Endeavour

' Endeavour' seems a very in- 702 ENDIEONS ENFLAME adequate tr. of irirovSdia, which in 2 Ti 4*- ° \a reniiered 'do thy diligence,' in Tit 3" ' be diligent,' (KV 'give diligence'), and in Gal 2"' 'was forward' (KV 'was zealous'). But 'endeavour once denoted all possible tension, the highest energy that could be directed to an object.

With us it means the last feeble hopeless attempt of a person who knows that he cannot accomplish his aim, but makes a conscience of going through some formalities for the purpose of showing that the failure is not liis fault' (Maurice, Lincoln's Inn Ser. quoted by Trench, On the A V, p. 43). One of the places where in A V atrovSi^u is tr. ' endeavour ' is Eph 4' ' endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,' and in his comment on that passage, Abp. Laud {Sermons, i.

155) shows the force of 'endeavour' in his day: 'If you will keep it you must endeavour to keep it. For it is not so easy a thing to keep unity in great bodies as it is thought ; there goes much labour and endeavour to it.' Cf. also Act 7, Henry vil. c. 22, ' Endevoir youre self and put to your hand and spare no cost.' The subst. occurs only Ps 28* ' according to the wickedness of their endeavours ' (cn-^^VD, RV 'doings'). The vb. is found for Gr. S>Ww Ad.

Est 16', Ac 16" (RV ' seek ') ; for jreipdj'-a) 2 Mac ll"; for airovSa^u, Eph 4' (RV 'give dili- gence'), 1 Th 2", 2 P 1"> (RV 'give diligence'). To 'endeavour* is 'to do one's devoir' or duty : en having a verba] and active force as in 'encumber,' 'enforce,' etc., it is tlie expression in one word of Chaucer's 'II>oth now your devoir' (Cant. Tales, 1600). ' Devoir ' is the FV. form ot Lat. debere, to owe, and 'en' is the Fr. form of Lat. in.

The spelling in AV 1611 is always 'endeuour' (except 2 Th 2^7, by accident 'endeuor'). But about this time it was customary to affect the Latin form, so in Pref. we find 'that hath bene our in- deauour, that our marke.' J^ HASTINGS.