. I wenden toward Brutun to his bale-siðe. Ibid., 651. & abat his bale-siðes.
c. 1220. St. Marher., 23. Lif þat a lesteð buten balesið.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., C. 426. Bed me bilyue my bale stour, & bryng me on ende.
