The silke welcouth she twist and twine, And make the fine Marchpine, and with the needle werke, And she couth helpe the priest to say His Mattens on a holyday, and sing a Psalme in Kirke.
This thing anoon was couth in every strete, Bothe in thassege, in toune, and every-where, And with the firste it cam to Calkas ere.
And of the felonyes and 35 fraudes of thyne accusours, it semeth thee have y-touched it forsothe rightfully and shortly, al mighten tho same thinges betere and more plentivousely bencouth in the mouthe of the poeple that knoweth al this.
Bot he couth fynd no curis nor remede 15 To salf hym from the Troiane speris hed: Hys slepy charmys had no fors nor mycht, Ne herbis gadderit on Marsys montis hycht, To help thai hurtis he caucht in the melle.
Ses couth I nocht, bot in my franacy, Gyf euer I happit my tyme forto espy, And victour haue returnyt onto Arge, 15 I hecht to be revengit: with wordis large Thus I prouokit scharp feid and malyce baith.
Bot I, the spous of the gret Jupiter, Quhilk sa onhappy al ways I mycht fynd Thame til ennoy consait lest nocht behynd, Quhilk hes myself in propir person eik 15 Turnyt and writhit all wentis I couth seik, Am now venquist be a man, this Ene.
Gif I had nocht bene to a boundis constrenyt, Of my bad wyt perchance I couth haue fenyt In ryme a ragment twys als curyus, Bot nocht be twenty part so sentencyus.
And lordis fair thus couth thay counterfeit, Except ane thing: thay drank the watter cleir Instead of wyne; bot yit thay maid gude cheir.
Thus in p{re}son as he was, Sore he siEed and said alas, He couth none other songe.
Bot with your leiff I spek in haymlynes, ‘Trow ye be sycht ye couth that squier knaw?
Sternys, be than, began for till apper, 125 The Inglissmen was cummand wondyr ner; Fyve hundreth haill was in thair chewalry: To the next strenth than Wallace couth him hy.
Wallace stud still, and couth na handis ta; Frendschipe to thaim na liknes wald he ma.
At the Blakfurd thar Wallace doune can lycht; His horss stuffyt, for the way was depe and lang; 285 A large gret myile wichtly on fute couth gang.
Quhar he suld be was nayne off thaim couth say, Drownyt or slayne, or eschapyt away: Tharfor off him thai tuk bot litill heid; 560 Thai knew him nocht, the less he was in dreid.
In Jedwort wod for saiffgard he had beyne, Agayne Sotheroun full weill he couth opteyn.
In to Lithkow thai wald nocht tary lang; Thar leyff thai tuk, to Dunypace couth gang.
Be that Schir Jhone had set the yett in fyr; Nane wes tharin at gret defens couth ma, Bot wemen fast sar wepand in to wa.
Than marueld thai quhar at the Scottis suld be; Off thaim about perance thai couth nocht se: Bot spyis thaim tald, that come with Schyr Amar, In Dawis schaw thai saw thaim mak repair.
On thair enemyss gret martirdome thai maik, Thar hardy chiftane so weill couth wndyrtak, Quhat Inglissman, that baid in till his gait, Contrar Scotland maid neuir mar debait.
To Scottis men a gret credens he gaiff; Bot knawin enemyss thaicouth him nocht disayff.
Douglace he cald, and couth to Sterlyng fayr, Quhar king Eduuard was deland landis thair.
Gret purwians be se to thaim was bocht, With Irland ayle, the mychteast couth be wrocht.
His men no medicine couth get That evir mycht to the King availyhe.
He gert his men all tak thar ger, And yschit to get that vittale, For thar vittale all fast couth fale.
In that tyme war send fra the King Of Scotland messingeris to tret Of pes, gif that thai mycht it get, 130 As thai oftsis befor war send, Quhar that thai couth nocht bring till end.
He wes worthy ane prince till be, Throu manheid and subtilite, That couth throu wit sa hye a thyng, But tynsale, bryng till gude ending.
Toward Angus than couth he fair, And thoucht soyn to mak all fre 308 Apon north half the Scottis Se.
Bot the endentur till him gaf he, 565 That soune schawyt the iniquite: Quharfor syne he tholyt ded; Than he couth set tharfor na rede.
Tharfor prevely sperit he Gif ony man mycht fundin be, That couth ony gude jupardye 524 To clym the wallis prevelye; And he suld haf his warisoune.
The past tense of can is couth: thar vittale all fast couth fale (VIII.
So louted he unto his Lord, Such favour couth he find, That never sithens was abhorr'd The simple shepheards' kind.
The silk well couth she twist and twine, And make the fine march-pine, And with the needle work: And she couth help the priest to say His matins on a holy day, And sing a psalm in Kirk.
Bot after this whan it is couth And drawe into the worldes fame, It schal ben hindringe of his name: For wel he wot and so wot I, He yaf his trouthe bodily, 5460 That he myn honour scholde kepe.
Thai had all seyn disseuyring off Wallace Fra his gud men, and quhar he baid on cace; Amang thyk wod in cowert held thaim law, Quhill thai persawyt he couth on sleping faw.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "couth" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
