medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: Revd Gordon Plumb <[log in to unmask]>
> You are correct in suggesting that "weeping" should be "weening", but not in
the other suggestion. My edition of the Caxton translation has "woodness".
the OED prefers Caxton's spelling (no entry at all for "wodness/wodeness"),
though Caxton himself seems to have been a bit woodny about it, using
"wodenesse" in 1484:
[ < OE. wódnes: see WOOD a. and -NESS.]
1. Mental derangement, insanity, mania, frenzy, lunacy, craziness: = MADNESS
1.
c1000 ÆLFRIC Hom. I. 458 {Th}a {asg}eaxode se cyning Polimius be {edh}am
witseocum menn, hu se apostol hine fram {edh}ære wodnysse ahredde.
1382 WYCLIF Acts xxvi. 24 Poul, thou maddist..; manye lettris turnen thee to
woodnesse.
1493 H. PARKER Dives & Pauper V. xviii. (W. de W. 1496) 220/1 Yf a man in his
woodness & rauynge slee man & woman or childe.
1565 GOLDING Ovid's Met. III. (1593) 72 Drunken woodnes wrought by wine.
1605 VERSTEGAN Dec. Intell. (1634) 238 Wee yet retayne in some parts of
England the word wodnes for furiousnesse or madnesse.
1657 THORNLEY tr. Longus Daphnis & Chloe 60 Their minds were struck with a
kind of Woodnesse.
1803 W. S. ROSE Amadis 128 Wrapt in imagin'd flames to woodness stung Deep in
a roaring stream, she headlong sprung.
2. Extravagant folly or recklessness; vehemence of passion or desire;
wildness, infatuation. Cf. MADNESS 2.
c1000 in Assmann Hom. (1889) 60/212 {Th}a sæt he..tælende {th}one
hælend..His wodnys wear{edh} {asg}ewrecen swa {th}urh god.
c1374 CHAUCER Troylus III. 1382 They callen loue a woodnesse or folye.
1387 [see WOOD a. 2b]. c1430 LYDG. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 76 A woode wisdom,
and a wise woodenesse.
1435 MISYN Fire of Love II. viii. 90 Here is lufe with-outen meyknes, wodnes
ful likynge.
**1484 CAXTON Fables of Auian vi, Now perceyue I wel thy foly and grete
**wodenesse**.
1588 A. KING tr. Canisius' Catech. II. iviij, It is extreme vodnes to doubt
quhither thay ar to be kept haly or nocht.
1615 CROOKE Body of Man 284 When their genitalles are full of seede they grow
into woodnesse and rage of lust.
3. Violent anger, wrath, fury, rage; extreme fierceness, ferocity, savageness,
cruelty. Cf. MADNESS 3.
c1000 ÆLFRIC Hom. II. 30 {Th}æt earme wif {asg}elyfde his waelhreowum
{asg}e{edh}eahte, and wear{edh} mid maran wodnysse astyrod.
a1340 HAMPOLE Psalter vi. 1 Lord in thi wodnes argu me noght. Ibid., Wodness
or ire is a stirynge of mannys will, excitand to vengaunce.
c1375 Sc. Leg. Saints ii. (Paulus) 704 Nero wes brocht In sa mekill wodnes of
thocht, {Th}at he his awne modir gert sla.
c1400 St. Alexius (Vernon) 474 Heo ter his clo{th}us al in sunder, in a gret
woodnesse.
1460 J. CAPGRAVE Chron. (Rolls) 237 In her wodnes thei kyllid the bischop of
Cauntirbiry.
a1533 LD. BERNERS Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Rviij, You haue chased the bulle,
and scaped his woodnes.
1550 BALE Engl. Votaries II. Qj, He fretted for wodenes, and was angry with
himselfe.
1577 HANMER Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1663) 166 He proceeding in cruelty, and daily
increasing his savage woodness against the Saints of God.
1600 HOLLAND Livy XXVI. xiii. 593 Wild and savage beasts..madded..with blind
rage and woodnesse against one.
1825 J. WILSON Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1856 I. 12 Whiles I just girn out-by yonner,
wi' perfect wudness when I think o' you..rinning down me, and ither men of
genius.
1906 DOUGHTY Dawn in Britain XIII. IV. 36 So woodness kindles his great heart,
gainst Romans.
b. fig. Excessive violence or severity, ‘fury’ (of pain, or of inanimate
things, as wind, fire, etc.).
a1400 Stockholm Med. MS. II. 704 in Anglia XVIII. 324 It doth noth awey all
{th}e pyne, But all {th}e wodnesse for {th}e tyme.
c1400 Destr. Troy 2008 {Th}e fuerse wyndes, And the wodenes of waghes. c1425
Found. St. Bartholomew's (E.E.T.S.) 21 His kechyn was a-fyre sodenly, and
likely to perissh with wooddenes of fyre.
1450-1530 Myrr. our Ladye II. 189 Fayre flowres wherof the nynte parte faded
by the wodnesse of the northe.
1508 DUNBAR Gold. Targe 229 The Lord of Wyndis, wyth wodenes, God Eolus, his
bugill blew.
1557 Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 127 No rage of drenching sea, nor woodenesse of the
winde.
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