36 Mary Crawford 
how(e). In meaning, equivalent to ho above. See also how ex- 
pressing astonishment, in I. 
Towneley Plays, xii, 83: gyb, I say, how! Towneley Plays, © 
xxv, 229, Satan: how! thou belamy, abyde! York, xxviii, 
292: Howe! felawes, drawe nere. Coventry, vi, Deus: Moyses, 
how! Moyses, Herke tome. Henryson, The Paddock and the 
Mous: How, Juppiter! of nature god and king. Castell of 
Perseverance, 579: How, lord! loke owt! Mankind, 725: 
What, how! ostler, hostler! lende ws a foot-ball! Castell of 
Per., 1727: Howe! Flypyrgebet! Bakbytere! 
lew. The meaning is uncertain. It is perhaps a variant of lo! 
Joo! This is in accord with its use in the example cited. 
Towneley Plays, iii, 507, Uxor: Hence bot a litill she 
commys, lew, lew! 
lo(o), lok(e), loke out. Lo and Joo are probably shortened forms 
of ME. loke, OE. imperative loca, from locian. Very frequent 
in ME. 
Occleve, Letter of Cupid, 445: Lok! and ye shal so fynde yt 
hardely. Castell of Perseverance, 579: How, lord! loke owt! 
Merlin, 1573: lo, quod Merlyne, a custoume it Js. Mankind, 
138: Lo, mastur! lo! here ys a pardon bely mett. Towneley 
Plays, ii, 34, Caym: lo! now hard she what I saide. York, x, 
225, Abraham: But loo! her sall no force be felde. Morte 
Darthur, vii, ch. 11: Lo, said the damoysel, yonder is a lord 
that oweth yonder cyte. Kingis Quair, 49 (amended text): 
lo! suich delyte. Occleve, Letter of Cupid, 453: But oonly, loo 
for this entencion. Everyman: Lo! Fellowship forsaketh me. 
Not-browne Mayd, 201: Loo! myn herte swete. Not-browne 
Mayd, 217: Loo yet before ye must doo more. York, xxviii, 
2506: Be-holdis all hedirward, loo! 
oyas, oy. Meaning hear ye! OF. oiez, oyez, imperative plural 
of oir, hear, from Latin audicatis. Identified, through mis- 
conception, with the two words O yes and often so written. 
See the Oxford Dictionary. As shown by the examples, oyez 
or oyas was the call of a court officer to win attention to an 
announcement. 
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