Obs. Also 4–6 staill, 6 stayll, stail(e, steill, (6–7 stall, 7 stal). [a. OF. estal, used in many specific applications of the senses (1) place, position, (2) something placed or fixed (mod.F. étal butcher’s stall), a. OHG. stal: see STALL sb.1]
1. A fixed position or station. To hold or keep (one’s) stale [= OF. tenir (son) estal]: to maintain one’s position in battle.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVII. 97. [Thai] ordanit, that the mast party Of thair men suld gang sarraly With thar lordis, and hald a staill.
1450. in Kingsford, Chron. London (1905), 123. And at pavelen … þe Erle of Dorzet helde is stale, and þet he toke prisoners.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, V. xi. 179. And syr Florence with his C knyghtes alwey kepte the stale and foughte manly.
2. An ambush. In stale: in ambush.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., IX. viii. 811. And he in stale howyd al stil.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, XI. x. 96. It is a stelling place and sovir harbry, Quhar ost in staill or embuschment may ly.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. IV. (1809), 43. While he stode in a stale to lie in waite [1568 Grafton, Chron., II. 439 He lay in stale to waite] for the relefe that myght come from Caleis.
1557. Edgeworth, Serm., 231. God badde him [Joshua] Pone insidias vrbi post eam, laye a stale behynde the citie.
1577. Holinshed, Hist. Eng., II. 1479/2. The erle of Essex … with .ii. C. speares was layde in a stale, if the Frenchmen had come neerer.
1627. Taking of Ship ‘St. Esprit,’ in Harl. Misc. (1810), V. 111. Which two noblemen … were drawn within danger by a stale made by twenty common soldiers.
3. A body of armed men posted in a particular place for ambush or otherwise, or detached for reconnoitring or other special service. Also (? chiefly Sc.) the main body of an army.
c. 1350. in Nicolas, Hist. Royal Navy (1847), II. 491. [Every time that it shall be ordered that armed men … shall land on the enemy’s coast to seek victuals…, then there shall be ordained a sufficient ‘stale’ of armed men and archers who shall wait together on the land until the ‘forreiours’ return to them].
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xl. (Ninian), 1096. Brocht [þar pray] nere to þar stale þat þar abad nocht ful lang.
a. 1400[?]. Morte Arth., 1355. [Gawayne] sterttes owtte to hys stede, and with his stale wendes.
c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 9647. Thei of Grece were gadered alle With-oute the diche be-fore the walle, In-myddis the feld ther standis her stale.
14[?]. in Nicolas, Hist. Royal Navy (1847), II. 491. That no maner man goe for no forage, but it be with a stale, the whiche shall fowith twise a weeke.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, V. 32. Schyr Garrat Herroun in the staill can abide.
1513. Ld. Dacre, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. I. I. 94. And I come with a stale to a place called the Dungyon.
1530. Palsgr., 275/1. Stale of horsmen in a felde, guectevrs.
1532. St. Papers Hen. VIII., IV. 626. Neveryeles I knaw asweill by Englisemen as Scottishmen that their stale was no les then thre thowsand men. Ibid. (1543), V. 315. Litle regardinge the service done by the foote men remayninge in the staile, but attributing all the prayse to theim selfes.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 127. Sir Willyam FitzWillyam … in great haste sent for his stale of horsemen that he had left couered.
1565. Golding, Cæsar, V. 118. For they neuer fought in great companyes…, but scatterynge…, and had stales lying in diuers places one to serue anothers turne.
1577. Holinshed, Hist. Scot., 471/2. The lard of Drunlanrig lying al thys while in ambush … forbare to breake out to gyue any charge vppon his enimies, doubting least the Earle of Lennox hadde kept a stale behynde.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 74. George Earl of Ormond was in the staill him self.
1579. Churchyard, Gen. Rehearsal Wars, I j. He remained with the whole power of footemen nere the Blacke Neastes, as a stale to annoye the enemie.
b. In stale: in battle array.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, IV. viii. 123. King Pentheus, in his wod rage dotand, Thocht he bebeld gret rowris stand in staill Of the Ewmenydes.
c. Flying stale: a body of troops ordered to move rapidly to any part of the field in which help is required.
a. 1500. Harding’s Chron., ccxl. add. Harl. MS. (1812), 417. With fotemen in tho two erledomes with fleynge stales to releue theym.
1532. St. Papers Hen. VIII., IV. 628. And I did send for there strenght my cousyn Sir Arthur Darcy, being accompaned with 6 hundreth and above in a fleyng stale.
d. transf. A band of hunters.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VI. 1699 (Wemyss MS.). As he past apon a day In till his hunting him to play … The staill and þe settys set.
1536. Bellenden, Cron. Scot. (1821), II. 298. The staill past throw the wod with sic noyis … that all the bestis wer rasit fra thair dennis.
