What does "embase" mean?

Embase: To bring down or lower, as in position, value, etc.; to debase; to degrade; to deteriorate. [Obs.] Embased the valleys, and embossed the hills. Sylvester. Alloy in coin of gold . . . may make the metal work the better, but it embaseth it. Bacon. Such pitiful embellishments of speech as serve for nothing but to embase divinity. South.