subs. (old cant).—1. A woman, chaste or not. See quots. passim. And (2) a yeoman’s daughter. Also MOT. Hence, AUTEM-MORT = a married woman; WALKING (or STROLLING) MORT = a female tramp; KINCHIN-MORT = a little girl; DIMBER-MORT = a pretty wench.
1567. HARMAN, A Caveat or Warening for Common Cursetors (1814), p. 49. These AUTEM MORTES be maried wemen, as there be but a fewe: For Autem in their language is a church, so shee is a wyfe maried at the church, and they be as chaste as a cowe I have, that goeth to bull eury moone, with what bull she careth not. Ibid., ‘Glossary.’ MORTES, harlots.
1597–8. MUNDAY, The Downfall of Robert, Earl of Huntington, iii. 2 [DODSLEY, Old Plays (1874), viii. 156].
| If I can get the girl to go with me, | |
| Disguis’d in habit like a pedlar’s MORT. |
1607. DEKKER, Jests to Make You Merie, in Wks. (GROSART), ii. 308. He is not worthy of the name of notable theefe among theeues, which is without his MORT or punck.
1610. ROWLANDS, Martin Mark-all, ‘The Maunder’s Wooing.’
| O Ben Coue that may not be, | |
| For thou hast an AUTUM MORT who euer that is she. |
1611. MIDDLETON, The Roaring Girle [DODSLEY, Old Plays, vi. 110]. Moll. Marry this, my lord, says he: Ben MORT (good wench) shall you and I heave a bough, mill a ken, or nip a bung?
1611. COTGRAVE, Dictionarie, s.v. Belistresse. … a doxie, MORTE.
1621. JONSON, Maske of Gipsies. Male gypsies all, not a MORT among them.
1622. BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, Beggar’s Bush, ii. 1.
| Each man shall eat his own stoln eggs and butter, | |
| In his own shade or sun-shine, and enjoy | |
| His own dear dell, doxy, or MORT, at night. |
1640. Wit’s Recreations [HOTTEN], 441.
| And for the Rome-MORTS … | |
| They are of the sorts | |
| That love the true sports. |
1656. The Muses Recreation [HOTTEN], 48.
| A Lord of this Land that lov’d a Bum well, | |
| Did lie with this MORT one night in the Strummel. |
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. MORTS. … Yeoman’s daughters; also a Wife, Woman, or Wench.
1712. T. SHIRLEY, The Triumph of Wit, ‘The Maunder’s Praise of His STROWLING MORT.’
| Doxy oh! thy glaziers shine, | |
| As glimmar by the Salomon! | |
| No GENTRY MORT hath prats like thine, | |
| No cove e’er wap’d with such a one. |
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. MORT. A woman or wench; also a yeoman’s daughter.
1811. GROSE and CLARKE, Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1822. SCOTT, The Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xvii. ‘Tour out,’ said the one ruffian to the other; ‘tour the bien MORT twiring at the gentry cove.’
1834. W. H. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, bk. III. Ch. v. MORTS, AUTEM-MORTS, WALKING MORTS, dells, doxies, with all the shades and grades of the canting crew, were assembled.
1837. B. DISRAELI, Venetia, ch. xiv. Tip me the clank like a DIMBER MORT, as you are.
1859. G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
1885. BURTON, The Thousand Nights and a Night, iii. 302. Nor MOTT nor maid from thee my heart shall spell.
2. (colloquial).—A large quantity; a great number.
1694. ECHARD, Plautus’s Comedies Made English [NARES]. Then they had a MORT of prisoners, with boys and girls.
1740. RICHARDSON, Pamela [quoted by HALLIWELL]. He gave her a MORT of good things at the same time, and bid her wear them in remembrance of her good friend, my lady, his mother.
1775. SHERIDAN, The Rivals, i. 1. Here’s a MORT o’ merry-making, hey?
1809. BLOOMFIELD, Wild Flowers, ‘The Horkey.’
| And sitch a MORT of folks began | |
| To eat up our good cheer. |
ALL AMORT. See AMORT.
