handsel

Aleman, Cervantes, Lesage, Defoe and Fielding were inspired to imitation, and today Lazarillo is acclaimed as the prototype of the picaresque novel, as a handsel of the arriving era of realism in European literature.

From Time Magazine Archive

Whereupon the porter, overjoyed, kissed the earth and thanked her, saying, 'By Allah, it was thou didst handsel me this day!

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume I by John Payne

The village where thou livedst was all apprised of the fact; and neighbour after neighbour kissed thy pudding-cheek, and gave thee, as handsel, silver or copper coins, on that the first gala-day of thy existence.

From Sartor Resartus, and On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History by Thomas Carlyle

Shame, man! greedy beyond your years To handsel the bishop’s shaving-shears?

From English Critical Essays Nineteenth Century by Edmund David Jones

“Here is handsel for your engagement,” he said.

From Athelstane Ford by Allen Upward

"Liberty has always been bought with life, and the glory of the greatest nations handseled with the blood of their founders."

From Remember the Alamo by Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

And now this settlement and atonement was handselled and was well kept afterwards.

From The Story of Burnt Njal: the great Icelandic tribune, jurist, and counsellor by Unknown

The full moon handselled with the stars the teeth, like grains of      pearl, That on the laughing face of wine now dance, now      stirless lie.

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume III by John Payne

‘Yea, even so let it be,’ quoth Folk-might; and stepped forward and took Bristler by the hand, and handselled him self-doom. 

From The Roots of the Mountains; Wherein Is Told Somewhat of the Lives of the Men of Burgdale by William Morris

Then he made peace between them and clad them all in sumptuous dresses of honour and handselled them with precious jewels of land and sea.

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume IV by John Payne

And between their clasped hands it lay,—the bit of orange ribbon that had handselled all their happiness.

From The Bow of Orange Ribbon A Romance of New York by Theo. Hampe

So now he gave forth the handselling grandly with open mouth, and this is the beginning thereof.

From The Story of Grettir the Strong by William Morris

Mary, who is handselling her new aerial perspectives upon a pair of old worsted stockings trod out in Cheshunt lanes, sends love.

From The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6 Letters 1821-1842 by Mary Lamb