As men may warm wax with handes plie. Chaucer.

And plies him with redoubled strokes Dryden.

He plies the duke at morning and at night. Shak.

Go ply thy needle; meddle not. Shak.

Their bloody task, unwearied, still they ply. Waller.

It would rather burst atwo than plye. Chaucer.

The willow plied, and gave way to the gust. L'Estrange.

Ere half these authors be read (which will soon be with plying hard and daily). Milton.

He was forced to ply in the streets as a porter. Addison.

The heavy hammers and mallets plied. Longfellow.

The late learners can not so well take the ply. Bacon.

Boswell, and others of Goldsmith's contemporaries, . . . did not understand the secret plies of his character. W. Irving.

The czar's mind had taken a strange ply, which it retained to the last. Macaulay.

* Ply is used in composition to designate folds, or the number of webs interwoven; as, a three-ply carpet.