Obs. exc. arch. or dial. Also 3–6 suage, (4 squage, 6 swadge, Sc. suaige). [a. AF. suag(i)er, swag(i)er, OF. *souagier, = Pr. suaujar, suauzar:—pop.L. *suāviāre, parallel form to *assuāviāre, whence OF. asouagier to ASSUAGE, of which swage is partly an aphetic derivative.] = ASSUAGE. a. trans. To appease, mitigate, pacify, relieve, reduce, abate.
(a) emotion, violent action, troubled thoughts, cares, etc.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 13868. He suaged him wit wordes heind.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 4570. Whan sire Cesar … Had pesed & swaged al þer ire.
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour, ix. Fastinge is an abstinence of vertu, right couenable to swage the yre of God.
c. 1450. Guy Warw. (Cambr. MS.), 5266. Tyll þey be swaged … And chastysed thorow þer owtrage.
1508. Fisher, 7 Penit. Ps. vi. Wks. (1876), 4. The woodnesse of the foresayd wycked spyryte sholde be mytygate and swaged.
1562. Pilkington, Expos. Abdyas, Pref. 13. To abate their pride, & swage their malice.
1638–56. Cowley, Davideis, III. 353. Thus chear’d be Saul, thus did his fury swage.
1667. Milton, P. L., I. 556. Nor wanting power to mitigate and swage With solemn touches, troubl’d thoughts. Ibid. (1671), Samson, 184. Apt words have power to swage The tumors of a troubl’d mind.
(b) bodily injury or pain, swelling, etc.
c. 1305. Pilate, 175, in E. E. P. (1862), 116. His hurte was al swaged.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. xxxiii. (Bodl. MS.). A marie of fatnes … to swage þe coldnes of bones of þe breeste plaate.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 165. Ȝeue him metis & drynkis þat mowe swage þe cowȝe.
c. 1480. Henryson, Sum Practysis of Medecyne, 33. With þe snowt of ane selch, ane swelling to swage.
1547–64. Bauldwin, Mor. Philos. (Palfr.), 163. All doubtfull diseases to swage and to cure.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, III. (Arb.), 91. With roots of eeche herb I swadgde my great hunger.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 32. It swageth the pains and stitches of the breast.
1882. Lancs. Gloss., Suage, swage … to remove a swelling by fomentation.
(c) storm, wind, heat or other physical force. Also in fig. context (cf. a).
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter lxxxviii. 10 [lxxxix. 9]. Þou ert lord til þe myght of þe see: þe stirynge … of þe stremys of it þou swagis.
1408. trans. Vegetius’ De Re Milit. (MS. Digby 233, lf. 235/1). Þe hete of þe sonne smotheth and swageth þe scharpe blastes of þe wyndes.
c. 1450. trans. De Imitatione, III. xxxix. 110. Þou … swagist þe mevinges of his flodes.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, I. iii. 84. Thus said he, and with that word hastely The swelland seis hes swagit.
1549–62. Sternhold & H., Ps. li. 8. And that my strength may now amend, which thou hast swagde for my trespace.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, II. (Arb.), 47. Thee wynds with bloodshed were swagd.
a. 1600. Montgomerie, Misc. P., xxxi. 43 (Laing MS.). Thy angell withe þame abod þe fyre to suaige.
1635. Quarles, Embl., III. iii. 18. Quench, quench my flames, and swage these scorching fires.
1849. Faber, Hymn, ‘Sweetness is Prayer,’ i. What shall I do for thee, poor heart! Thy throbbing heat to swage?
† (d) To digest. Obs.
1758. Ross, Helenore, I. 52. Her stammack had nae maughts sick meat to swage.
b. intr. To be appeased, relieved or reduced; to decrease, abate.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 9676. Til be were warysched of his syknesse, Or his penaunce y-swaged lesse.
c. 1375. Cursor M., 24350 (Fairf.). Quen þat squyme be-gan to squage.
c. 1412. Hoccleve, De Reg. Princ., 4203 (Roxb.), 151. They felt his expenses swage, And were to hym vnkynde.
a. 1425. trans. Arderne’s Treat. Fistula, etc., 100 Þe pacient was delyuered of akyng and þe arme biganne for to swage.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. i. 3. Than swaged the loue bitwene him and Sir Barnabo.
1545. Raynalde, Byrth Mankynde, II. vii. (1634), 137. If one of the brests swage which before was in good liking, the other remaining sound and safe.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Rich. III., 36. Lest the dukes courage should swage, or hys mynd should agayne alter.
1602. R. Carew, Cornwall, 106 b. Where salt and fresh the poole renues As Spring and drowth encrease or swage.
1609. Ev. Woman in Hum., I. i. in Bullen, O. Pl., IV. That mooving marish element that swels and swages as it please the Moone.
1702. C. Mather, Magn. Chr., VI. ii. (1852), 356. The brains left in the child’s head would swell and swage, according to the tides.
† (b) To swage of: to mitigate, abate. Obs.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxx. 371. Bidde them swage of þer sweying.
