# Abbreviations.

Ado . . . Much Ado about Nothing.

All's or Alls - All's well that ends well.

Ant . . . Antony and Cleopatra.

Arg . . . Argument.

As . . . As you like it.

Caes . . . Julius Caesar.

Chor . . . Chorus.

Compl . . . A Lover's Complaint.

Cor . . . Coriolanus.

Cymb . . . Cymbeline.

Ded . . . Dedication.

Epil . . . Epilogue.

Err . . . Comedy of Errors.

F1 F1 . . . the Folio Edition of 1623.

F2 F2 . . . the Folio Edition of 1632.

F3 F3 . . . the Folio Edition of 1663.

F4 F4 . . . the Folio Edition of 1685.

Ff . . . all the four Folios, as differing from the existing Quarto Editions.

Gent . . . the two Gentlemen of Verona

H4A . . . First Part of Henry IV.

H4B . . . Second Part of Henry IV.

H5 . . . Henry V.

H6A . . . First Part of Henry VI.

H6B . . . Second Part of Henry VI.

H6C . . . Third Part of Henry VI.

H8 . . . Henry VIII.

Hml . . . Hamlet.

Ind . . . Induction.

John . . . King John.

LLL . . . Love's Labour's Lost.

Lr . . . King Lear.

Lucr . . . the Rape of Lucrece.

Mcb . . . Macbeth.

Meas . . . Measure for Measure.

M. Edd - Modern Editors.

Merch . . . the Merchant of Venice.

Mids . . . a Midsummer-night's Dream.

O. Edd - Old Editions (i. e. the Folios as well as the Quartos; or the Folios or Quartos alone, if there are no other old editions extant).

Oth . . . Othello.

Per . . . Pericles.

Phoen . . . the Phoenix and the Turtle.

Pilgr . . . the Passionate Pilgrim.

Prol . . . Prologue.

Qq . . . the old Quarto Editions, as differing from the Folios.

R2 . . . Richard II.

R3 . . . Richard III.

Rom . . . Romeo und Juliet.

Shr . . . the Taming of the Shrew.

Sonn . . . Sonnets.

Tim . . . Timon of Athens.

Tit . . . Titus Andronicus.

Tp . . . Tempest.

Troil . . . Troilus and Cressida.

Tw . . . Twelfth Night.

Ven . . . Venus and Adonis.

Wint . . . the Winter's Tale.

Wiv . . . the Merry Wives of Windsor

The different Quarto editions are designated in the same manner as in the great Cambridge edition of Messrs. Clark and Wright.

By the initials the unchanged forms and words are meant, as they stand in the respective headings; inflected forms are denoted by their terminations preceded by a dash; f. i. under the article Grow g. means grow, —s grows, —ing growing, etc.

The quotations are from the Globe edition.

Asterisks inserted behind some articles or quotations refer to the Supplement.

Names of Authors quoted in the Supplement indicate, as a rule, editions of Shakespeare's Plays and Poems, or other well-known books connected with Shakespeare, f. i. Wyndham == Shakespeare's Poems by George Wyndham; D. H. Madden == The Diary of Master William Silence by D. H. Madden ; S. Lee == A Life of Shakespeare by Sidney Lee.

# Preface to the First Volume of the First Edition.

The present work, as differing from the existing Shakespearian glossaries, the object of which has been only to explain what has become obsolete and unintelligible in the writings of the poet, is to contain his whole vocabulary and subject the sense and use of every word of it to a careful examination.

As it was not intended to establish a critical standard, but only to furnish some of the necessary materials for criticism, it seemed convenient to lay aside, for the present, the question of the authenticity of thd works generally ascribed to Shakespeare, and to consider as genuine all that has been commonly printed together as Shakespeare's, namely the thirty-six plays of &ie first and second Folios, together with Pericles, and the so called Poems; but to disregard the apocryphal pieces of the latest Folios as well as those which the criticism of still later times has brought into connection with the name of the poet. The stage-directions, too, even those of the earliest editions, have been left unnoticed, as it appeared more than doubtful whether they were written by Shakespeare himself.

In the present unsettled state of textual criticism it could not be decided, whether the Folios or the extant Quartos deserved greater credit. But fortunately the business of a lexicographer was, in this point at least, easier than that of an editor, who must make his choice between different lections, whereas the former may fairly content himself with registering the occurring variations. These have indeed been collated with great care wherever some authority could be attributed to the ancient texts; excluding, of course, those Quartos which the editors of the first Folio meant when speaking of stolen and surreptitious copies, maimed and deformed by the frauds and stealths of injurious impostors, namely the Quartos of the Merry Wives and Henry V, the 'First Part of the Contention', the 'True Tragedy, and the earliest impressions of Romeo and Juliet (1597) and of Hamlet (1603). Their variations are, at the best, of the same weight as the conjectures of modern emendators.

The example and reasons of the Cambridge editors have been decisive for adopting the modern orthography, those cases excepted when the different spelling of the old editions was evidently caused by a difference of pronunciation.

As for etymology, which ought to be the groundwork of every general dictionary, its importance seemed subordinate and sometimes even doubtful in ascertaining the sense of words in a particular period, a period especially in which the genius of the language broke new ways, now and then even with some violence, to supply its increasing wants. Therefore the derivation of words has been neglected on purpose, except when there was no other means of findinOg out their meaningO. Accordingly, in arranging the different significations of one and the same word, a natural and rational rather than an historical order has been observed, as it always seemed the safest way to study and explain the language of Shakespeare by itself, calling in no other help as long as it could be done without. In the definitions themselves as well as in their arrangement there will undoubtedly much be found to object against, but let it at the same time be borne in mind that it is next to impossible to draw everywhere a strict line of demarcation, and that, at any rate, the means of finding the truth for himself have always been placed within the reach of the reader.

Originally a purpose was entertained of making the quotations absolutely complete, even with respect to the most common and constantly recurring parts and forms of speech. As, however, there arose some danger of impairing the utility of the book by hiding momentous questions under cumbrous details, copious use has been made of the signs f. i. and etc. by way of indicating that sufficient proof, if needed, was offered in every page of the poet.

On the other hand, it was not quite easy to resist the temptation to make this lexicon a general repertory and store-house of Shakespearian lore by collecting and garnering up in it all that the industry of two centuries had done in this branch of literature. But, for once, first thoughts were best. In pursuing too vast a project, the principal design of the work was too likely to have sometimes been lost sight of. Following, therefore, the old maxim that the half is more than the whole, and keeping within the proposed bounds, the task was limited, in whatever reached beyond them, to the smallest possible compass. Obscurities not originating in the peculiar use of words, but in the poet's train of thought, have been considered as quite out of the question and entirely left to the commentators.

Even thus the work would remain extensive enough to make any superfluity a fault. Erroneous opinions and wrong conjectures of modern editors were not admitted, unless they had become too popular to be altogether left unnoticed. Obvious and evident things, that stood in no need of authority, were left to speak for themselves; and only in doubtful cases, or if there had been some particular merit in finding the truth, it seemed unfair not to give every one his due. But after all, truth cannot fare better than to be received as a matter of course.

Foreign and dialectic words and phrases used by Shakespeare will be collected in an appendix to the second volume, for which are also reserved some grammatical remarks designed to prove the justness of several interpretations which would else, perhaps, appear arbitrary and hazardous. They are fewer in number than was at first anticipated, for the excellent Shakespearian Grammar of Mr. Abbott, published in the meantime, together with Sidney Walker's Critical Examination of the Text of Sh., reduced the task to that of a gleaner following in the footsteps of reapers and picking up a few neglected ears.

Of what use the work will be, the event is to prove; — planned it was with a view to make the poet better understood than before; — to lay a firmer foundation for the criticism of his text; — to furnish reliable materials for English lexicography, which has, since the time of Samuel Johnson, increased in extent rather than in intrinsic value; — to set right, although only one, yet certainly the most prominent landmark in the history of the English language.

While the general reader will look for assistance in the definitions and explanations, scholars and critics will be soonest pleased, if satisfied by the exactness of the quotations. Therefore communications concerning errata will be extremely welcome.

Merely practical considerations prevailed in choosing the English language for the interpretations. No doubt the English of a German will often be found exceptionable and try the indulgence and kindness of the reader. But the author had no greater ambition, — if a lexicographer may be allowed to be ambitious — than to be useful also to born Englishmen.

Koenigsberg in Pr., Febr. 1874.

A. SCHMIDT.

# Preface to the Second Volume of the First Edition,

The Appendix of this second volume will contain, besides what has been promised in the preface of the first, a list of the Shakespearian words forming the latter part in compositions, to meet a want not only felt by the author himself on many occasions, but intimated to him by some literary friends. In applying to it, it must always be borne in mind that it pretends to no higher claim than to be a supplement to this dictionary, and has no other object than to complete the quotations of the respective articles, by setting before the reader the whole range of evidence to be found in the works of the poet. For in very many cases the sense of simple words could not be distinctly ascertained except from their compounds. Wherever the boundary line between English and Latin or French composition was hardly discernible, it was thought better to do too much than too little.

One advantage, at least, was gained by the new revision of the whole vocabulary thus instituted. It led to the detection of some words — indexed on the next following leaf — that had been overlooked by the compiler, — a fault which, if nobody else, those at least will be inclined to pardon who ever have been engaged in a similar labour.

The reception the first volume has met with has been, in some respects, beyond the most sanguine expectations. The kind judgments passed on it by the most competent critics were indeed the more gratifying, as they did not, and could not possibly, touch the general design and tendency of the work, but turned on details and the manner of treating particular questions. The justness and soundness of a method cannot be put to a better test than in its bearing on single points at issue. 'Assurance now is made double sure' that much that at first sight, and considered by itself, could not but seem objectionable, will be seen in another light, when in time the peculiar nature and the fundamental law of the whole will be fully perceived.

To make the poet his own interpreter, by discarding all preconceived opinions and subordinating all external means of information to those offered by himself, was throughout the leading principle of the work. What Aristarchus once did for Homer, and Galen for Hippocrates, was yet to be done for Shakespeare. We beg to refer the reader to an extract from Galen's praef. voc. Hippocr. quoted in Professor Lehrs' work 'De Aristarchi studiis Homericis' p. 44:*(/osa toi/nun tw=n o)noma/twn e)n me\n toi=s ma/lai xro.nois h)=n sunh.qh, nuni\ d) ou)xe/ti e)sti/, ta\ me\n toiau=ta glw/ssas xalou=si mrosdei=tai, sunh/qh de/ e)stin ei)s ta/de, xata\ ta\s tw=n suggramma/twn au)tw=n e)chgh/seis a)/meinon e)pisxopei=oqai. *ti/s ga\r h( xri/sis xai\ ti/ to/ qei=on xai\ ti/ to\ a)rti/ws xai\ ti/s h( e)p) a)/xrwn eu)eci/a xai\ pa/nq) o(/sa toiau=ta lo/gou pammh/xous ei)s e)ch/ghsin dei=tai, sunh.qh de/ e)stin ou)de\n h(=tton h)\ bi/os xai\ braxu\s xai\ te\xuh xai\ maxra/ xai\ xairo/s xai\ o)cu/s xai/toi xai\ tou/twn e)/nia dei=tai\ tinos e)chgh/sews. *(/oqen e)/moige xai\ qauma/zein e)ph=lqe tw=n a(/pasan e)chgei=sqai th\n *(ippoxra/tous le/cin e)paggeilame/nwn, ei) mh\ suni/sasin o(/ti mpei/w paralei/pousin w(=n deda/rxousi.

To this Prof. Lehrs observes: Haec omnia primus intellexit in Homero et praestitit Aristarchus. Quare non scripsit glossas, sed in continua poetae interpretatione accuratissime versatus est, in consuetis vocabulis, quorum et ad majorem Homericorum locorum partem plerumque pertinet utilitas et explicatio certior, plus etiam quain in rarioribus et antiquitate obscuratis operae ponens et ne quid praetermittatur verbum verbo reddens. Abjecit illas doctrinae sarcinas, non tarn existimans, ex aliis scriptoribus multa ad Homerum illustranduin promi posse quam cavendum esse ne aliorum consuetudine temere ad poetam translata imprudentes in vitia et errores incurramus.

Let us subjoin, for the use of Shakespearian text-emendators, a few more citations from the same work:

Galen (praef. ad L. VI Epid.): polu\ be/tion e)/doce/ moi fula/ttonti th\n a)rxai/an grafh\n a)ei\ me\n spouda/xein e)xei/nhn e)chgei=sqai, mh\ dunhqe/nti de/ pote tou=to pra=cai piqanh\n th\n e)pano/rqwsin au)th=s poiei=sqai.

Quintilian (Instit. orat. IX, 4, 39): Quaedam in veteribus libris reperta mutare imperiti solent et, dum librariorum insectari volunt inscientiam, suam confitenttir.

Lehrs (p. 358): Ars critica primum elaborat ut scriptores, quos pauci mss. corruptos exhibent, sine summa offensione legi possint; partim imperfecta ars multa non intelligit inscientia, quae tollit ne quid relinquatur quod absurdum esse putat. Sed gliscentibus studiis, codicibus pluribus paratis, rerum sermonisque scientia vulgata, arte interpretandi exculta, multis obscurioribus locis per variorum tentamina tandem reclusis, in arctiores se fines contrahit, et quo magis primi magistri peccaverunt, eo magis jam ipso contradicendi studio ad fontes suos revertitur.

Koenigsberg in Pr., Oct. 1875.

A. S.

# Preface to the Second Edition.

This new edition of the Shakespeare Lexicon should properly be called a mere reimpression. The work being stereotyped, there was no scope for comprehensive alterations and improvements. A complete reconstruction that would have answered the many valuable suggestions of other Shakespeare students or even the compiler's own advanced views — especially concerning the comparative authenticity of the Folios and Quartos — was quite out of the question. His task was confined to the correction of misprints and to some small additions for which room could be got by expunging what seemed less important.

But, after all, it is perhaps best as it is. Desirable as it may be to an author entirely to remodel a work of the shortcomings of which he has become painfully aware, there is no denying the fact that such new editions altered and improved into quite new books are, as a rule, an annoyance to the public. Nobody is so rich as not to repine at being obliged to buy the same book three or four times. Indeed, it ought to be a law in the republic of letters that essential changes in books should be separately published in the form of supplements and not worked into the whole so as materially to change its form and character.

Besides, in such a kind of book as this lexicon it is not so much in the opinions of the author that its usefulness consists as in the accuracy with which the necessary materials are brought together to enable those who consult it to form an opinion of their own. And of this the reader may be assured that in the revision of the work no pains have been spared and that the correctness of the quotations will be found all but absolute.

Koenigsberg, Dec. 1885.

A. S.

# Preface to the Third Edition.

The text of the third edition, published after the Author's death, had to remain essentially unaltered, for reasons mentioned in the former preface. Only very few slight mistakes in the quotations have been found and corrected, and several short explanations added. Besides, some asterisks were inserted, which refer to the Supplement. A few additions to the Appendix (Quotations from foreign languages and Provincialisms) have been indicated by brackets.

The Supplement contains a compilation of new interpretations of difficult words and phrases, arranged in alphabetical order, selected from different modern annotated editions and other books. As a rule, the opinions of English scholars only have been reproduced, who are the most legitimate commentators of the great English poet. With such interpreters as Murray, Skeat, W. A. Wright, Furnivall, Dowden, Sidney Lee, Ellacombe, D. H. Madden, Wyndham, E. K. Chambers, Herford, Gollancz, Boas, among others, we need scarcely look anywhere else for help. In a few cases, however, some interpretations given by American, Dutch, or German scholars (Furness, Grant White, Hudson, Ch. Allen, Stoffel, Van Dam, Brandl, Max Foerster, W. Franz, Kluge, Koppel, Schroeer, Wetz, and a few others), or some conjectures and explanations of my own have been added.

Sincere thanks are due to Professors Brandl, Foerster, Kluge, Wetz, and to Dr. Vordieck for kind advice and valuable suggestions.

Breslau, Dec. 1901.

Gregor Sarrazin.