promise

vt.
1. afford good reason to expect,give expectation of提供可靠理由使人指望，给人…的期望。
△H.VIII.1.1.48:“One,certes,that promises no element / In such abusiness.”这个人，从他的本行看来，倒的确不是干这种事的材料。
2. foretell预言。
△H.VIII. 3. 2. 4:“I cannot promise /But that you shall sustain moe new disgraces /Withthese you bear already.”我可以预言你们除了已经遭受的这些耻辱之外，还要遭受更多新的耻辱。
3. assure向…保证。
△Lr.1.2.161 (143): “I promiseyou，” i.e. I can tell you. 我可以告诉你。
△Shr.2.1.279(285):“Now I promise you”，我现在告诉你。
△Rom.3.4. 6:“I promise you,but for your company,/ I wouldhave been a-bed an hour ago.”不瞒您说，若非您在这里，我一小时前就早已上床了。
△R.III.2.3.2: “I promise you,I scarcely know myself.”我向你保证，我自己也不知道。
△R.III. 5.3.233 (232): “I promise you,my soul isvery jocund / In the remembrance of so fair adream.”我向你们保证，回想起这样一个美梦，我心里非常快乐。
I promise you: I assure you: I can tell you. 我向你保证；我可以告诉你。
△1H.VI.4.1.174: “My Lord ofYork,I promise you,the King / Prettily,methought,did play the orator.”约克大人，我告诉你，我觉得国王刚才很熟练地扮演了一位演说家的角色。
promise-crammed: fed with promises被空头诺言塞饱。
△Ham.3.2.99 (94): “I eat the air,promise-crammed. You cannot feed capons so.” (Capons are crammed to prepare them for the table.)我只吃空气，被空话塞饱了。你喂阉鸡也不能这样吧。(按：学者解释，“空话”或指哈姆雷特作为王子继承王位的许诺落空一事。)