A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1971 (DOST Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1375-1599
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Mellé, n. Also: mellee, melly, -ie, mellay. [North midl. ME. (14th c.) melly, -é, otherwise appar. only Sc., OF. mellée, meslée f. mesler v. (Mell v.).]Chiefly in verse. Very common (in sense 2) in Barbour and Douglas.
1. A mixture; an incongruous mixture, a hotchpotch.1375 Barb. v. 404.
Syne of [the] tunnys the hedis out-strak A foull melle thair can he mak a1500 Golagros and Gawane 1148.
Al thus with murnyng and myrth thai maid melle [: gle, ble]
2. a. Fighting, espec. closely mixed or hand to hand fighting, close and fierce combat.Also to mak (= engage in) melle.(a) 1375 Barb. vi. 635.
The Kyng … saw the twa full sturdely Agane his men gret melle ma 1375 Ib. vii. 630.
He suld thame nocht hald sammyn lang For-outen debat or melle [: turnit he] 1375 Ib. x. 433.
Sic melle tharup can he mak Quhill [etc.] 1375 Ib. 184. 1375 Ib. xiv. 232. 1375 Ib. xvi. 515. ?1438 Alex. i. 1293.
At hard melle ?1438 Ib. 1436.
Into the thikkest of the preis Quhar he saw maist of melle was ?1438 Ib. 1598. ?1438 Ib. ii. 2691. ?1438 Ib. 8435. c1420 Wynt. iii. 26.
Quhen that he In were wes stade or in melle c1420 Ib. viii. 6852. c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 3137. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace ix. 578.
Mony castellis he gert sone ȝoldin be Till Inglismen with outyn mar melle c1475 Ib. 868. a1500 Golagros and Gawane 851.
Thair mailyeis with melle thay merkit in the medis 1513 Doug. ii. vi. 73.
Skarsly the wachis of the portis twa Begouth defens and melle as thai mycht 1513 Ib. vii. x. 34.
Within that girgand hirst alsso suld he Pronunce the new weir, batale and melle 1513 Ib. viii. iv. 45. 1513 Ib. xi. xiii. 3. 1513 Ib. xii. vii. 106. 1513 Ib. ix. 43; etc. a1586 Lindsay MS. 47 b.
In tyme of melle quhen his cot of armes mycht not be sene throw thrang of peple(b) ?1438 Alex. i. 625.
I sal not pas out of this feild … quhill I sie sa great mellie That cowardis sall anoyit be 15.. Clariodus v. 1303.
Quhen he had ws wone with grit mellie [: crueltie, nobillie, fellonie](c) c1590 Fowler II. 184/25.
In time of mellay, and battell
b. A battle or engagement, espec. one involving close hand to hand fighting.(a) 1375 Barb. xiii. 401.
The erll of Herfurd fra the melle [: menȝhe] Departit 1375 Ib. xvi. 188.
Bot the Kyng in-to this melle Had allwayis aucht of his famen For ane 1375 Ib. xvii. 120.
Thair wes gret melleis [E. melleys] twa or thre 1375 Ib. xviii. 185.
Thai that fled fra the melle [: se] 1375 Ib. xi. 378. 1375 Ib. 497. 1375 Ib. xv. 367. ?1438 Alex. ii. 591.
Lat vs ȝoung men this melle ma, Ȝe ar ouer auld dintis to ta ?1438 Ib. 1600. ?1438 Ib. 1911; etc. c1420 Wynt. viii. 4969.
He ischeid … And wyth the wachis sturdily Made ane apert and stowt melle c1420 Ib. iii. 535. c1420 Ib. viii. 5731. c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace v. 834.
Hardy and hat contenyt the fell melle [1570, mellee] a1500 Lancelot of the Laik 2616. 1513 Doug. xi. Prol. 137. 1535 Stewart 2701.(b) 1513 Doug. vii. ix. 5.
Alssone as was this gret melly begun, The erth littyt with blude 1535 Stewart 11966.
Had nocht the Almanis sonner with supplie Reskewit thame into that mad mellie 1535 Ib. 12031.
For na mellie the Romanis doucht to mak Ane fit on force micht gar thame pas abak
c. A combat between individuals, a close hand to hand fight.1375 Barb. vii. 622.
Clyffurd and Waus maid a melle Quhar Cliffurd raucht him a cole ?1438 Alex. ii. 4251. a1500 Golagros and Gawane 696.
Sa huge wes the melle c1500-c1512 Dunb. iv. 23.
Wictour he is at all melle [M. mellie] 1513 Doug. v. xii. 20.
His helm … Quharwith … cled was he And contryfait the maner of a melle 15.. Clariodus iii. 2116.
The ringe … That was him gevin efter the mellie 1560 Rolland Seven Sages 9203.
Thairfoir force was to counterfute mellie 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 155.
I sall bring with me sic armore as thow specifies … to the place of our mellie
d. A closely packed mass of men fighting, a press, a mêlée.c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace xi. 507.
The worthy Scottis sone past throucht that melle [: the kne] 1513 Doug. i. vii. 124.
Him self alsswa mydlit persavit he Amang princis of Grece in the melle 1513 Ib. ii. vii. 80.
Chorebus … ruschit with furyus mynd in the melle [: nocht se] 1513 Ib. ix. xiii. 52. 1513 Ib. xi. vi. 141. 1513 Ib. xii. viii. 66.
