charge sb. (the senses ‘accusation’ and ‘person or thing entrusted to one's care’ are also freq.)
1.
load, burden (lit. and fig.) Wiv. I. iv. 103, Ado I. i. 106,
Wint. I. ii. 26
“my stay To you a charge
and trouble”
; (with quibble)
Ham. V. ii. 43
“‘As’es of
great charge.”
2.
luggage, baggage
1H4 II. i. 51, 64
3.
importance, weight
Wint. IV. iii. [iv.] 260 “many
parcels of charge,”
Rom. V. ii. 18
“The letter was . . .
full of charge.”
4.
expense, cost
(freq.); “on your
charge,” at your expense Mer.V. IV. i. 258; pl.
2H6 I. i. 62
“of the King of
England's own proper cost and
charges,”
Cor. V. v. [vi.] 79;
“be at charges,”
spend something R3 I. ii.
257.
5.
mandate, order
(freq.); “on charge,”
at command Troil. IV. iv. 133;
“give in charge,”
to command Tp. V. i. 8, 1H6 II. iii. 1, R3 I. i. 85; so “given in charge,”
commanded
2H6 II. iv. 81
“So am I given in
charge”
; also “I had in
charge,” I was commanded 2H6 I. i. 2.
6.
military post or
command; also the troops under an officer's command
1H4 II. iv. 604 [597] “a charge of foot,”
Cor. IV. iii. 48
“the centurions and
their charges,”
Cæs. IV. ii. 48,
Ant. III. vii. 16.
7.
(of a weapon)
position for attack
2H4 IV. i. 120
“Their armed staves in
charge.”
