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

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Pour(e, Powr(e, adj. and n.² Also: peoure. [ME and e.m.E. poure (c 1200), pour (14th c.), powre (Caxton), OF poure var. of povre Pover adj. Cf. also Pur(e adj.² and n.In Sc. possibly partly or wholly by a native development, as a contraction of Pover, like Our adv. beside Over.]

Poor, in applications of Pur(e adj.² and n.

A. adj.(1) 1375 Barb. ix 442 (E).
Thai, that er war pour [C. pouer] & bar Off that gud rych and mychty war c1420 Wynt. viii 6486.(2) a1400 Legends of the Saints xx 116.
A powre womane a1400 Ib. xxiv 294.
Me poure pylgriame 1529 Rec. Earld. Orkney 58.
Thai tuk 22 pour cariage men in ane boit … and … crewellie slew thame 15.. Clariodus iii 800.
Ane poure woman is myself doubtles, I may ȝow not susteine [long] heir with me 1633 Orkney Witch Trial in Reg. Privy C. 2 Ser. V 545.
Powr(3) a1400 Legends of the Saints x 454.
To poure folke thame to relefe a1400 Ib. xliii 306, etc. 1538 Proceedings of Society of Antiquaries II 394.
At na pour folk that pass furth of this toune sal be lattyne in again 1572–3 Bann. Memor. 303.
All the poure folkis of the toun(4) a1400 Legends of the Saints xxii 149.
Sancte Laurens … Poure men to get presyt ay & [etc.] a1400 Ib. 308.
Al the poure men that hyd he had a1400 Ib. v 115, xxxiv 275, etc.(5) a1585 Maitland Maitland Quarto MS xvi 14.
[Herod] hes ane thowsand feiris … The poure peopill oppressand clein ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1884) 41.(6) 1549 Complaynte of Scotland 133/6.
Ve that ar poure comontis can nothir hef oportunite nor comodite to virk trason(7) 1536 Wemyss Corr. 4.
And for dunputting of sic thyngis as our pour legis ar hurt by 1563–4 Reg. Privy C. I 269.(8) a1585 Maitland Quarto MS lxxxi 17.
Give me thairfoir ane pour and humble spreit(9) 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 108.
These … thingis, made powre Johne Knox to be the more quiet fra all sic accusatiounes a1578 Pitsc. II 82/4.
And in spetiall the cardinall … was great that day at that poure mans bloode scheding c1590 Fowler I 196/1.
That poure foolisch fliee, quhase custome is By flams to fyre her wings 1666 Laing MSS. I 350.
Had I not 5 pour children that I would fen tried to be worthie of such a father 1666 Ib. 351.
If hee that disclamed the king … be prefered to my pour comer(10) a1400 Legends of the Saints xvii 191.
& thi powre madyne nov kepe me a1585 Maitland Quarto MS xxxix 82.
This poure propyne refuis not I ȝow pray a1585 Maitland Quarto MS lxxxi 8.
That thow with merceis monyfauld A wretche and sinner pour thow doe vphauld 1608 Hist. Fam. Seton 909.
This thretteine ȝeires my residens hes bein in this poure brouche

b. Of little worth, wretched, ‘sorry’, worthless. ?1438 Alex. ii 7246.
Pour men [F. Povre gent] ar the folk of Inde, … Lytill ar thay worth 1461 Liber Pluscardensis 383.
Thow man that is of poure and smal valoure

B. noun. a. The poor collectively.(1) a1400 Legends of the Saints xvi 313.
Thu … na thocht hase Of powre thu seis dyssolate Of … herbry a1400 Ib. 309. c1420 Wynt. v 3919.
Bathe to powre, seke and sare c1475 Acts of Schir William Wallace iv 202.
Wallace … gaiff of his fell sys To pour and rych vpon a gudlye wis(2) a1400 Legends of the Saints xv 104.
To the powre that mister had 1541 Treasurer's Accounts VII 479.
To the advocat for the pour xx li. 1674 Scottish Notes and Queries 3 Ser. III 184.
God forgive that does not consider the peoure beter 1682 Murray Lyon Hist. Lodge Edinb. 29.
Having tackin it to ther sereas considarashon the great nesetay of thar pour

b. plur.Here = the stock of money collected for the poor, the poor-box, poor-money. 1566 Canongate Kirk S. (ed.) 54.
In cace of ony abstrakis fre the pouris or ony uder casualittis