Forms: α. 4– vale (4–5 vaal), 4–5 (6 Sc.) wale. β. 5–7 vaile (7 vaille), 6 Sc. vaill, 7–8 vail; 5 Sc. wail, waill(e, 6 Sc. waile, wayill. [ad. OF. val (= It., Sp., Pg. valle):—L. vallem, acc. of vallis, vallēs valley.]
1. A more or less extensive tract of land lying between two ranges of hills, or stretches of high ground, and usually traversed by a river or stream; a dale or valley, esp. one which is comparatively wide and flat.
In later use chiefly poet. (exc. as in b), but employed as an ordinary prose word by American writers in the second half of the 18th century.
α. 13[?]. E. E. Allit. P., B. 673. For þat Cite þer bysyde was sette in a vale.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxxi. 138. Þare es a vale betwene twa hilles.
1426. Lydg., De Guil. Pilgr., 21198. Affter philisofres talys, Ther ben hylles, ther ben wales, Medwes, ryvers.
1508. Dunbar, Goldyn Targe, 248. Suete war the vapouris,… Halesum the vale, depaynt wyth flouris ying.
1588. Shaks., Titus A., II. iii. 93. These two haue tic’d me hither to this place, A barren, detested vale you see it is.
1618. J. Taylor (Water P.), Penniless Pilgr., Wks. (1630), 136/2. Then let who list delight in Vales below, Skie-kissing Mountaines pleasure are for me.
1660. F. Brooke, trans. Le Blanc’s Trav., 7. Towards the Tiberiade Sea there is another vale very hollow, between two hills, where the Sun is hardly ever seen.
1727–46. Thomson, Summer, 606. [The wave] steals, at last, Along the mazes of the quiet vale.
1751. J. Bartram, Observ. Trav. Pennsylv., etc., 35. We lodged by Front Creek in a spacious vale.
1787. M. Cutler, in Life, Jrnls., & Corr. (1888), I. 277. At the bottom of the vale, and on the bank of the river, is a huge rock.
1835. Thirlwall, Greece (1839), I. 7. Into which the Spercheius … winds through a long narrow vale.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown, I. i. I pity people who weren’t born in a vale. I don’t mean a flat country, but a vale: that is, a flat country bounded by hills.
1878. Browning, La Saisiaz, 8. Forth we sallied to see sunset from the vale.
transf. 1820. Shelley, Vision of Sea, 15. The walls of the watery vale … are unmoved by the gale. Ibid., 96. The mountainous vale of the wave.
β. a. 1400–50. Alexander, 3980. If I be vencust in þe vaile & voidid of my lyfe.
c. 1440. Generydes, 216. They role in a full fayre vaile.
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scotl., I. 14. In ane vaill that is besyde the toun, Eberieus stentit thair palȝeonis doun.
a. 1568. A. Scott, Poems (S.T.S.), xiv. 16. The wallowit weidis in þe vaill.
1617. Sir W. Mure, Misc. Poems, xxi. 102. Heir wods and vails and echoes that resounds.
1770. Washington, Writ. (1889), II. 308. The vail (through which this creek runs) … appears to be wide.
b. Const. of (the distinctive name of the vale).
a. 1300. Cursor M., 2705. Abram satt his hus … Bi-side þe wale of mont mambre.
c. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 5164. Al men sal ryse to þe dome, And in þe vale of Iosaphat come.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, ii. (Paul), 285. In þe wale of comptone [read campioune; L. pugilum].
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), viii. 30. Men schall passe thurgh þis deserte to þe vale of Elym.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. xxvi. 4364. A companny Þat … war walkande In til þe wail of Anande.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 267. By the vale of Remsie.
1577. Harrison, England, I. xiii. The famous vales in Englande, of which one is called the Vale of white horse, another of Eouesham,… the third of Ailesbyry [etc.].
1667. Milton, P. L., XI. 266. And thou Moon [stand] in the vale of Aialon, Till Israel overcome.
1804. C. B. Brown, trans. Volney’s View, 33. West of the Allegheny, towards the vale of the Ohio, there are many remarkable hills.
1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), I. 21. The Vale of Gloucester, or that part of the Vale of Severn … which lies in Gloucestershire.
c. Without article, occas. contrasted with hill, mountain, etc.
c. 1402. Lydg., Compl. Bl. Knt., vii. The briddes … Which on the braunches, bothe in pleyn and vale, So loude songe.
c. 1470. Henry, Wallace, X. 999. Baith hycht and waill obeyed all till his will.
1667. Milton, P. L., XI. 563. Where casual fire Had wasted woods on Mountain or in Vale.
1786[?]. Wordsw., ‘Calm is all nature,’ 6. A slumber seems to steal O’er vale, and mountain.
1823. Shelley, Scenes fr. Faust, II. 62. A voice … which … vibrates far o’er field and vale.
2. In fig. uses. Also const. of (adversity, etc.).
1412–20. Lydg., Chron. Troy, II. 42. Sche can plonge worþi emperoures From þe hille of hiȝe prosperite In-to þe vale of aduersite.
c. 1450. Pol., Rel., & L. Poems (1903), 181. In the vaile of restles mynd, I sowght in mownteyn & in mede.
[1535. Coverdale, Ps. lxxxiii. 6. Which goinge thorow the vale of mysery, vse it for a well.]
1604. Breton, Grimello’s Fortunes, Wks. (Grosart), II. 5/2. After that I had past the great Mountaine of mishaps, I fell into a long vaile of miserie.
1784. Cowper, Task, VI. 721. I … Have pour’d my Stream of panegyric down The vale of nature.
1809. Shelley, ‘For my dagger,’ 22. I dare not unveil The shadows that float o’er Eternity’s vale.
b. The world regarded as a place of trouble, sorrow, misery, or weeping. Usu. with this.
14[?]. in Tundale’s Vis. (1843), 123. In thys sorowfull vale Of trowbull of woo and of hevynes.
1435. Misyn, Fire of Love, 12. In þis vale of wepynge þai haue bene delityd.
1497. Bp. Alcock, Mons Perfect., A iij/2. Ye transytory Joye of this vale of mysery.
1500–20. Dunbar, Poems, lxxiii. 7. Out of this vaill of trubbill and dissait.
1554. in Maitl. Cl. Misc., III. (1855), 65. The labilitie and breuitie of tymes … and of men in this wale of teiris beand considerit.
1618. Raleigh, Rem. (1664), 113. What could you find in the vail of tears [etc.]?
1655. in Verney Mem. (1907), II. 12. For afflicktions whille we live in this vaille of miserey must continually be loocked for.
1781. Cowper, Conversat., 881. Though life’s valley be a vale of tears, A brighter scene beyond that vale appears.
1816. Shelley, Hymn Intell. Beauty, ii. Why dost thou pass away and leave our state, This dim vast vale of tears, vacant and desolate?
c. The world regarded as the scene of life. With various qualifications, as earthly, mortal, etc., or const. of (life, etc.).
c. 1446. Lydg., Nightingale Poems, II. 351. Where-as þat god of love hym-self doth dwelle Vpon an hille ferre from the mortal vale.
1593. Shaks., 2 Hen. VI., II. i. 70. Great is his comfort in this Earthly Vale. Although by his sight his sinne be multiplyed.
1718. Prior, Solomon, I. 621. Why, whilst We struggle in this Vale beneath…, Do They more bless’d perpetual Life employ … in Scenes of Joy?
1784. Cowper, Task, IV. 799. An unambitious mind, content In the low vale of life.
1819. Shelley, ‘A gentle Story,’ 6. In this world’s deserted vale.
1850. Tennyson, in Ld. H. Tennyson, Mem. (1897), I. 309. In this vale of Time the hills of Time often shut out the mountains of Eternity.
d. The vale of years, the declining years of a person’s life; old age.
1604. Shaks., Oth., III. iii. 266. Haply,… for I am declin’d Into the vale of yeares.
1676. D’Urfey, Mme. Fickle, IV. i. A man that has the misfortune to decline into the vail of Years.
1769. Ld. Holland, in Jesse, Selwyn & Contemp. (1843), II. 372. Yet I … am weak enough sometimes to think, that if Rigby … had pleased, I should have walked down the vale of years more easily.
1796. Burke, Lett. Regicide Peace, Wks. VIII. 310. That venerable potentate and pontiff, is sunk deep into the vale of years.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., ix. Mrs. Butler [was] a woman, and declined into the vale of years.
† 3. a. One of the grooves in the beam of a hart’s antler. Obs.–1
c. 1410. Master of Game (MS. Digby 182), xxiv. Alle allonge þe beames þere be smale vales, þat men clepe gotters.
† b. ? The notch at the back of a barbed arrow-head. Obs.–1
c. 1400. Laud Troy Bk., 7794. To that kyng he gan to hale, And drow an arwe vp to the vale.
4. attrib. and Comb. a. Attrib., as vale-dweller, -hind; vale-lily, the lily of the valley.
1822. Beddoes, Poems, Rom. Lily, 150. My tribute shall be sweet, though small:—A cup of the vale-lily bloom.
1832. Bree, St. Herbert’s Isle, 13. To mark the vale-hind ted the ripened shock.
1889. Archaeol. Æliana, XIII. 266. The fierce pagan vale-dwellers by the North Tyne.
b. Attrib., occas. passing into adj., in the sense ‘of or belonging to, found, grown, or produced in, a (particular) vale,’ as Vale-barley, † -dog, -farmer, -grey (a variety of pea), -man, soil.
1615. Markham, Country Contentm., I. viii. 98. Now the Gentlemen which dwell on the dounes and plaine grounds, to maintaine the reputation of their Dogs, affirme them to be much more nimble … in turning, then the vale Dogs be.
1677. Plot, Oxfordsh., 240. When at any time they sow Peas on this Land, the best Husbandmen will chuse the Vale-gray as most proper for it.
a. 1722. Lisle, Husb. (1757), 152. The hill-country-barley is generally better esteemed by the malsters than the vale-barley. Ibid. The vale-lands are generally too wet, cold, and clayey.
1733. W. Ellis, Chiltern & Vale Farm., 92. The Beech will never make a good Tree in their vale, spewey, and wet Soil. Ibid., 221. The Vale-men in their open, low Fields,… won’t sow Peas alone.
1740. Somerville, Hobbinolia, II. 7. The Vale-Inhabitants, proud, and elate With Victory.
1815. Birkbeck, Journ. thro’ France, 63. The vale farmers are busy sowing lupines … on their wheat stubbles.
1895. Outing, XXVII. 194/1. Those Vale farmers, no pen can ever accurately depict.
c. Comb., as vale-born, -buried.
1801. Mrs. Robinson, Sylphid, III. 24 (Jod.). Her emblems are the white rose bending in a graceful curve over the modest vale-born lily.
1808. Eleanor Sleath, Bristol Heiress, V. 102. The vale-buried town of Keswick.
