Sway, subst. 1) direction, manage, government: “strength by limping s. disabled,” Sonn. 66, 8 (by being misdirected). “proud of subjection, noble by the s.” Compl. 108 (the manege of the rider). With of; a) subjectively: “proceed i'the s. of your own will,” Lr. IV, 7, 20. b) objectively: “this s. of motion, this Commodity,” John II, 578 (cf. the verb in Mids. I, 1, 193). “should not our father bear the great s. of his affairs with reasons,” Troil. II, 2, 35. “a place of potency and s. o'the state,” Cor. II, 3, 190. “when all the s. of earth shakes like a thing unfirm,” Caes. I, 3, 3 (all the government and established order of the earth. Johnson: the whole weight or momentum of this globe. Craik: all the balanced swing of earth).
2) rule, dominion: “so dry he was for s.” Tp. I, 2, 112. “to behold his s.” Meas. I, 3, 43. “you would bear some s.” Err. II, 1, 28 (bear == have). “mercy is above this sceptred s.” Merch. IV, 1, 193. Shr. V, 2, 163. R2 IV, 206. H4A V, 1, 57. V, 5, 41 (Ff way). H6C IV, 6, 32. Troil. I, 3, 60. Rom. IV, 1, 10. Mcb. I, 5, 71. Lr. I, 1, 139. II, 4, 193.
Shakespeare Lexicon. Alexander Schmidt. Berlin. Georg Reimer. 1902.
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