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VEXATIOUS.
be wold neoer haue conclucion, but fynde mcasnc^ of tion (in later use in sense 3)
trouble & vexadon to hurt & disheryte the pore comiens disposition, etc.
bete of their rightfull comen, which he wolde do.
icai Act 13 4- 14 //'» ^V//, c iii. S 9 The said maire..
1534 Star Chamber Cases (Selden) II. 319 Henry.. of hK
vexacyus mynde purchased a writtc of monstrauerunt in the
may have and use all.. powers and .luctorities .. without
Comen place ageynst the seid defeudaunt. 1651 G. W. tr.
trouble, lette, or vexacion of any of the Inhabitauntes. 1560
Coquets Inst. 246 Ihey might meerly through envy, and the
D»fS tr. SUiJaiu's Coinm. 144 b, They loved rather the
pleasure they took in being vexatious, take men upon Writs.
vexation of the common wealth, than peace and quietnes.
167(5 WvcHERLEV Pt. Dealer i. i. She is as vexatious as her
itai Sir T. Coventiiv in Fartcscut Papers iCimden) 156
Father was, the great Attorney. 1715 Lomi. Gaz. No. 3343/=
The \-exacions of informers and other new devised straj'nes
The Townsmen . . are . . turbulent and vexatious to the Kegi-
I shall endeavour to repres.se. 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Omt.
ment. 1738 WESLEv/'.rai'wwcxviil. iv, Begirt with Hosts of
£v. I. Ixvii. (t739) '6' I'herefore the Law providj:d a \ynt
of remedy against unjust vexation, i^ >r- {''";"'" , f
Cat his spiryt Anoon forsooke his
habiucioun. c 144a Gesta Rom. Ixvi. 298 Abowte cockn
crowe t)e mayde, for gret vexacion hat she hadde with t>e
tempest, fell on slepe. 1493 Pctranylla 18 ;Pynson), Though
she had of brennyngc greate feruence Twene colde and hole
vexacion inportable There was no grutchinge. IJIJ Bar-
CLAV Egtoges ii. (1570) B iv/i In all that thy sight hath
deleciation, Thy greedy tasting hath great vexation, a 1548
Hall Chron., Hen. VI I, 3 b, By the torraentyng and vexacion
of which sicknes, ..tliey cast away the shetes & all the
clothes liyng on the bed. 1577 Hanmer Aiic. EccUs. Hist.
(1619) 148 Maiming, racking, and scourging, and thousands
of other vexations. 1590 Shaks. Mids. N. iv. i, 74 That he
. May. .thinke no more of this nights accidents, But as the
fierce vexation of a dreame. i6to B. Jonson Catiline ill.
ii, No noise, no pulling, no vexation wakes thee. Thy
lethargic is such. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. s.v. Assodes
fehii, The Distemper usually arises from the Vexation of
the Stomach by sharp and cholerick Humours.
3. The state or fact of being mentally troubled or
distressed, in later use esp. by something causing
annoyance, irritation, dissatisfaction, or disappointment.
c 146$ Pot., Ret., * L. Poems (1903) 2 Raynyng with
Rewles resenable and Rightfull) The whiche for oure sake
bathe sofferde grete vexacion. c 1471 in Pot. Poems
(Rolls) II. 279 What vexacioun was then To the quene and
the lordis...Then aftur kynge Edwarde thay cryed and did
wepe. isoo-»o Dunbar Pi>ems xxv. 41 Tak consolatioun in
^our pane, In Iribulatioun tak consolatioun. Out of vexatioun
cum hame agane. ISSS Eden Decades (."Vrb.) 71 Contentc
onely to satisfie nature, without further vexation for knowelege
of thinges to come. 1590 Shaks. iMids. N. 1. i. 22 Full
of vexation, come I, with complaint Against my childe, my
daughter Hermia. 1(63 Brit. Spec. loi I'hosc Britains..
did. .so infest the Roman Province, that the very Vexation
of it cost Ostorius his Life. 1715 De Foe Voy. round
Jfor/rf (1840) 344 They let it (a canoe] go to the first cataract,.,
and bad the vexation of seeing it dashed all to pieces.
1781 Miss BURNEV Cecitia 111. viii, [She] very openly expressed
her vexation and displeasure. x8a8 Scott P. M.
Pertli XX, The King, .heard of this new trouble with much
vexation. 1854 Poultry Chron. II. 122/2 The vexation of
the poultry owner when he sees his favourites fall under the
ravages of disease. 1887 RusKiN Prxterita II. 19, 1 spoke
of the constant vexation I suffered because I could not draw
better.
b. In the phr. vexation of mind, spirit.
153s CoVERDALE Isatoh Ixv. 14 Ye shal crie for sorow of
hen, and complayne for vexacion ofmynde. X540-S4CROKK
11/ Chap.Eccles. (Percy Soc.) 49 Nought fynde I butvexacion
Of spryte and mynde. 1560 Bible (Genev.) Eccl. ii. 17
All is vanitie, & vexacion of the spirit. 1588 Fbaunce
Lawiers Logike Ded. F2b, The perpetuall vexation of
Spirite, and continuall consumption of body, incident to
every scholler. x6n Cotgr., A/a>-;vio«, . .chafing, fuming,
vexation of mind. l6al Burton Anat. Met. 11. ili. vll. 422
Many men spend themselues..vpon small quarrels, .. with
much vexation of spirit and anguish of minde. _
i8a8 Scott
F. M. Pertli xiv, She found her reward in vanity and vexation
of spirit,
4. A source or cause of mental trouble or dis-
tress ; a grief or affliction. Chiefly witli a.
1594 Shaks. Rich. Ill, iv. iv. 305 Your Children were
vexation to your youth. But mine shall lie a comfort to
your Age. i6it Brinslev Lud. Lit. iii. (1627) 13 It is an
extreme vexation, that we must be toiled amongst such
little petties. l6J8 R. Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. Ill)
165 Sir, I am your vexation in ordinary. 1765 CowPKR
Let. to Lady Hesketh i Aug., It is a mark of their great
charity for one who has been a disappointment and a
vexation to them. 1833 Hr. Martineau Loom Ar Lugger
It. V. 94 It may be a vexation and disadvantage to us.
1879 Froude Caesar xx. 344 My own vexation is, that I
must pay Caesar my debt.
1 5. The action of subjecting to violence or
force ; the fact of being so treated. Obs.
1603 B. Jonson Sejanus iv. ii, As the wind doth try strong
trees. Who by vexation grow more sound and firm. 1610
— Atch. IL V, Name the vexations, and the mattyrizations
0( mettalls, in the worke. 169a L'Estrange Josephus,
AsUii. IV. viii. (i73i) 94 The Earth hath enough to do.
without the superfluous Vexations of the Plow over and
above.
Vexatious (veksi^-Jas), a. Al«o 6 vezacyns.
[f. prec. : see -10U8.]
L Causing, tending or disposed to cause, vexa-
168
: a. Of persons, their
Enemies Vexatious as thick-swarming Bees. 1853 Dickens
Bleak Ho. xxiv. The Lord Chancellor described him, in
open court, as a vexatious and capricious infanL
b. Of things.
1664 Power Exp. Philos. in. 184 If he could but stiffly
wrangle out a vexatious dispute of some odd Peripatetick
qualities, a 1680 Butler Vf^wi. (1759) II. 38 Flies and Gnats
are more vexatious in hot Climates, than Creatures that are
able to do greater Mischiefs. i70S-« Penn in Pennsylv.
Hist. Soc. Mem. X. 108 The business of Beaumont proves
very vexatious to me here. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 176
p I There are many vexatious accidentsand uneasy situations
which raise little compassion for the sufferer. 1804 Abernethv
Surg. Obs. loi The opening of the cyst generally leaves
a vexatious and intractable sore. 184a Loudon Suburban
Hort. 709 It is most vexatious 10 find a fruit tree has been
planted untrue to name. 1869 Freeman Norm. Cong. (1875)
III. xii. 75 It is somewhat vexatious that we have to trust
almost wholly to authorities on one side.
•c. Of legal actions : Instituted without
0. spec.
sufficient grounds for the purpose of causing
trouble or annoyance to the defendant.
1677 Yarranton Eng. Improv. 9 It is a Sin, that a Gentle. \
man., should be the occasion of ruining so many Families.,
by putting them to such vexatious Suits for their Moneys
lent. 1696-7 Act 8-9 William III, c. 11 Diverse evil disposed
Persons are incouraged to bring frivolous and vexatious
Actions. 1746 Francis tr. Hor., Sat. 1. vi. 6 Persius
had wealth by foreign traffic gain'd, And a vexatious suit
with King maintain 'd. 1856 Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) II.
vi. 72 Their courts were unceasingly occupied with vexatious
suits.
trans/. 1909 H. M. Gwatkin Early Ch. Hist. I. viii, 142
If the charge turns out vexatious {fatumnix gratia) the
accuser shall be severely punished.
(• 2. Full of trouble or uneasiness. Obs.
1644 DiCBV Two Treat. Ded. a iij b, He leadeth a vexatious
life, that in his noblest actions is so gored with
scruples, that he dareth not make a steppe, without the
authority of an other to warrant him. 1671 H. M. tr.
Erasm. Cotloq. 529 Riches and honours which bring not a
pleasant, but rather a careful and vexatious life,
t 3. Vexed, annoyed. Obs.~'^
1756 ToLDERVv Hist. 1 Orphans IV, 106 Heartley grew
vexatious with himself for having parted with the watch.
Vexationsly (veks^-Jasli), cuiv. [f. prec. +
-Lv'''.] In a vexatious manner; so as to cause
annoyance or irritation.
1653 R. Sanders Physiogn. 140 Thy soul is vexationsly
perturbaled. 1709 Swift & Addison Tatter No. 43 p 2,
The rugged Cares and Disturbance that Publick Affairs
brings with it, which does so vexatiously affect the Heads of
other great Men. 1748 Anson's Voy. u. ix. 227 We were
most strangely and vexatiously disappointed, by finding that
the light.. was only a fire on the shore. 1788 Mme. D'Ar-
BLAV Diary 2 Aug. , Very vexatiously, however, my message
arrived, .late. 1S17 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Re/. III. 531
At the same time difficulties were vexatiously thrown in the
way of the protestant procurator. 1879 S. C. Bartlett
Egypt to Pat. xi. 242 We paused here and interrogated our
Arabs, but, vexatiously enough, we could extract from them
no such tradition.
b. spec, in law. (See Vexatious a. i c.)
1880 MuiRiiEAD Gaius IV. §172 The praetor allows an
, 7-9
oath to be exacted from him ' that he is not vexatiously
denying his liability'. 1883 Law Times 20 Oct. 412/1 The
bankrupt, .must not have vexatiously defended any action.
VexatiousneSS (veks^'-Jasnes). [f. as prec.
4- -NESS.] The character of being vexatious.
i6