forspeak

To injure or cause bad luck through immoderate praise or flattery; to affect with the curse of an evil tongue, which brings ill luck upon all objects of its praise.

One is said to forspeak another, when he so commends him as to have a supposed influence in making him practically belie the commendation. If one highly praises a child for sweetness of temper, and the child soon after betrays ill humour; the person, who bestowed the praise, is said to have forspokin the bairn.

"I take ye a' to witness, gude people," said Mortheugh, "that she threatens me wi' mischief, and forespeaks me. If onything but gude happens to me or my fiddle this night, I'll make it the blackest night's job she ever stirred in. [...]"

To bewitch, to charm.

How are my powres fore-spoke? what strange distaste is this?

This Examinat confesseth that shee came to Ioane Gylles house, her Child being sicke, and that shee intreated this Examinat to look on the Child, and to tell her whether it was forspoken or no, and this Examinat said it was forspoken; but when the said Child died she cannot tell.

To forbid, to prohibit; to oppose.

Thou haſt foreſpoke my being in theſe warres, / And ſay'ſt, it is not fit.

To say bad things about; to slander.

A mischiefe take thy tatling tongue, the Raven answerde tho. / Thy vaine forspeaking moves me not. And so he forth did go [...]

Alternative spelling of forespeak.

The same Henry of Ritchmond (after Henry the seavnth) I know not by what provydence or prophecy forsaw that his sonne Henry was not lyke to please god so well to have the kingdome established in his posterytye and thearfore matched his eldest Dawghter into Skotland thearby as yt wear forspeaking a happy conjunction of thease two noble realms [...]