no doubt,' Cries prating Balbus, 'something will come out.' 'Tis all in vain, deny it as I will. 'No, such a genius never can lie still;' And then for mine obligingly mistakes

"I am prating to you, my sweet cousin, but it is the prattle of the heart, which Maria loves.

Why can you great wise men who esteeme us women But equall with our parrets or at best But a degree above them, prating creatures Devoid of reason, thinke that when we see A man whose teeth will scarce permitt his tongue To say,(he is soe like December come A woing to the Spring, with all the ensignes Of youth and bravery as if he meant To dare his land-lord Death to single rapier)

hold your peace, you prating dames!

But, after all, he is deadand I heard a monkish clerk prate the other day, 'Let the dead bury their dead.'

Still Beauty must be stealing hearts, And Knavery stealing purses; Still Cooks must live by making tarts, And Wits by making verses; While Sages prate and Courts debate, The same Stars set and shine; And the World, as it roll'd through Twenty-eight, Must roll through Twenty-nine.

And nodding all, concealed from him their woe, For they beheld within the dream some fate Impending o'er him born of godly hate, And durst not to their monarch prate their fears, For flatterers of kings are all his seers.

And presently Black Roger spake softly, low-stooping to Beltane's ear: "Lord, we have saved the life of yon prating archer-fellow, and behold my belt lacketh for one notch, which is well.

[Footnote 2: This may well seem prating inconsistency, but I suppose means that he must not be represented as without moderation in his wickedness.]

Away, you prating knave!

I see I am not mortall, For I with patience have thus long endur'd Beyond the strength of all mortality; But now the thrice heate furnace of my bosome Disdaineth bounds: doe not I scorch you all? Goe, goe, you are all but prating Mountebankes, Quack-salvers and Imposures; get you all from me.

She prates and prates A waterbrook of words o'er twelve small pebbles.

As single words were not always explosive enough to make a report equal to their feelings, they had recourse to compounds;"pert and prating popinjay," "hackneyed gutscraper," "maggot of corruption," "toad on a dung-heap," "snivelling sophisticating hound," are a few of the chain-shot which strike our eyes in turning over the yellow faded files.

But if you prate Praises of Florence, 'tis to wheedle me.

Now, prating sir, my foot upon thy neck, I'll be so bold to give your lordship check.

When admonished by the wardens to enter church, some merely gave contemptuous replies, such as "what prates thou?"; others, when the wardens approached, took to their heels and ran away.

Just as James II. of England prated toleration and planned the enslavement of all thought, so now the bigoted plotters against emancipation begin to prate of Constitutional Liberty.

She prates and prates A waterbrook of words o'er twelve small pebbles.

Come, come, be not seveare; let us prate whylst they whysper.

you prate This wise to me, why prate not thus to all Philosophers and prophets, and to Christ?

" "Howas how, Roger?" "Wed thou thy Duchess, and so bring down on him all the powers of Mortain!" "Roger, dost well know my mind on this matter; prate ye no more!"