Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Ere, prepos. before, in a temporal sense: “e. the break of day,” Lucr. 1280. “e. day,” Mids. III, 2, 395. “e. the next Ascension day,” John IV, 2, 151. “e. this day,” H6C III, 3, 131. “e. morning,” Meas. IV, 2, 98. Merch. V, 48. “e. night,” Pilgr. 312. H6C II, 5, 59. V, 4, 69. Caes. V, 3, 109. “e. sunrise,” Meas. II, 2, 153. “e. sunset,” John III, 1, 110. H6C II, 2, 116. Mcb. I, 1, 5. “e. noon,” Mcb. III, 5, 22. “e. dinner time,” H4A III, 3, 222. “e. supper time,” Tp. III, 1, 95. “e. the thirtieth of May,” H6B I, 1, 49. “e. the ninth hour,” Ant. II, 5, 21. “e. that hapless time,” H6A III, 1, 201. “e. the time of her awaking,” Rom. V, 3, 257. “e. the first sacrifice,” Troil. IV, 2, 66. “e. a determinate resolution,” H8 II, 4, 176. e. long == before long, shortly: “which thou must leave e. long,” Sonn. 73, 14. “e. long espied a fickle maid,” Compl. 5. Tp. V, 87. Meas. III, 1, 46. Mids. V, 441. John IV, 2, 102. H6A I, 3, 88. II, 1, 22. III, 2, 46. IV, 1, 171. H6C I, 1, 146. III, 1, 91. Cor. V, 1, 61. e. now == a) formerly, times ago: “I have loved e. now,” As II, 4, 24. “I have e. now been better known to you,” All's V, 2, 2. “spent time worse e. now,” Wint. IV, 1, 30. “twice and once e. now,” H4B V, 3, 43. “what you have been e. now, and what you are,” R3 I, 3, 132 (Ff e. this). b) not now for the first time, formerly as well as now: “your kindred hath made my eyes water e. now,” Mids. III, 1, 200. “there have been cuckolds e. now,” Wint. I, 2, 191. H6A V, 3, 107. Cor. II, 3, 214. Rom. IV, 4, 9. Mcb. III, 4, 75. Ere this == a) long ago, before this time: “thou hadst been gone e. this,” Ven. 613. “I have inly wept, or should have spoke e. this,” Tp. V, 201. “shortly mean to touch our shore, perhaps they had done e. this,” R2 II, 1, 289. “which long e. this we offered to the king,” H4B IV, 1, 75. R3 III, 1, 21. “e. this I should have fatted . . .,” Hml. II, 2, 606. b) formerly, heretofore: “as I e. this was pure to Collatine,” Lucr. 826. “slanders him with cowardice whose frown hath made thee faint and fly e. this,” H6C I, 4, 48. “what you have been e. this, and what you are,” R3 I, 3, 132 (Qq e. now).