Page:A View of the State of Ireland - 1809.djvu/68

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52
VIEW OF THE STATE OF IRELAND.

nor horse meate, nor mans meate, there being no innes, nor none otherwise to bee bought for money, but that he is endangered by that Statute for treason, whensoever he shall happen to fall out with his tennant, or that his said hoste list to complaine of greivance, as oftentimes I have seene them very malitiously doe thorough the least provocation.

Eudox. I doe not well know, but by ghesse, what you doe meane by these termes of Coigny and Livery, therefore I pray you explaine them.

Iren. I know not whether the words bee English or Irish, but I suppose them to bee rather auncient English, for the Irishmen can make no derivation of them. What Livery is, wee by common use in England know well enough, namely, that it is allowance of horse-meate, as they commonly use the word in stabling, as to keepe horses at livery, the which word, I guesse, is derived of livering or delivering forth their nightly foode. So in great houses, the livery is said to be served up for all night, that is their evenings allowance for drinke: And Livery is also called, the upper weede which a serving man weareth, so called (as I suppose) for that it was delivered and taken from him at pleasure: so it is apparent, that, by the word Livery, is there meant horse-meate, like as, by the word Coigny, is understood mans meate; but whence the word is derived is hard to tell: some say of coine, for that they used