To this sentence accordeth the prophete David, that seith: / "if god ne kepe the citee, in ydel waketh he that it kepeth.
Bihold and see, that in the firste table Of heighe goddes hestes honurable, 640 How that the seconde heste of him is this-- 'Tak nat my name in ydel or amis.
Eke if he tale vanitees at chirche or at goddes service, or that he be a talker ot ydel wordes of folye or of vileinye; for he shal yelden acountes of it at the day of dome.
Shamfast she was in maydens shamfastnesse, 55 Constant in herte, and ever in bisinesse To dryve hir out ofydel slogardye.
Now cometh ydel wordes, that is with-outen profit of him that speketh tho wordes, and eek of him that herkneth tho wordes.
And al-be-it that ydelwordes been som tyme venial sinne, yet sholde men douten hem; for we shul yeve rekeninge of hem bifore god.
And he that is ydel and slow can never finde covenable tyme for to doon his profit.
Thou shalt seye sooth thyn othes, and nat lye, And swere in dome, and eek in rightwisnesse;' But ydel swering is a cursednesse.
For soothly, whan the herte of a man is confounded in it-self and troubled, and that the soule hath lost the confort of god, thanne seketh he an ydel solas of worldly thinges.
Or ellesydel wordes been tho that been nedelees, or with-outen entente of naturel profit.
And though the grete men and the mighty men geten richesses more lightly than thou, / yet shaltou nat been ydel ne slow to do thy profit; for thou shalt in alle wyse flee ydelnesse.
Certes, the hevene is yeven to hem that wol labouren, and nat to ydel folk.
And as seith Seint Bernard: 'ther ne shal no pledinge availle, ne no sleighte; we shullen yeven rekeninge of everich ydel word.
Ydel bidh se laecedom the ne maeg dhone untruman gehaelan; swa bidh eac ydel seo l['a]r dhe ne gehaeldh dhaere sawle leahtras and undheawas.
For yif that wil lakketh, ther nis no wight that undertaketh to don that he wol nat don; and 20 yif power fayleth, the wil nis but in ydel and stant for naught.
On ydel for to wryte it sholde I swinke, Whan that my wit is wery it to thinke.
Ne in ydelne in veyn ne ben ther nat put in god hope and preyeres, that ne mowen nat ben unspeedful ne with-oute effect, whan they ben rightful.
Certes, the 55 dignitee of the provostrie of Rome was whylom a gret power; now is it nothing but anydel name, and the rente of the senatorie a gret charge.
For al be it so that the ydel name of aventurous welefulnesse moeveth thee now, it is leveful that thou rekne with me of how manye grete thinges thou hast yit plentee.
I am ocupied eche day, Haly-day and oother, With ydel tales at the ale, And outher while at chirche; Goddes peyne and his passion Ful selde thenke I on it.
For kyndly libertee of arbitrement without it, veyne and ydel is, forsothe.
And again-- "The other heste of hym is this, Take not in ydel my name or amys.
Kepen it clene an houre, That I ne soiled it with sighte Or som ydel speche, Or thorugh werk, or thorugh word, Or wille of myn herte, That I ne flobre it foule Fro morwe til even.
O what coueiten proude folke to liften vpon hire nekkes in ydel {and} dedely [gh]ok of þis worlde.
Caton þe þinne fame [gh]it lastynge 1628 of hir ydel names is markid wiþ a fewe lettres.
For al be it so þat þe ydel name of auenterouse welefulnesse moeueþ þe now.
My fader, if thei mihte spede Mi love, I wolde his bokes rede; And if thei techen to restreigne Mi love, it were an ydel peine To lerne a thing which mai noght be.
Mi Sone, I have herd thi matiere, Of that thou hast thee schriven hiere: And forto speke of ydel fare, Me semeth that thou tharst noght care, Bot only that thou miht noght spede.
That toward love, as be mi wit, Al ydel was I nevere yit, Ne nevere schal, whil I mai go.
And thus for oght is yit befalle, An ydel man I wol me calle As after myn entendement: Bot upon youre amendement, Min holi fader, as you semeth, Mi reson and my cause demeth.
Mi Sone, of this travail I meene: Nou schrif thee, for it schal be sene If thou art ydelin this cas.
For thus men sein, in every nede He was wys that ferst made mede; 4720 For where as mede mai noght spede, I not what helpeth other dede: Fulofte he faileth of his game That wol with ydel hand reclame His hauk, as many a nyce doth.
And in good feith that is gret Sinne; For I mai seie, of dede and thoght That ydel man have I be noght; For hou as evere I be deslaied, Yit evermore I have assaied.
Thus was non ydel of the tuo, That on the plogh hath undertake With labour which the hond hath take, That other tok to studie and muse, As he which wolde noght refuse The labour of hise wittes alle.
Bot thogh my besinesse laste, Al is bot ydel ate laste, For whan theffect is ydelnesse, I not what thing is besinesse.
And thus, as I have seid aforn, I licke hony on the thorn, And as who seith, upon the bridel I chiewe, so that al is ydel 930 As in effect the fode I have.
And whan thise ydel wordes weren sayd, The colde wal they wolden kisse of stoon, And take hir leve, and forth they wolden goon.
To telle certein, as hit is, We han don neither that ne this, But ydel al our lyf y-be.
The above list will hopefully give you a few useful examples demonstrating the appropriate usage of "ydel" in a variety of sentences. We hope that you will now be able to make sentences using this word.
