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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2002 (DOST Vol. XI).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Traist, Trust(e, n. Also: traiste, trayst, trast(e, trest, tresitt, troist, troust, truist, tryst, turst. [ME and e.m.E. trist (c1200), truste (a1225), trest (a1300), tryst (Manning), traiste (Rolle), trost (Wyclif), trayste (a1400), treyst (c1400), ON *trøysti, *treysti (Norw. dial. trøyste strengthening, strength, firmness), ON traust firmness, confidence, security.]

1. Confidence, assurance in oneself, another, circumstances, etc.; the security thus engendered; belief, faith, firm expectation.(a) a1400 Leg. S. x 138.
To gere a toure … be mad That the hicht of it suld … Be manis traste rek to the hewyne c1400 Troy-bk. ii 2698.
Pirrus … Set all trast to assyth his will 1456 Hay II 154/36.
Mak him gude caus to lufe thé … for thare is thy traist of thy lyf, thyne honoure, ande thy regne, quhen he wald put all in thy will 1460 Hay Alex. 2347.
Vpoun sindrie he [sc. Alexander] gart do the law … And thocht to pas to Pers with all hale traist 1479 Acta Conc. I 46/1.
Thai war takin vnder traist that thai had bene George Humis gudis a1500 Lanc. 1535.
To wer on them in trast of victory a1497, 15.. Gray MS v 31.
Than me think moist treuthfull trest To miserere mei deus c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 119/25.
Beleif dois liep, traist dois nocht tarie 1513 Doug. iii vi 39.
The goddis answar: ‘Son of the goddes, sen traist [L. fides] is manifest’ c1520-c1535 Nisbet Matth. ix 2.
Jesus … said to the man … haue thou traist; thi synnis ar forgevin to thee 1560 Rolland Seven S. 10024.
My onlie freind … Haue me in traist, haue me in na dispair, Bot the haill treuth I pray ȝow me declair 1567 G. Ball. 56.
Trow in Christ, Big on this ground … With pacience, prayer, hope and traist 1567 G. Ball. 168.
Warldlie traist will faill c1590 Fowler I 121/85.
Quhat humane hope, quhat mortall trust … dois men so blinde 1602 Colville Paraenese 90.
Assuring, tresting and hoping contrar our auin asseurance, trest, or hoip(b) 1584 Cal. Sc. P. VII 192.
Continewing that gwd turst and intelligence betwix ȝour mistres and us

b. To have (set, put, repose) (one's) traist in (of, to, wyth) or to do; to give traist to (or indirect object) or to do; one's traist to be (stand) in, on or to do.(a) 1456 Hay I 164/36.
A king suld nocht have samekle traist in Goddis help, bot he suld help him self a1500 Henr. Fab. 2446.
Mammon may be callit the Deuillis net, Quhilk Sathanas for all sinfull hes set … quha settis his traist thairin 1482 Lennox Mun. 122.
And for the singler traiste that he had in the said Lord Dernlie, his Hienes haith … chargit him, … to remayne and awayt apoun his persoun a1500 Prestis of Peblis 1144.
Thay in quhome my traist ay maist is in 1490 Irland Mir. I 25/34.
He gevis ws hop, traist and esperaunce to impetrat and get all that we will desyre 1490 Irland Mir. I 134/20.
Sche had werray hope and traist of the angellis promys 1535 Stewart 31734.
Richt mony Pecht Gaiff lytill traist or credence to his hecht 1543 Corr. M. Lorraine 39.
The greit luf and traist Scottis men … has wyth the kingis of France 1560 Rolland Seven S. 6404.
To all trattillis ȝe giue na traist 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 153/25.
Treulie, ȝour acquittance is sua rigorous that I geif ȝow gude traist 1562-3 Winȝet II 22/20.
Quha euir iugeis that, lat him haif traist at the leist to blissit Ambrose, quha [etc.] 1583 Waus Corr. 27.
As my traist is in yow(b) c1500 Fyve Bestes 216.
All thar trast was on the cokis sang 1513 Doug. i Prol. 462.
In Criste is all my traste 1513 Doug. ii iii 35.
The Grekis trast and comfort … On Pallas help stude haill this towne toget(c) 15.. Clar. v 1658.
Four knightis beine his chalmerleins … he to them gave trest of his bodie 1593 Reg. Morton I 183.
Whilk we doubt not bot ȝe will do as our hole trest is in ȝow a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 60.
Quho so do pwitt thair confydense, And tresitt in me, … To thayme I salbe ane defense(d) 1525 Douglas Corr. 101.
My hoill troist of all thir materis ar in ȝoure grace(e) 1568 Anderson Collect. Mary IV ii 161.
And cum in this realme, upon the truist and confidence she had in ȝour majestie 1598 James VI Basil. Doron 199/3.
My truste is that God hes ordained you for ma kingdomes nor this 1626 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. I 437.
We ar spairing to gif suddane truste to thair informationis aganis yow unhard

c. Under (in, haifand) (the, thy, sik) traist, enjoying assurance of safety, good conduct or trustworthiness; under truce or safe-conduct.(1) c1475 Wall. xi 1048.
Schyr, … wappynnys nane we haiff; We com in trayst(2) 1492 Myll Spect. 280/23.
The quene … send hir messinger vnto him & bring him to a tryst to the tempill of Appollo as vnder traist & assouerance c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 39/24.
My hartis tresure … Quhy, undir traist, ȝour man thus have ȝe slane? 1521 Aberd. B. Rec. I xxxv.
[A] conuocatioun of the kingis legis command in the said burght vnder trast 1543 Corr. M. Lorraine 42.
Prayand his lordschip … at ther cum na convocatioun upone me to disaw my contre under traist 1570 Sat. P. xiii 126.
Truste 1570 Sat. P. xxiv 48.
At euerie port a spald of thé to hing, As tratouris sould, for schuitting vnder trest 1570 Leslie 89.
Heron with his complices … quha slew oure wardane undre trest of dayis of meiting for justice a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xxx 23.
The blindit archer … Quhilk … thoght no shame To smyll and shute me baith at ains. Bot sen he took me vnder trest [etc.] 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 131.
Murther … of our soveraine lords lieges quhere the persone slaine is vnder the trust, credit, assurance and power of the slayer, is treason 1611 Crim. Trials III 128.
The said … Sir Thomas wes drawin vnder sik traist, assurance and freindschip with yow, that he [etc.] a1658 Durham Commandments (1675) 95.
Unfaithful dealing, and abominable treachery, to break under trust, and to keep no ingagements to Him 1676 Kirkcudbr. Sheriff Ct. Processes No. 229.
Nolt sheip … and uthers poyndit under trust(b) 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 154.
The said Martine causit Heckie Armystrang desyre my lord of Northumberland to cum and speik with him vnder tryst 1600-1610 Melvill 422.
Tryst c1615 Chron. Kings 176.
He had gottine his lyff … with schame, it being gottine wnder trysting, quhairfor the king estemeit the same as tressone, being done vnder tryst(3) 1570 Sat. P. xxiv 37.
Haifand thy traist, as all men vnderstands, Dissaitfully thow schot

d. Applied to a person worthy of trust, confidence or faith. Arundel MS 253/442.
Thow art my Fader, my God, my Lord, my traist, my gouernour and my treuth 1567 G. Ball. 22.
God … My onlie hope and traist

2. The obligation of being a trustworthy or reliable vassal, employee, etc.; a position of trust; employment, etc. where such trustworthiness is expected; (a) responsibility. 1494 Loutfut MS 136a.
It is a gret traist that is giffin to ane herrald in mony thingis 1541 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. II 106.
That ye … gyf thame fredome to pas … conforme to oure priuelege granttit vnto thame … This ye failye nocht till do as youre singular traist is in yow 1608 Crim. Trials II 556.
The … abstracting … of our jowellis … by such as ar in trust or haif the keping of thame 1650 Inverness Rec. II 285.
Ane accoumpt of Jon Barbour his diligence in the manadgment of the trust committed be them to him for requiring the … voluntar contributiones [etc.] 1682 Cochran-Patrick Coinage II 188.
All such … as had malversed in any publict statione or truste 1685 Skene Mem. Burghs 154.
A publick liberary of such books as are most fit for … persons in publick trust c1674 J. M. Beale Fife Schools 163.
These of whom he hath the trust in education at the school 1691 Writers Signet lxiv.
He hath had good breeding for qualifying him to excerce the trust of a nottar-publick

b. In law: The requirement that a trustee be faithful or trustworthy in carrying out the wishes of the truster with regard to rights, etc. vested in him by the truster. Cf. esp. Stair Inst. iv vi § 3. An instance of this. 1681 Stair Inst. i viii § 2.
Yea, trust is rather presumed than donation; as if a man take a bond, assignation, disposition or other right in another man's name, it is held to be a trust 1681 Stair Inst. i xii § 17.
Trust is also amongst mandates or commissions, though it may be referred to depositation, seeing the right is in custody of the person intrusted 1681 Stair Inst. iv vi § 2.
Trust, in the vulgar acceptation, comprehends all personal obligations for paying, delivering or performing any thing, where the creditor hath no real right in security; for thereby he trusts more to the faithfulness of his debtors 1681 Stair Inst. iv vi § 2.
Trust properly so called … is the ‘stating a right so far in the person of the trustee, as it can hardly be recovered from him but by his faithfulness in following that which he knows to be the true design of the truster’ 1681 Stair Inst. iv vi § 3.
Trust is sometimes taken for the act of the truster, whereby he commits that which is his own to another, in confidence that he will restore the same, or dispose thereof, as the truster requires. And this is a kind of faith or confidence in the person trusted. But more properly, trust signifies the faithfulness of the trustee to perform that which is intrusted to him 1681 Stair Inst. iv vi § 4.
Trust may be of any kind of right whether of things moveable or heritable. And therefore the delivery of goods [etc.] … where the receiver cannot instruct a reasonable cause are interpreted as in trust

c. pl. In legal usage: A list or catalogue of indictments, ? a list more generally.‘From the indictments the justice-clerk then made up a roll of the names of those indicted (the Porteous Roll) and a secret roll of the indictments (the Traistis)’ An Introduction to Scottish Legal History (St. S. No. 20) 409. 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Iter.
The justice clerke … makis ane catalogue conteinand the names of the persones indited: And vpon quhom dittay is given vp, quhilk is called ane portuous. Togidder with ane vther catalogue, quhilk conteinis the particular dittay … and taken vp vpon transgressoures and malefactours, called the traistes 1603 Aberd. Sheriff Ct. II 15.
[Mill Multures … The pursuer … signed a receipt … to the effect that he had] resauit furthe of proces his haill writtis contenit within tua traistis producit be him and his procuratours 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. ii 165.
The justice clerk … makis ane catalogue, conteining the names of the persons indyted: And vpon quhom dittay is given vp, quhilk is called ane portuous, or traistis

3. The trustworthiness or reliability of a person, etc. c1475 Wall. vi 90.
Fy on fortoun, fy on thi frewall quheyll, Fy on thi traist, for her it has no lest 1513 Doug. iv Prol. 26.
Quhat is ȝour drery gemme? … Frendschip turment, ȝour traist is bot a trane. O luf, quhidder art thou ioy or fulychnes 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 72.
Rather then to commit it to the trust of ony uther 1672 Rothesay B. Rec. 229.
John Galie Johnsone … being accusit quheras upone his trust the said Finlay was sufferit to come out of the tolbuithe with him to get some meit and drink and that he sould be reentirit, yit he strave to mak his escaip

4. The belief or confidence that someone will pay, credit. 1454–5 Aberd. B. Rec. MS V ii 784 (16 Feb.).
He sal pay him alsmekil as he tuke in Londone apon his obligatown or apon the traiste of it 1644 Acts VI i 135/1.
Haveing nothing to live one bot what he hes takine on trust and that he cannot now gett ony more credit 1660 Dumfries Fleshers 17 May.
That … no person frieman … shall sell to any person … vpon trust any les then a bouk of muttoun or a leg of beif 1662 Thanes of Cawdor 316.
Ye might have as much tyoul as wold serve all the hows, upon troust, and a barck wold seik no money for hir fraught till she com heir 1673 Peebles B. Rec. II 87.
The magistrattes … warrantes them to relieve him of all traist or expens he shall depurse or incurre therthrow 1681 New Mills Manuf. lxxxv.
Cloath will be … delivered out to the merchants and after 12 moneths trust they will be paying [etc.]