> as lemmas

OE West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) x. 11 God hyrde sylþ his lif [L. animam suam dat] for his sceapon.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine 2500 Iesu..leafde lif on rode for hire & for us alle.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) 12935 Anan swa he lai hire mide, hire lif heo losede sone.

c1480 (a1400) St. Paul 702 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 49 Nero gert hym lose þe lyf.

?1570 T. Drant Two Serm. sig. I vi^v The people ought thus to doo for the prince and magistrate, to draw theyr weapon in his cause, and to lay downe their life at his foote.

1596 E. Topsell Reward of Relig. vi. 129 Knowing her to be a faithfull sister, for whose sake, if need were, he was bound to lay downe his life.

a1631 J. Donne Βιαθανατος (1647) iii. iv. §5 I lay down my life for my sheepe... Christ said this now, because his Passion was begun.

1685 J. Evelyn Diary (1955) IV. 452 [They] sold their lives very dearely.

1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 140 You have..sav'd my Life.

1743 W. Crawford Zion's Traveller (ed. 2) xxix. 62 That the Prince of Life should lay down his Life for the ransoming of my Soul from Hell and Death, O! Wonderful!

1796 E. Inchbald Nature & Art I. xix. 122 The young woman who lost her virtue in the village of Anfield, had better have lost her life.

1897 Washington Post 7 Mar. 14/3 (headline) An unsung heroine. Little California girl who gave her life for her brother.

1958 G. Greene Our Man in Havana (1962) 155 What a very romantic story. And now of course he would give his life for you.

2008 Australian (Nexis) 7 Jan. 7 Benazir was willing to lay down her life for what she believed in: for the future of a democratic, moderate, progressive Pakistan.