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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Stale, Stail(l, n.¹ Also: stayll, stall, steil(l, steall. [ME and e.m.E. stale (c1350), staile (1543), OF estal a stopping place, f. Frankish *stal (Wartburg). Cf. Stal(l n.]

1. A fixed, military position, esp. to hald, mak, set a stale, to maintain or take up a position in battle, to put a siege in place. Cf. OF prendre un estal. 1375 Barb. xvii 97.
That the maist party Off thar men suld … hald a stale [C. staill]. And the remanand suld … Skaill throw the toun 1375 Barb. xv 365.
With knawis and swanys that na mycht Had for to stand in feld and fycht The lave behynd thaim maid a stale [C. scaill] c1420 Wynt. ix 67.
He … till the castale gret set a stale

2. The main body of a force of fighting men, esp. the main body or middleward of an army, usu. in contradistinction to the vanguard, wings or reconnoitering troops, also, occas. ? troops held in reserve.(a) 1375 Barb. xv 337* (C) (see Scail n.²). a1400 Leg. S. xl 1096.
Ane Inglis ost com in Scotland … the forrouris scalit ware Our al the cunctre … & prayt nere the cunctre hale … & brocht [thar pray] nere to thar stale 1460 Hay Alex. 6678.
Syne tuke the furreouris all the catall … And gart fute-gromes drive thame to ane hill As it had bene a bidand standand stale To helpe gif neid war to the grete batall 1460 Hay Alex. 10998.
Porrus … Ralyid his men all to his grete batall Baith wyngis and reregard with the standand stale c1475 Wall. vi 599.
Twenty thousand with him fled in a staill The Scottis … folowit that battaill 1533 Boece 393b.
Scottis … in twa wyngis and ane stale ordorit thare armye(b) c1475 Wall. v 32, 38.
The ost thai delt in diuers part that tyde Schyr Garrat Herroun in the staill can abide Schyr Jhon Butler the range he tuk him till [etc.] … The worthi Scottis … Socht till a place for till haiff yschet out And saw the staill enwerounyt thaim about c1475 Wall. v 87.
Butleris men so stroyit war … To get supple he socht on to the staill [: waill] c1475 Wall. ix 1744.
The erll Malcom he bad byd with the staill. To folow thaim, a bakgard for to be 1513 Doug. xi xii 4.
The Troiane power … Arrayt in batale, euery ward and staill 1533 Boece 384.
Constantine … to Eth … committit the richt wyng and to Duncane … the left … The grete staill of the remanent multitude was in the myddilward quhare Constantine was to fecht 1533 Boece 422b.
Grete nowmer of Danis … war … slane; the residew war chaissit to thare stail 1535 Stewart 9658.
Be that the grit staill enterit in the feild … rycht mony knychtis wer keild 1535 Stewart 10697.
Sumtyme with bowmen for to mak ane bikker, and keip the greit staill out of danger sicker, Neirby in sicht the forrow to reskew 1535 Stewart 14852.
Syne kest ane trane this Argadus to draw Within the strenth, quhair that thair greit staill la 1535 Stewart 14861.
The ylis men … Behind his bak came rydand … The staill befoir set on into his face: So with his fais … Inclosit wes 1535 Stewart 56718.
Thair purpois is for to flie to sum strenth … Quhill that thair staill ma cum to mak reskew a1568 Bann. MS 37b/27.
This … king … But vanegard reirgard staill [pr. scaill] or ony wing, His velȝeand body to battell gaif allone 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 49.
The Inglismen … tarijt nocht bot past away with all spulȝie thai mycht get … The Inglismen past to thair staill, and thair raise and past hame a1578 Pitsc. I 155/17.
He cheissed out ten thowsand of the best of his airme and past to the said castell … and gart the laif of his airme come in sight of the castell in arrayit battell as ane staill in adventeris gif the Inglischmen wald haue gevin battell a1578 Pitsc. I 74/1.(c) a1578 Pitsc. II 104/14.
[They] slew baitht money of thair stall and all thair forrai to the number of viij scoir 1602 Reg. Privy C. VI 473.
The Johnnstonis [etc.] … [came with displayed banners and planted their] stallis [upon the complainer's lands] overran a forray the same [etc.] a1639 Spotsw. Hist. (1677) 402.
Against them a number went out of Maxwels Army, who encountering with a great company were beaten and chased back to the stall or main host(d) 15.. Clar. ii 1135.
Baith hurlit bakward thair steidis … The rumour raise throw all the feild about Of the two knichtis haveing mikill doubt That thay sould have fruschit throw the steill With the ilke dasch [etc.] a1578 Pitsc. (1728) 193.
Ten thousand were in the vanguard under the Earl of Angus; other ten thousand were in the rear with the Earl of Huntley. The Governor himself commanded the steil or battle [STS the great battell] wherein were twenty thousand men 1603 Moysie 115.
The lord Bothuell, quhois companie wes appoynted theare thair steall, and the lord Vchiltrie and his companie the wan gaird

b. In stale, in reserve, in attendance, not actively engaged in fighting. c1420 Wynt. ix 811.
Hys knychtis thare … Lychtyd and faucht at the barreris And he in stale howyd al stil 1513 Doug. xi x 96.
A playn to the Troianys onknaw … It is a stellyng place and sovir harbry Quhar ost in stail or enbuschment may ly Quhidder men list the bargane to abyde [etc.]

c. In comb. with Host n.² 1533 Boece 302b.
The remanent fleing ceissit nocht, quhil thai come in sicht of the staill hoist 1533 Boece 384.
The myddilwarde with the grete staill hoist, be hungar was governit 1547 Hist. Clan Gregor I 106.
[Order of the Scottish Army at … Pinkie] The Governour himself in the greyt staill oist and withe him all the haill gentilmene of Louthien 1594 Calderwood V 349.
Argile would not suffer him to be in the avant-guarde, but in a wing of the stale oast, beside himself 1639 Baillie I 212.
Alwayes to have ane eye what either the north, or the shipps, or the west, or our staill host should mister of help

3. A division or group of fighting men more generally; a small group, attached to one man or intended for a particular purpose; also, a fleand stale, a group capable of moving fast for use in reconnoitering, etc. c1420 Wynt. viii 3767.
In defens of Rawff Goldyng … Schyre Andrew Murrawe owt off his stale [C. stail] That wend that all his menyhe hale Had folowyd, bot thai dyd noucht swa 1460 Hay Alex. 955.
The princis … Arrayit the ost … And set the wardis and watchis … Send foirrydaris and furiouris oure all the land With discouerouris and fugeand fleand stalis To bring tythingis agane to thair battalis 1460 Hay Alex. 17210.
Thus trumpit thai vp and rasit thare batall And ordand for-ridaris and fleand stale And of thare batall made devisioun … And towart Babillon in gude array Thai passit c1475 Wall. iv 530.
To seik Wallace thai went … A thousand men … To Schortwode schaw, and set it all about, Wytht v staillis … The sext thai maid a fellon range to leid c1475 Wall. iv 583.
Wylȝham Loran com with a boustous staill, Out of Gowry, on Wallace to assaill c1475 Wall. vii 563. 1535 Stewart 8824.
Ane staill of Romanis lay intill ane slak [etc.] 1535 Stewart 10519.
Petelius … Ane staill gart la in till ane quyet place, Out of the toun syne drew thame with ane chace. Or euir scho wist … The buschment brak about hir [etc.]

4. Battle array, chiefly in alliterative use, esp. in the phrase stith in stale.Chiefly without article. Common in Alex.(1) ?1438 Alex. i 1708.
Full sturdely start he out of stale, And smot ane Gretian ?1438 Alex. i 2044.
His gude steid steirit he out of staill ?1438 Alex. ii 1462.
He mak him lord stith in stall ?1438 Alex. ii 2858.
Thir fyue that war stith in stale ?1438 Alex. ii 4956.
Porrus, the stith in stall 1513 Doug. iv viii 123.
Lyke Kyng Pentheus, in his wod rage dotand, Thocht he beheld gret rowtis stand in staill Of the Ewmenydes 1513 Doug. x vii 173.
So thik in staill all marryt wolx the rowt Oneys mycht ony turn hys hand abowt To weild hys wapyn(2) 1531 Bell. Boece I 3.
[They] arrayit thame in battall aganis Gathelus: and first send certane armit men to interrup thair bigginnis; sine maid thame self reddy to cum in the staill [M. stayll]

5. Of huntsmen. = Stab(i)le n.c1420 Wynt. vi 1641 (W) (see Stab(i)le n.). 1531 Bell. Boece II 298.
Quhen he wes cumin throw the vail … the staill past throw the wod with sic noyis and din of rachis and bugillis that all the bestis wer rasit fra thair dennis