THE

SHAKSPERE TREASURY

OF

SUBJECT QUOTATIONS,

SYNONYMOUSLY INDEXED.

London:

HODSON & SON, 22, PORTUGAL STREET;

GEORGE UNWIN, 31, BUCKLERSBURY.

MDCCCLXII.

PREFACE.

Books of quotations and selections from Shakspere have, it may be urged, already appeared with more frequency than success or utility: some as reading-books for the school, others as appendages for the drawing-room table, while more have had for their object the mere purpose of supporting some fanciful theory entertained by their authors, in connexion with the history of our great poet.

Nevertheless, as it falls to the lot of comparatively few to be able to devote such an amount of study and attention to the works of this great "word painter," as to enable them to commit to memory the riches with which they teem, for production, when required, at the tongue's end; there has still existed the want of some work of reference for the student, scholar, and literary man; that would give, as it were at a view, the numerous subject illustrations with which the writings of Shakspere so teemingly abound. A want, it may be further observed, that the able and elaborate Concordances now extant do not wholly supply, for the reason, that from many of the finest passages not containing the exact word, or part of speech, denoting the subject of which the passage may be a masterly definition; the delineation most required may not be reached. For instance, as an illustration of a coward, or cowardice, take—

"In a retreat he outruns any lackey; marry, in coming on he has the cramp." All's Well, a. 4, s. 3.

Here the words above mentioned, not occurring in the passage, yield no key to its place or existence. Hence the failure of many of the works before alluded to, as works of reference, from the inherent difficulties experienced in applying the terms in definition of the quotations-different compilers differing widely as to the exact term most aptly expressive of the various passages-and of arranging and indexing their contents.

These difficulties, we have humbly conceived, this little work (so far as it at present extends) will be found to remedy; by the plan adopted of applying to selections of passages, grouped in illustration of certain subjects, a copious index of synonymous terms of signification; an idea, we are bound to add, suggested by the able and scholarly "Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases" of Dr. Peter Mark Roget.

This little work is but experimental, the quotations here selected only extending through four of the comedies, and projected with the view of ascertaining if its humble aim and scope call for any future enlargement.

London, 1862.