[f. FABLE v. + -ING1.] The action of the vb. FABLE; the telling of fictitious stories, fabulous narration, romancing, † lying; an instance of the same.
a. 1300. E. E. Psalter, cxviii. [cxix.]. 85. Wicked fablinges talde to me.
1530. Calisto & Melib., in Hazl., Dodsley, I. 78.
| Mel. With thy fabling and thy reasoning, i-wis, | |
| I am beguiled. |
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit., I. 24. In the same veine also of fabling they called this Iland Albion.
1671. Milton, P. R., IV. 295. The next to fabling fell and smooth conceits.
1774. Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry (1775), I. 22. I have considered the Saracens either at their immigration into Spain about the ninth century, or at the time of the crusades, as the first authors of romantic fabling among the Europeans.
1821. Lamb, Elia, Old Benchers. Let the dreams of classic idolatry perish,—extinct be the fairies and fairy trumpery of legendary fabling,—in the heart of childhood there will for ever spring up a well of innocent or wholesome superstition.
b. attrib.
1545. Ascham, Toxoph. (Arb.), 44–5. If you haue no stronger defence of shotinge then Poetes, I feare yf your companions which loue shotinge, hearde you, they wolde thinke you made it but a triflyng and fabling matter.
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., Ep. (1593), 11.
| The Poet following ay | |
| The fables of the glorying Greekes (who shamelessely did take | |
| The prayse of all things too themselves) in fablying wyse dooth make | |
| It happen in Deucalions tyme. |
