pleasantlyadv.

c1400 J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 288 (MED) Þei diden wel & plesaunly to god.

?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 141 (MED) She..enbraced hym plesauntly betwene her armes.

c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) 1689 That they should sownde To the eares of hem the more plesauntly.

1544 R. Tracy Supplycacion to Kynge Henry VIII sig. Cv^v Castelles, pleasauntely set abowte with parckes.

1598 R. Hakluyt tr. W. de Rubruquis in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) I. 97 It..goeth downe very pleasantly, intoxicating weake braines.

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 450 A proper and fine burrough it is, well traded and pleasantly seated.

1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 93 All the women of Persia are pleasantly apparelled.

1714 A. D. Chancel New Journey over Europe 221 It is..pleasantly situated, famous for Trade and the sweet Plains, Oaky Woods, and fine Parks about it.

1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1776 II. 97 [Ld. Hailes:] Dr. Johnson's Suasorium is pleasantly and artfully composed.

1811 R. Sutcliff Trav. N. Amer. p. viii Jersey waggons..are made very light, hung on springs with leather braces, and travel very pleasantly.

1875 B. Jowett tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 193 On our way we can pass the time pleasantly in talking.

1919 J. Conrad Arrow of Gold i. ii. 26 The straw-coloured wine didn't seem much stronger than so much pleasantly flavoured water.

1995 Toronto Life Jan. 90/2 A comforting crostata of pleasantly spiced apples with maple syrup and a creamy ice.

a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Psalms l. 21 Thou schalt take plesauntli [a1382 Douce 369(1) at worth; L. acceptabis] the sacrifice of riȝtfulnesse.

c1454 R. Pecock Folewer to Donet 89 (MED) Bi strengþ of þilk disposicioun or habite þe man schal wirche and suffre likyngli and plesauntli þo werkis or deedis whiche wolde ellis be ful hard.

?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman ii. x. sig. i.iiij That they [sc. servants] do theyr duety diligently, mekely, and buxomly, yea and merily to, and pleasantly.

1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo Ciuile Conuersat. (1586) iii. 171 b It is his part, being retired into his owne house, to looke more pleasantly vppon them.

1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. iii. 45 He gave him the Cup; Socrates took it chearfully,..and looking pleasantly upon him, demanded whether he might spill any of it in libation.

1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. 41 The Interpreter then looked pleasantly upon her. View more context for this quotation

1726 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius (ed. 2) xxvi. 148 The doctor smiled pleasantly, and lighted his pipe.

1765 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VIII. xix. 65 'Tis thy own, Trim, so ornament it after thy own fashion; and take any date, continued my uncle Toby, looking pleasantly upon him.

1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) vi. 54 Meanwhile the round game proceeded..and the benevolent clergyman looked pleasantly on; for the happy faces which surrounded the table made the good old man feel happy too.

1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. i. 25 The young brown eyes seemed to dwell on her pleasantly.

1904 L. F. Baum Marvelous Land of Oz 162 ‘That is all we can expect,’ returned the Scarecrow, pleasantly; and good nature being thus happily restored to the party, they proceeded upon their way.

1991 R. Rendell Kissing Gunner's Daughter (1992) xxi. 275 All were smiling pleasantly except Casey, whose face wore a sardonic smirk.

1552 T. Wilson Rule of Reason (rev. ed.) sig. Oiij Many wittie men take occasion to reason pleasauntely vpon the interpretacion of a worde.

1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique iii. f. 56^v Better were it to be sharpely chidde of diuerse other, then pleasauntly taunted by any of them.

1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. ii. ix. 234 Tacitus doth pleasantly quip and jest at the men of warre of our ancient Gaules.

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 259 They will giue you a head of Garlick rosted in the ashes, and pleasantly call it a pigeon.

a1687 Duke of Buckingham Militant Couple in Wks. (1715) 123 My Lady justified him, said the Sawce was of her own ordering, and rally'd Sir John very pleasantly upon the viciousness of his Palate.

1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iii. x. 146 The King..rallied me very pleasantly, wishing I would send a Couple of Struldbruggs to my own Country, to arm our People against the Fear of Death.

1789 G. White Nat. Hist. Selborne 10 This embellishment..has occasioned strangers sometimes to ask us pleasantly, ‘whether we fastened our walls together with tenpenny nails’.