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

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

Thais, Thois, Theis, adj. (pron.). Also: thaise, thaiss, thay(i)s, thaies, thaes, thois(s)e, thoyis, those, thos, thoes, thoos, theise, theiss, theys, thes(e, thess(e, theas(e, theais, theese, thiz. [ME and e.m.E. þas, þes (both c1175), þæs (Layamon), þeos (Ancr. R.), þos (a1250), these (Cursor M.), þase (1340), thes (Wyclif), those (a1400), þeese (Cursor M.), thoise (1548), theis (1556), OE ðás, ðǽs.]Appar. much more common in the 17th c. than in the earlier period. Cf. Tha(i pron. (adj.) and Thir adj. (pron.). Cf. also That adj., pron. and This adj. (pron.).

A. demonstr. adj. Qualifying a plural noun, indicating something physically present or near or something which has already been mentioned; also as an antecedent: These, those. Cf. Tha(i pron. (adj.) B a and Thir adj. (pron.) A.Also immediately followed by a possess. adj.(1) 15.. Clar. i 382.
Quhen Clariodus Had hard thaise tithingis 15.. Clar. i 598.
Thais wordis come of ane nobill knicht a1578 Pitsc. I 116/35.
[The King] beseikand God … that He wald grant his victorie of thaies … rebellaris quha war ryssing aganis him 1589 Crail B. Ct. 26 Oct.
Four pwndis guid and vsuall money … for the firmeis and dewteis off thais four akeris off arable land c1590 Fowler II 10/15.
Thais vertewis quhair with ȝour lordship is adornit 1591–2 Warrender P. (SHS) II 166.
Which forme I thought fittest to be used in thaise caces according as I wrott unto you in my last letter 1605 Melvill 577.
Bisschoppis, quho, without order of the Kirk … intruse thame selves in thais rooms, quhilk his majestie sett doun in ane Generall Assemblie 1612 Lett. & St. P. Jas. VI 205.
He is nott a fitt man thair to menage your rent, for he hes principall entries in thaes landes 1622 Crim. Trials III 519.
That pairt of the lybell … repeiting thais odious and vnrehairsable speiches as ane argument of the pannellis knawlege of Grahame to haif bene ane witch 1624 Misc. Maitl. C. III 509.
I haue to this my last will and testament writtin in thais fyfteine scheittis of paiper … set my hand and seill 1629 Justiciary Cases I 100.
As to the circumstance of putting the coppie in the hoill of the lok, it is offerit to be provin … that thais duris … hes bene the same durris unalterit thir tuentie ȝeiris bygane and thair was nevir … hoill or vestigium upone the dur 1631 Linlithgow B. Rec. 7 Oct.
Thais nyne aikeris of land in Baillie landis(b) 1385 Red Bk. Grandtully I 139*.
Tyl al men I mak knawyn throw theis present lettrys 1456 Hay I 297/6.
Unhapp cummys to thes lands of quhilk the king is a barne 1553 Knox III 373.
The sonis of God, whairof in theis partis thair be na small noumber 1563 Ferg. Answer in 1563-72 Ferg. Tracts 31.
Marck these wordes ye carnal Capernaites 1564 Armstrong Hist. Liddesdale i App. cv.
Robert Greame of Fawld … bynds ws … ther presents to furthfill and keip all the artycles of the foirsaid wryttyngs … besekand your majestie to cause to gythyr the wysest of your frendes and lat them heyr theys wryttyng c1590 Fowler I 138/2.
These lamenting and complayning lynes May iustlye to your mereits appertaine 1603 Elgin Rec. II 108.
Michaell Scott inhibit to beg almes on the sermone dayis … lykas all the puir are forbiddine to beg almous on theis dayes 1614 Fraserburgh Kirk S. I 30.
[He] being accuisit … confessis … that he haid done theis thingis 1623 Perth Kirk S. MS 14 May.
Being demandit at quhome scho leirneit theis cureis anserit scho hed theme frome Olmer Rettrayis wyff 1633 Aberd. Council Lett. I 380.
According to my promise … I have sent theis moneyes quhilk I have destinat and appoynted for that use 1634 Galloway P. 6 March.
Thease aikeris of beir land callit the Hollow aiker 1638 Bk. Pasquils 81.
Quho are thesse men 1662 Brodie Diary 268.
I found myself much shaken with thes jaws that go over our heads(c) 1530 Lynd. Test. Pap. 522.
Marke, in ȝour rememb[e]rance, Ane myrrour of those mutabiliteis: So may ȝe knaw the courtis inconstance c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3547.
Josue throuch Jordan Led those peple to Canaan c1590 J. Stewart 78/199.
Thay so haid left ingrauit heir … dictums perfyt indent, That in thois parts maist plainlie mycht appeir 1611-57 Mure Early Misc. P. viii 18.
Quhen first thoise angel's eyes I vieued 1615 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 64 (25 Oct.).
The said Andro … grantis that he spak thois wordis to Agnes Pyper 1618 Sc. Brigade in Holland I 290.
I confes I gave the fellow who is deid twa strokkis … if he be deid of thois strokkis, it is best knowne to God for as I sal answer to him I kan not beleif it 1698 Annandale Corr. 161.
The insolence of thoos people is not to be indured(d) 1515 Douglas Corr. 71.
Gyf we had money I trust we suld debayt weyll eneuch our adversaris in thiz partis(2) 1566 Cal. Sc. P. II 272.
Some Papistes have bruted that theis our procedinges have bene at the instigacion of the mynysters of Scotlande 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 101/33.
Thus belouit reader recomending thaise my labouris to thy freindlie acceptation I bidd thee hairtlie fairueill 1606 Lett. Eccl. Affairs I 47.
[He] is … ane honest subiect and frack in thais your Maiesteis serviceis 1670 Berw. Doc. fol. 1 No. 97.
Fyfteinth poundis Scots money … for the foster corne payable … to me out of thes his seven husband landis

b. In expressions of time referring to a period in the immediate past. Also, in those days, at that time.(1) 1600-1610 Melvill 532.
The thorteris … fallin out, thais tua yeiris bygaine 1613 Fraserburgh Kirk S. I 19 (7 July).
Beand fund maried personis and ȝit to haue duelt apart theis monie ȝeiris 1617 M. Works Acc. (ed.) II 68.
For paper and ink these ten weikis 1645 Baillie II 279.
We have been in a peck of troubles, many of us, these dayes by gone 1659 A. Hay Diary 220.
Christian Broun who had been bedfast thes 8 days 1668 Lauder Jrnl. 194.
Its some 300 acker of land paying about 6 firlots the acker … hes held at on rentall thesse 100 years 1695 Cullen Kirk S. 13 Jan.
No bailie in Cullen did ever give saising or infeftment to any of the fornamed persons these sixtie five yeares bygone(2) c1552 Lynd. Mon. 3027.
Spanȝe, France [etc.] … War nocht inhabit, in those days c1563 Reg. Panmure I cxlvii.
Bowes and arrowes wor the cheif wappons in thois dayes 1611 Reg. Panmure I xciv.
Thay had ane annuel of tua markes quhilk ves thought ane some in thois dayes

B. demonstr. pronoun. Referring to persons or things physically present or near or something which has already been mentioned or is about to be mentioned: These, those. Cf. Tha(i pron. (adj.) A 2.(a) 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 149/17.
Thais quhilkis war disciplis to the apostlis had the trew vnderstanding of the profund misteriis of the scripture 1561 Q. Kennedy Compendious Ressonyng (ed.) 151/15.
Thays 1563 Davidson Answer (1563) 14.
[I] leauis M. Q. [sc. Maister Quintine's] conclusion … to the iudgement of thayis, quha … wil support my imperfection a1568 Bann. MS 163b/13.
Than chus ȝow ane of thais I rek not ader 1568 Crail B. Ct. 11 Aug.
To the saidis Andro or William or ony of thais 1580 Inverness Rec. I 277.
The rest of thais quha hes horses within this burcht 1581-1623 James VI Poems I 75/23.
In flyting and inuectiues ȝour wordis to be cuttit short … For thais quhilkis are cuttit short, I meane be sic wordis as thir, Iis neir cair for I sall neuer cair 1600-1610 Melvill 505.
The church universall is likened unto a birthfull mother and the particular churche unto the daughter of the samyne … Our Kirke of Scotland being one of thaise and [etc.] c1600 Montg. Suppl. xi 36.
Bestow not thow on childrene to much cost, For quhat thow dois for thais is all [in] waine 1606 Milne Rental Perth Hosp. 141.
The names of thais that are addebted yeirlie to the hospital of Perthe 1617 Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. VIII 347.
Being demandit how she did knaw thais who war witchit, be thais who war hurt be ane blast of ane ill wind, refusit to answer 1627 Bk. Carlaverock II 92. 1638 Murray Early B. Organ. I 267. 1641 Acts V (1817) 675/2.
Thaiss(b) 1542 Lynd. Bk. Arms 12.
Theas are the armes of the right worschipfull [etc.] c1590 Fowler I 117/129.
I Methradore with Anistipp do meane … thease be thay That in the Epicurien sect wer iudged best that day c1590 Fowler II 133/27.
Euen these of his mast inuard and mast familiar frends began to be afreyd of him c1590 Fowler II 164/4.
Theise 1603 Aberd. Eccl. Rec. 27.
To tak the penaltie of four penneis … of the transgressours … and theas that hes nocht siluer to pay to gett a straik on the hand with a palmer 1613 Fraserburgh Kirk S. 1b 15 (7 April).
The names ar theis Janet May and Paul Hill adultereris … Elspet Prat [etc.] c1615 Chron. Kings 109.
Theais 1619 Aberd. Council Lett. I 175.
Quhen summounds war gevin to theese [supra tanneris, saidlers and barkeris of lether] within your burght 1623 Perth Kirk S. MS 14 May. 1631 Red Bk. Menteith II 126. 1650 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 872. 1663 Glasgow B. Rec. III 23.
The collectioune … to be distribut to thes who susteined loas throw the fyr 1675 Cullen Kirk S. 5 Nov.
I desyr that thes of my name within and without the parochin shall have the wse of the … mortcloath gratis 16.. Rudiments 20b.
Rehearse these that couples; and, also, both, &, and also, and, also likewise [etc.] … and likwise these that are contrare to thire(c) 1563 St. A. Kirk S. 167.
Mr. Jhon Wynram … being called … to … examyn and trye … the conversacion, lyff and maneris of thoes committed to our charge 1564 Canongate Kirk S. (ed.) 10.
Thoyis a1570-86 Maitl. F. 419/7.
Gif all gloire to God Quhais bontie nevir dois abandoun thois That restis on Him 1558-66 Knox II 340.
The poore lauboraris of the ground ar so oppressed by the creualtie of those that pay thair thrid 1573 Sempill in Sat. P. xxxix 139.
Thoise 1616 Misc. Maitl. C. II 188.
He haveing speirit at her quhat men thois wer that wer with hir 1650 Dingwall Presb. 170.
Thos of the gentrie or that haue bein elders 1650 Inverurie 314.
That all … intimations … be registrat in the session buik, as the intimation to thoisse who ar to be catechised the next Lectur day 1663 S. Ronaldshay 41.
Thos who formerly sate as elders being conveined … promiseed to be diligent and faithful as assistantes 1673 Kirkcudbr. Test. (Reg. H.) 25 Dec.
Ther is fywe bands granted be the severall persons after nominat … quhilk ar thoes viz.

b. specif. Where those and these are distinguished as referring to more distant and closer referents. 1644 Spalding II 496.
We desyre only ordouris against so many as ar … fitt … quhiche we confes ar few in comparisone of theis quho ar altogidder disabled … Theis we must of necessitie lett goe and the other sort we wald … retein 1646–54 J. Hope Diary 141.
That window glasses and drinking glasses can not be made in one fornace because those [sc. window glasses] requyre a great deall stronger heatt then these [sc. drinking glasses]; that the fornace for those is therfor long vauted and for these round

c. In reference to a plural or quasi-plural noun (see Letter n. 5): Used by the writer of a letter or papers to refer to the document(s) themselves. Freq. in an endorsement to a personal letter.(a) 1594 M. Works Acc. (ed.) I 314.
To our trusty servitour Thomas Foulis our gold smyth presentlie at Londoun, thes 1625 Justiciary Cases I 25.
Theas ar thairfoir in the maiesteis name to command ȝow to desert the said dyet and to desist and ceis fra all proceiding thairin 1633 Innes Sketches 514.
Sir, these ar to intreat yow to do all dilligence to caus slay … suche sortis of venesone and wyldfoullis as ar to be found within your boundis … conforme to the list of his maiestie's jestis heirin inclosed 1640 Kirkcudbr. Min. Bk. 61.
These does thairfoir give warrand and commissione to the Comimttie of War, to tak and apprehend all such persones and send thame heir 1645 Red Bk. Grandtully I xcii.
To the Right Honourabill the Laird of Gairntullie, younger—Theiss 1654 Maxwell Mem. II 285.
For my loving and kynd brother … Thess(b) 1643 Stirlings of Keir 483.
For the Right Honorable Sir George Stirling of Keire, Gnight—Thois