Also 4–5 sortelegye, -legie (-logie), 6 sortilegie, 7 -ligie. [ad. med.L. sortilegi-um: see SORTILEGE1.]
1. Divination by the casting or drawing of lots or otherwise; = SORTILEGE1 1.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), I. 411. Oft gyled was this brood,… For Merlyns prophecie, And ofte for sortelogie [v.r. sortelegie].
1584. R. Scot, Discov. Witchcr., XIII. xxix. (1886), 278. The Aegyptians juggling witchcraft or Sortilegie.
1680. C. Nesse, Church Hist., 269. He had by his Sortilegy (or rather, Sorcery) found out his Lucky Day.
1839. De Quincey, Mod. Superst., Wks. 1853, III. 307. That mode of sortilegy which is conducted by throwing open priviledged books at random.
1883. J. Payn, Thicker than Water, xxviii. Miss Blithers the elder, who believed in sortilegy, presented her with a tract, drawn at random from a whole sheaf of them.
2. An act or instance of this; = SORTILEGE1 2.
1643. Sir T. Browne, Relig. Med., I. § 18. 39. Even in sortilegies and matters of greatest uncertainty, there is a setled and preordered course of effects.
1656. S. Holland, Zara (1719), 28. When that venerable Quack sold his Brethrens lives (by a Sortiligie) to save his own.
