Surcharge v.

[a. OF. surcharger: see SUR- and CHARGE v. Cf. Pr., Sp. sobrecargar, It. sopraccaricare, Pg. sobrecarregar.]

  1.  trans. To charge (a person) too much as a price or payment; to overburden with expense, exactions, etc.; to subject to an additional or extra charge or payment.

1429.  Rolls of Parlt., IV. 352/1. Diverse Customers … standen surcharged, and in weie to be surcharged in hire accomptes.

1475.  Bk. Noblesse (Roxb.), 75. How that men usurpen … in surchargeyng them unduelie.

1587.  Harrison, England, II. xiii. (1877), I. 260. To surcharge the rest of the parish, & laie more burden vpon them.

1655.  Fuller, Ch. Hist., IX. vi. § 8. John Whitgift succeeding in the Arch-Bishoprick, found it much surcharged in the valuation.

a. 1700.  Evelyn, Diary, 17 Sept. 1655. The taxes were so intollerable … surcharged as that county had been … during our unnatural war.

1798.  Anti-Jacobin, 1 Jan. And sorely to surcharge the Duke I trowe he was ne slack.

1812.  Examiner, 7 Sept., 570/2. The Surveyor … for Assessed Taxes … surcharges him.

1845.  McCulloch, Taxation, I. iv. (1852), 127. On this principle, farmers who are undertaxed should be surcharged.

  b.  Equity. To show an omission in (an account); absol. to show that the accounting party ought to have charged himself with more than he has.

1754.  Ld. Hardwicke, in Vezey, Reports (1773), II. 566. A liberty to surcharge and falsify these several stated accounts.

1826.  Wheaton, Rep. Cases Supreme Crt. U.S., XI. 256. If … the defendant plead … a settled account, the plaintiff may surcharge, by alleging and proving omissions in the account, or may falsify, by showing errors in some of the items stated in it.

  c.  To make a charge upon (a public official or body) in respect of an amount improperly paid by him; hence, to disallow (an item of expenditure in an account).

1885.  Manch. Exam., 13 April, 5/3. The Auditor had given notice to the Guardians … of his intention to surcharge them with an amount of £157.

1885.  M. Stanhope, Sp. Ho. Commons, 11 Aug. If any item of expenditure is illegal it is liable to be surcharged by the auditor.

1901.  Westm. Gaz., 11 Jan., 3/2. The School Board was surcharged by the auditor in 1885 in respect of illegal Science and Art classes.

  2.  Law. To overstock (a common, etc.) by putting more cattle into it than the person has a right to do or than the pasture will sustain. Also absol. Obs. exc. Hist.

1480.  Cov. Leet Bk., 456. That the lawe of the lande ys that the lorde of the soyle may surcharge and put þerin what noumber hit lykes.

a. 1500.  Brome Bk., 164. Ȝe schall enquere … ȝef ony mane surchargeth yowre comune.

1598.  Manwood, Lawes Forest, xiv. 83. If he … do surcharge the comon with so many beasts, that the wild beasts of the kings Forrest can not haue sufficient feed there.

a. 1634.  Coke, Inst., IV. lxxiii. (1648), 293. Surcharge of the Forest. Superoneratio Forestæ, is when a Commoner in the Forest putteth on more Beasts than he ought, and so surchargeth the Forest.

a. 1776.  in Burrow, Reports, IV. 2431. Where a Commoner was intitled to Common for a certain Number of Cattle … there if be surcharged, another Commoner might distrain.

  3.  To put an additional or excessive (physical) burden or weight upon; to overload, weigh down.

1582.  Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 60. When shee shaw Priamus yoouthlyk surcharged in armoure.

1600.  Holland, Livy, VII. xxiii. 265. The Gaules being surcharged with dartes either sticking through their bodies, or fast set in their shields, and so weighing them downe.

c. 1600.  Davison, Ps. xxiii. in Farr, S. P. Eliz. (1845), II. 320.

1603.  Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 33. As was the greatest servant of Christ, Peter, surcharged with two chaines.

1667.  Milton, P. L., V. 58. O fair Plant,… with fruit surcharg’d, Deigns none to ease thy load and taste thy sweet? Ibid. (1671), Samson, 728. Like a fair flower surcharg’d with dew.

1706.  J. Philips, Cerealia, 125.

1753.  Richardson, Grandison (1781), VI. liii. 347. Her eyes … surcharged, as I may say, with tears of joy.

1811.  Ld. Glenbervie, Jrnls. (1910), 138. A round hat surcharged with feathers.

1869.  Spurgeon, Treas. Dav., Ps. xxv. 17. A lake surcharged with water by enormous floods.

  b.  With reference to surfeit of food or drink. Also fig.

1603.  Knolles, Hist. Turks (1638), 182. The defendants of the Castle … surcharged themselues … with excesse both of meat and drink.

1622.  Venner, Via Recta, viii. (ed. 2), 190. They … greatly erre … that … presse and surcharge their bodies with ouer-much meat.

a. 1644.  Quarles, Sol. Recant., Sol. xi. 79. Thou mayst surcharge as well as sterve The soile; But wise men know what seed will serve.

1784.  Cowper, Tiroc., 20. Still to be fed, and not to be surcharged.

  c.  To charge to excess with moisture, a substance in solution, or the like.

1611.  Speed, Theat. Gt. Brit., xix. (1614), 37/1. The Fenny [soil] surcharged with waters.

1771.  Smollett, Humphry Cl., 4 July. A gross stagnated air, surcharged with damps from vaults.

1798.  Surv. Prov. Moray, iii. 127. All the water seems surcharged with iron.

1803.  Malthus, Popul., II. ii. (1806), I. 339. The seeds with which every wind is surcharged sow the ground thickly with firs.

1815.  J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 261. The whole of the identical electricity that surcharges one side of a phial.

1816.  Wordsw., French Army in Russia, II. 7. Winter’s breath surcharged with sleety showers.

1849.  Claridge, Cold Water Cure, 109. When the body is surcharged with heat.

1867.  Lyell, Princ. Geol. (ed. 10), I. II. xv. 350. Winds blowing from the sea are generally surcharged with moisture.

1897.  Allbutt’s Syst. Med., III. 163. The blood … was always found surcharged with urates.

  fig.  1884.  Manch. Exam., 17 May, 4/7. Such words … are surcharged with a certain amount of invidiousness.

  4.  In non-physical senses: To weigh down, overburden; to bear heavily upon.

1581.  Lambarde, Eiren., I. ix. (1602), 41. The Commission of the peace … surcharged with vaine recitals.

1592.  Kyd, Sp. Trag., III. vii. Mine exclaimes, that houe surcharged the aire With ceasles plaints.

1611.  Speed, Theat. Gt. Brit., xxxix. (1614), 78/2. Surcharged and over-worne with the troublesome toyles … of warre.

1635.  Jackson, Creed, VIII. ii. § 2. To surcharge our ordinary humane conditions with the extraordinary estate of a servant … this was that unexpressible humiliation.

1643.  Milton, Divorce, v. 11. When human frailty surcharg’d, is at such a losse.

a. 1684.  Leighton, Comm. 1 Pet. iii. 15. The greatest affairs surcharge him [sc. God] not and the very smallest escape him not.

  b.  To oppress or overwhelm (with emotion, sorrow or suffering).

1566.  Drant, Wail. Hieremie, v. in Horace, etc. L ij. Our hearte with sadnesse is surchargde.

1588.  Greene, Pandosto (1843), 23. Surcharged before with extreame joy and now suppressed with heavie sorrowe.

1590.  Marlowe, 2nd Pt. Tamburl., III. i. Ioue surchardg’d with pity of our wrongs.

1647.  Ward, Simple Cobler (1843), 54. My heart is surcharged, I can no longer forbear.

a. 1649.  Drumm. of Hawth., Poems, Wks. (1711), 32. Sur-charg’d with grief, fraught with annoy.

1667.  Milton, P. L., XII. 373. Discerning Adam with such joy Surcharg’d.

1804.  Wordsw., Vaudracour & Julia, 50. Till his spirit sank, Surcharged, within him.

1835.  Marryat, Jacob Faithful, xviii. My heart was too much surcharged … my grief found vent.

1904.  M. Hewlett, Queen’s Quair, II. x. Had she been less charged with them [sc. troubles] she had been warier; but she was indeed surcharged.

  c.  pass. To have an excess of inhabitants, inmates or members.

1572.  Act 14 Eliz., c. 5 § 40. Yf it shall chaunce any Cytie … to have in yt moore poore Folkes then the Inhabitauntes thereof shalbe able to releve … uppon Certyfycate thereof made, and of the number and names of the persones with which they be so surchardged, [etc.].

1637.  Earl Stirling, Domes-day, V. v. Else th’ earth surcharg’d would starve her nurslings soon.

1667.  Milton, P. L., II. 836. Least Heav’n surcharg’d with potent multitude Might hap to more new broiles.

1793.  Gouv. Morris, in Sparks, Life & Writ. (1832), II. 370. Already the prisons are surcharged.

1837.  P. Keith, Bot. Lex., 146. This analysis brings him down to the several classes of the first grand group, which, from their number, are prevented from being surcharged with too many tribes or families.

1913.  Frazer, Scapegoat, v. 226. Men’s minds are freed from the oppressive sense, under which they generally labour, of an atmosphere surcharged with devils.

  † 5.  To make an overwhelming attack upon: see CHARGE v. 22. Obs.

1588.  Kyd, Househ. Philos., Wks. (1901), 239. I beheld a little Kidde surchargd, pursued, and anon ouertaken by two swift Grey-hounds.

1596.  Spenser, F. Q., IV. ix. 30. Foure charged two, and two surcharged one.

  6.  To print on additional mark on the face of (a postage-stamp), esp. for the purpose of changing its value.

1870.  J. E. Gray, Catal. Postage Stamps (ed. 5), 169. Value surcharged in coloured ink.

1870.  Routledge’s Ev. Boy’s Ann., Feb. Suppl. 3/1. Current adhesives, surcharged with service.

1881.  Stamp-Collector’s Ann., 14. A new value of 8 cents has been created by surcharging the 12 cents with 8 cents in black. Ibid., 16. A 50 reis stamp, green,… surcharged Guine in black.

  Hence Surcharging vbl. sb. (also attrib.).

1598.  Manwood, Lawes Forest, xiv. 82. The surcharging of the Forrest with more beasts then they may Common withall.

1602.  Carew, Cornwall, I. 23 b. Let not the owners commendable industrie, turne to their surcharging preiudice.

1622.  [E. Misselden], Free Trade, 130. The Sur-charging of the Cloth Trade.

1768.  Blackstone, Comm., III. xvi. 238. This injury by surcharging, can properly speaking only happen, where the common is appendant or appurtenent.

1881.  Stamp-Collector’s Ann., 16. By the last mail we are informed that the surcharging has again ceased.

1889.  Spectator, 27 April, 568/1. Easements in that direction will only tend to the surcharging of rents.