Now arch. [UN-1 10, 5 d. Cf. MDu. onwetende (Du. onwetend), MLG. unwetende, Sw. ovetande, and UNWITTING ppl. a.]
1. = UNWITTING ppl. a. 1.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 11253. Ȝyf þou vnwetyng hyt haue, hyt helpeþ þe nat so mnoche to saue As ȝyf þou asked hyt by name.
1387–8. T. Usk, Test. Love, III. vii. (Skeat), l. 66. Who that … coveyteth thing unknowe, unweting he shal be quyted.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., I. x. 66. She … in an heaped furrow did thee hyde, Where thee a Ploughman all vnweeting fond.
1634. Milton, Comus, 539. To inveigle and invite th’ unwary sense Of them that pass unweeting by the way. Ibid. (1667), P. L., X. 335. Hee … saw his guileful act By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded Upon her Husband.
a. 1718. Parnell, Fairy Tale, 62. ’Twas grief … Which made my steps unweeting rove Amid the nightly dew.
1768. C. Shaw, Monody, vi. In vain—Perverse, still on th’ unweeting head ’Tis thine thy vengeful darts to shed.
1803. W. S. Rose, Amadis, 82. All who to his bow’rs unweeting came.
1855. Singleton, Virgil, I. 42. When Through the unweeting mountains here and there Rove living creatures.
1878. T. Hardy, Ret. Native, II. iv. This unweeting manner of performance is the true ring by which … a fossilized survival may be known from a spurious reproduction.
b. Const. of. = UNWITTING ppl. a. 1 b.
1591. Spenser, Teares Muses, 491. Then wandreth he in error and in doubt, Vnweeting of the danger hee is in.
a. 1592. T. Watson, Tears of Fancy, xlix. His hounds vnweeting of his sodaine change, Did hale and pull him downe.
1717. E. Fenton, Homer’s Odyssey, 91. Me, O King, The Minister of adverse Fate malign’d, Unweeting of Mishap.
1735. Somerville, Chase, III. 280. Joyous he scents The rich Repast, unweeting of the Death That lurks within.
1793. Coleridge, The Rose, 13. When unweeting of the guile Awoke the prisoner sweet.
1812. Cary, Dante, Purg., III. 91. They stopp’d:… the same did all who follow’d, though unweeting of the cause.
1870. Bryant, Iliad, XVIII. II. 225. Two shepherds walked with them,… all unweeting of the evil nigh.
c. With objective clause. = UNWITTING ppl. a. 1 c.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. x. 22. He … stood aloofe, vnweeting what to doe.
1621. Quarles, Div. Poems, Esther, Introd. A few from many they extracted forth,… Vnweeting where the most reward belongs.
1805–6. Cary, Dante, Inf., XXX. 139. I … all the while Excused me, though unweeting that I did.
1814. Wordsw., Lines written in copy of Excurs., 9. He conned the new-born Lay…; Unweeting that to him the joy was given.
1864. Bryant, Cloud on Way, 39. Haply, leaning o’er the pilgrim, all unweeting thou art near, Thou mayst whisper words … of comfort in his ear.
† 2. In absolute constructions. Obs. = UNWITTING ppl. a. 2.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Can. Yeom. T., 767 (Camb. MS.). He slyly tok it out, this cursede heyne, Vnwetynge this prest of this false craft.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 8594. Ector … Went out wightly, vnwetyng his fader.
c. 1400. Love, Bonavent. Mirr. (1908), 74. After that his parens weren gone homwarde, he dwelled stille there in Jerusalem, hem vnwetynge.
c. 1470. Harding, Chron., XVIII. vi. He helde Estrylde as his loue and leman, Therof his wife vnwetyng.
c. 1483. Chron. London (1827), 123. Oweyn … hadde iij or iiijor chyldren be here, unwetyng the comoun peple tyl that sche were ded.
ellipt. 1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. xii. (Bodl. MS.). Wormod … exciteþ þe smel after slepe ȝif it is ileide vnwetinge vnder þe heed.
3. = UNWITTING ppl. a. 3.
(a) 1387–8. T. Usk, Test. Love, I. vii. (Skeat), l. 110. Some of hem token money for thy chambre,… unwetinge of the renter.
a. 1400. Partonope, 8931. In-to a chambre … Vnwetyng of any wight they hym lede.
1454. Paston Lett., I. 287. God wote my wif delyvered all, myn unwetyng.
c. 1483. Chron. London (1827), 131. The fals contryved evidens that weren sealed be old tyme with the comoun seall, unwetynge of them.
(b) 1579. Fenton, Guicciard., III. 168. From whence,… vnweeting to the Duke,… he went to Coma.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., III. iii. 57. She resolu’d, vnweeting to her Sire, Aduent’rous knighthood on her selfe to don.
† 4. Ignorant, uninformed, unlearned. Obs.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 86/2. She said … he shold abyde wythout and not come in as he that were not worthy but unwetyng.
1706. J. Philips, Cerealia, 70. Have I so long … my lore Communicated to th’ unweeting hind?
5. = UNWITTING ppl. a. 4. rare–1.
1793. Burns, ‘The last time,’ ii. The unweeting groan, the bursting sigh, Betray the guilty lover.
