Then might I descant at goodly length upon the Mine and Furnace, with divers and sundry other stratagems, devices, engines and tormenta, but methinks this shall mayhap suffice thee for the nonce?" "Aye, verily'twill suffice!" said Beltane, rising.

(1) Cant, descant, incantation, chant, enchant, chanticleer, accent, incentive; (2) canto, canticle, cantata, recant, chantry, chanson, precentor.

To descant upon his merits as a Comedian would be superfluous.

He went on to descant on the expediency of retiring at a certain time of life (how my heart panted!)

She had heard him descant upon it 'much to the admiration of those who had no expectation of his skill in such matters.' See ante, ii. 179, 226, and iv.

And Cupid winds his shrill-note buglehorn, For joy my silly heart so near is spent: Desire, that eager cur, pursues the chase, And fortune rides amain unto the fall; Now sorrow sings, and mourning bears a part, Playing harsh descant on my yielding heart.

how the cheerefull birds do chaunt theyr laies, And carroll of Loves praise: The merry larke hir mattins sings aloft; 80 The thrush replyes; the mavis* descant** playes; The ouzell@ shrills; the ruddock$ warbles soft; So goodly all agree, with sweet consent, To this dayes meriment.

[** Descant, variation.]

It must, moreover, be observed that the English press throughout India has taken advantage of the advance of Sooltan Jan on Furrah to descant, at great length and with much fervour, on all perils, present and prospective, to which British rule in India is, or may be, exposed.

This project originates entirely in a spirit of Jacobinismit is a new theme on which to descant to effect a revolution in Connecticut.

This is not the time or place to descant on their religion, which, with many gross practices, contains not a little that is pure and beautiful.

what I pleased, if comely; But something scriptural and homely: A sober Piece, not gay or wanton, For winter fire-sides to descant on; The theme so scrupulously handled, A Quaker might look on unscandal'd; Such as might satisfy Ann Knight, And classic Mitford just not fright.

The King of France takes the lead, having in view no doubt the advice of Buckingham to Richard III: A pray'r book in your hand, my Lord, were well, For on that ground I'll make an holy descant.

Gladly, did time permit, would I descant upon their great and varied merits.

In careless mood he sought the Muse's bower; His lyre, like that to great Pelides strong, The soft'ning solace of a vacant boor, Its airy descant indolently rung.

At every village of importance he sojourns for a day or two, each day ranging his 'gang' in a line on the most busy street, and whenever a customer makes his appearance the oily speculator button-holes him immediately and begins to descant in the most highfalutin fashion upon the virtuous lot of darkeys he has for sale.

what I pleased, if comely; But something scriptural and homely: A sober Piece, not gay or wanton, For winter fire-sides to descant on; The theme so scrupulously handled, A Quaker might look on unscandal'd; Such as might satisfy Ann Knight, And classic Mitford just not fright.

If the "courteous reader" will accompany us, we will descant on the scenery presented on the road, as well as the numerous vehicles and thronging pedestrians will permit us.

Silence accompanied: for beast and bird, They to their grassy couch, these to their nests, Were slunkall but the wakeful nightingale: She, all night long, her am'rous descant sung.

SIR, 'I am often in a private Assembly of Wits of both Sexes, where we generally descant upon your Speculations, or upon the Subjects on which you have treated.

I have even begun a treatise or panegyric on the great discoveries made by posterity in all arts and sciences, wherein I shall particularly descant on the great and cheap convenience of making trout-riversone of the improvements which Mrs. Kerwood wondered Mr. Hedges would not make at his country-house, but which was not then quite so common as it will be.

Especially I call to mind his expression of indifference when Ercole began to descant upon the worldly possessions of the Lira household.

But space forbids us thus to descant on the details of all active exercises.

To descant but upon a single instance of the kind must be productive of pain to the ear of sensibility and freedom.

He gaped and gasped for breathhe groaned and writhed in tormentand, borne out in the arms of Crowns and his men, the spirit-stirring Dandy was removed to bed, whence he arose to return, without delay, to London by the shortest possible road, even with the fear of another fieri facias before his eyes, to descant on vinous acidities, Gin Lakes, and the liver-consuming Spa of Vo.