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

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Sexty, Saxty, num. Also: sexti(e, sexté, saxtie, -té, (sixté). [ME and e.m.E. sixti (c1200), sexti (c1250), sixty, sexty (both Piers Plowman), OE sextiᵹ, siex-, syxtiᵹ.]In some cases merely a conventional term for an indeterminate but large number. For evidence of this usage in ME, see Susie I. Tucker ‘‘Sixty’ as an indefinite number in Middle English', in Rev. Eng. Studies 25 (1949) 152-3.

a. The cardinal number sixty.(a) c1420 Wynt. viii 5376.
Inglis men Sexti armyt come on hym then 1456 Hay I 56/10.
[Carthage] had sexty thousand pas about the vmgang [pr. vingang] of the toune a1500 Rauf C. 774.
Sextie c1475 Wall. vii 885.
A gud knycht come, and with him men sexte [: jeperte] c1475 Wall. ix 252.
Sexty scor 1530 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 106.
This inquiest … ordines … all men betueix sexty and xvi ȝeiris to rys and follow the fray(b) c1475 Wall. ix 1032.
The Scottismen war v hundreth and saxte [: he] 1589 Reg. Morton I 159 (see Sexten(e num. A 1 a (c)).

b. Coupled with another numeral forming a compound (cardinal or ordinal) numeral.In view of its unusually early date, the sixte ex. in (c) below may represent an editorial misreading of sexte.(a) a1500 Henr. Age & Yowth 27 (M).
I wes within this saxtie [BD sexty, Bann. sextie] ȝeiris and sewin Ane freik on fold c1500-50 Brevis Cronica 324.
The ȝeir of God five hundreth saxty and aucht 1565 Reg. Soltre 126.
At the feist of Pasche I^m V^c saxte and sevin yeiris 1570 Grant Chart. 141.
The fowrt day of Aprile, … ane thowsand fyve hundreth and saxte ten ȝeris 1596 Dalr. I 58/16.
Hirth [the isle of] is in the saxtie thrie digrie, and Man [the isle of] in the fiftie sevinth a1605 Montg. Misc. P. lviii 6.
Tuyse sax and saxtie ȝeirs he livd(b) 1571 Chron. Fortirgall 137.
The castal tayn the fyrst day of Apryill the yer of God ane M V^c sexte lewyn yeris(c) 1460 Innes Sketches 444.
The yer of Godd a thousand four hundreth sixte yer

c. ellipt. 1375 Barb. vi 31.
His men fra him sa scalit war … That thai left nocht with him sexty 1375 Barb. xix 35 (C).
Sexte ?1438 Alex. i 3097.
Bot sexty of thair men of mane At that assay thare left thay slane 1456 Acts II 45/2 (see Sexten(e num. A 1 b (a)).
Sexti c1475 Wall. iv 209.
Sexty he had off lykly men at wage ?a1500 Steel Roy Robert 187.
To preis on sextie agane sextie Or fourtie agane fourtie gif ȝe lyk c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 256 (M).
Bot I culd sextie desaue that subtillar war haldin a1568 Mersar Bann. MS 278a/21.
Quhair trew is ane sexty is nocht trew a1578 Pitsc. I 400/4 (see Sexten(e num. A 1 b (a)).
Sextie

d. comb. 1619 Garden Elphinstoun 1584.
He send to sea A sextie saills of warre