Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Eye (plur. --s; the obsolete plur. eyne, for the sake of the rhyme: Ven. 633. Lucr. 643. Compl. 15. LLL V, 2, 206. Mids. I, 1, 242. II, 2, 99. III, 2, 138. V, 178. As IV, 3, 50. Shr. V, 1, 120. Ant. II, 7, 121. Without the constraint of the rhyme: Lucr. 1229, and in Gower's Prol. Per. III, 5). 1) the organ of sight: Tp. I, 2, 25. Tp. I, 2, 25 Tp. I, 2, 25 Tp. I, 2, 25 II, 1, 191. II, 1, 191 II, 1, 191 V, 156. Gentl. II. 1, 41. 1, 41 IV, 2, 46. IV, 4, 197. V, 2, 13 etc. etc. to have one's --s == to be able to see: Merch. II, 2, 79. H5 V, 2, 337 (cf. “if I had my mouth, I would bite,” Ado I, 3, 36). Caes. I, 2, 62. cf. Cor. IV, 5, 13. to put the finger in the eye == to weep in a childish manner: Err. II, 2, 206. Shr. I, 1, 79. all --s == consisting of nothing but eyes: Troil. I, 2, 31; cf. Tp. IV, 1, 59. “what a haste looks through his --s,” Mcb. I, 2, 46. “peep through their --s,” Merch. I, 1, 52 (== are chuckling inwardly). “tended her in the --s,” Ant. II, 2, 212 (== showed her submissive reverence by their looks). “look how thy e. turns pale,” Troil. V, 3, 81 (== grows dim as if by death). “the setting of thine e. and cheek,” Tp. II, 1, 229 (i. e. thy look). “thy --s are almost set in thy head,” Tp. III, 2, 10 (i. e. closed; a phrase used of drunken persons); cf. “his --s were set at eight in the morning,” Tw. V, 205. “thou art come to set mine e.” John V, 7, 51 (== to close it up); cf. H6B III, 3, 32. “at the first sight they have changed --s,” Tp. I, 2, 441 (== fallen in love with each other); cf. “mingle --s with one that ties his points,” Ant. III, 13, 156 (== change amorous looks). “and thence from Athens turn away our --s,” Mids. I, 1, 218 (== leave Athens). “whither do you follow your --s?” Cor. II, 1, 109. “--s of youth,” Wiv. III, 2, 68. “an e. of favour,” Ado V, 4, 22. “of love,” Ado V, 4, 22 “--s of pity,” Wint. III, 2, 123. Merch. IV, 1, 27. “an e. of death,” H4A I, 3, 143. “shuts up sorrow's e.” Mids. III, 2, 435. “it opens the --s of expectation,” Tim. V, 1, 25. “close the e. of anguish,” Lr. IV, 4, 15. Regarded as a most precious thing: “would give an e. to boot,” Troil. I, 2, 260 (but Ff money). “worth a Jew's e.” Merch. II, 5, 43 (see Jew). “to hit him in the e.” Tw. II, 5, 52. “have at the very e. of that proverb,” H5 III, 7, 129. “if the streets were paved with thine --s,” LLL IV, 3, 278. “I'll spurn thine --s like balls before me,” Ant. II, 5, 63.
Figurative use: “the flowerets' --s,” Mids. IV, 1, 60. Cymb. II, 3, 26. “your city's --s, your winking gates,” John II, 215. “the e. of mind,” Lucr. 1426. Hml. I, 1, 112. I, 2, 185. “the e. and prospect of his soul,” Ado IV, 1, 231. “religious love put out religion's e.” Compl. 250. Very often applied to the sun: “spread their fair leaves at the sun's e.” Sonn. 25, 6. 33, 2. Pilgr. 81. Wint. IV, 4, 819. John III, 1, 79. Troil. I, 3, 91. the e. of heaven == the sun: Lucr. 356. Sonn. 18, 5. Err. II, 1, 16. LLL V, 2, 375. John IV, 2, 15. R2 I, 3, 275. III, 2, 37. Tit. II, 1, 130. “you grey is not the morning's e.” Rom. III, 5, 19. O e. of --s (i. e. the sun) Lucr. 1088. “all yon fiery oes and --s of light,” Mids. III, 2, 188 (== stars).
2) sight, look: “all askance he holds her in his e.” Ven. 342. “from Venus' e., which after him she darts,” Ven. 342 “in disgrace with fortune and men's --s,” Sonn. 29, 1. “brought me to her e.” Compl. 247. “banished from your e.” Tp. II, 1, 126. “gave me good --s,” Wiv. I, 3, 67. “have open e.” Wiv. II, 1, 126. “as you have one e. upon my follies,” II, 2, 192. “I have --s upon him,” Ant. III, 6, 62. “keep --s upon her,” Mcb. V, 1, 85. “have an e. to Cinna,” Caes. II, 3, 2. “I have an e. of you,” Hml. II, 2, 301 (== I see your drift). “set e. upon Zenelophon,” LLL IV, 1, 66. “no single soul can we set e. on,” Cymb. IV, 2, 131. “in thy e. that shall appear,” Mids. II, 2, 32. “gambol in his --s,” III, 1, 168. “that next came in her e.” III, 2, 2. “in --s of men,” Sonn. 16, 12. “hath done well in people's --s,” Merch. III, 2, 143. “sweats in the e. of Phoebus,” H5 IV, 1, 290. “do 't in your parents' --s,” Tim. IV, 1, 8. “in the public e.” Ant. III, 6, 11. “kill him, and in her --s,” Cymb. III, 5, 142. “there it lies in your e.” Tw. II, 2, 16. “we shall express our duty in his e.” Hml. IV, 4, 6. “be thou as lightning in the --s of France,” John I, 24 (i. e. return to France with the swiftness of lightning). “him in e., still him in praise,” H8 I, 1, 30. “and be in e. of every exercise,” Gentl. I, 3, 32 (== see, witness). “set we our squadrons on yond side o' the hill, in e. of Caesar's battle,” Ant. III, 9, 2. “if it stand, as you yourself still do, within the e. of honour,” Merch. I, 1, 137 (== if honour is not lost sight of, not disregarded). “place my merit in the e. of scorn,” Sonn. 88, 2. “and feast upon her --s,” Meas. II, 2, 179. “we are glad to behold your --s,” H5 V, 2, 14. “I beg leave to see your kingly --s,” Hml. IV, 7, 45. “I could live and die i' the --s of Troilus,” Troil. I, 2, 264. to the --s of == to the face of: “her shall you hear disproved to her --s,” Meas. V, 161 (cf. I, 1, 69). “even to the --s of Richard gave him defiance,” H4B III, 1, 64.
3) view of the mind, opinion: “black men are pearls in beauteous ladies' --s,” Gentl. V, 2, 12. “pleasing in thine e.” Err. II, 2, 117. Ado I, 1, 189. IV, 1, 132. LLL IV, 3, 85. Wint. II, 1, 132. H6B IV, 4, 46. H6C III, 3, 117. R3 III, 7, 112. IV, 4, 177 (Qq sight). Cymb. V, 4, 56 etc. “to choose love by another's --s,” Mids. I, 1, 140. “I looked upon her with a soldier's e.” Ado I, 1, 300 etc.
4) a small hole or perforation: “to thread the postern of a needle's e.” R2 V, 5, 17. “the e. of Helen's needle,” Troil. II, 1, 87. As to John V, 4, 11: unthread the rude e. of rebellion, see the articles Thread and particularly “Unthread.” John II, 583*.
5) a tinge, shade of colour: “tawny, with an e. of green in it,” Tp. II, 1, 55. In Hml. I, 3, 128: not of the e. which their investments show, Qq and most M. Edd. dye.