Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Truth, 1) conformity to fact or reality: “into t. by telling of it,” Tp. I, 2, 100 (cf. Into). “their eyes do offices of t.” V, 156. “I would have sworn his disposition would have gone to the t. of his words,” Wiv. II, 1, 61. “fewness and t., 'tis thus,” Meas. I, 4, 39. V, 226. Ado II, 2, 49 (Qq t., Ff --s). Mids. II, 1, 200. As V, 4, 136. H8 II, 4, 84. III, 1, 39. Mcb. IV, 3, 130 etc. in t. == in fact, really: Wiv. I, 4, 148. II, 2, 108. Err. V, 254. Mids. V, 185. Merch. I, 2, 61 etc. “in good t.” H4B II, 4, 28. H5 III, 6, 39. “in very t.” H4B III, 2, 237. “in most comely t.” Ado V, 2, 8.
2) any thing conformable to fact or reality: “t. I must confess,” Ven. 1001. “bring t. to light,” Lucr. 940. “to hide the t. of this false night's abuses,” Lucr. 940 “uttering bare t.” Sonn. 69, 4. “my thoughts and my discourse as madmen's are, at random from the t. vainly expressed,” Sonn. 147, 12. “mistake the t. totally,” Tp. II, 1, 57. “hear the t. of it,” Wiv. I, 4, 80. V, 5, 233. “did deliver to our age this tale for a t.” IV, 4, 38. Meas. II, 1, 131. Meas. II, 1, 131 I, 2, 82. V, 45. Err. IV, 4, 146. Ado II, 3, 239. LLL I, 1, 75. Merch. II, 2, 83. All's V, 3, 326. Wint. II, 1, 167. R3 III, 1, 76. Ant. II, 2, 136. 137 etc. “to say the t.” Meas. I, 2, 137. IV, 6, 2. Mids. III, 1, 146 etc. “the t. you speak doth lack some gentleness,” Tp. II, 1, 137. “speak the t. by her,” Gent. II, 4, 151. “you speak t.” Ado III, 1, 59. Ant. V, 2, 144 etc. “till he tell the t.” Wiv. IV, 4, 60. “I will tell t.” All's I, 3, 226. Err. V, 211. H4A III, 1, 58. “tell us --s,” Mcb. I, 3, 124. Mcb. I, 3, 124 “tell me for t.” H6C III, 3, 120. “hast thou read t.?” Wint. III, 2, 139 (i. e. that which is really written in the paper).
3) veracity, purity from falsehood: “love is all t., lust full of forged lies,” Ven. 804. “more praise . . . than niggard t. would willingly impart,” Sonn. 72, 8. “do you think there is t. in them?” Wiv. II, 1, 178. “against my soul's pure t. why labour you to make it wander in an unknown field?” Err. III, 2, 37. “syllables of no allowance to your bosom's t.” Cor. III, 2, 57. “lest I surcease to honour mine own t.” Cor. III, 2, 57 “if I may trust the flattering t. of sleep,” Rom. V, 1, 1 (some M. Edd., following the spurious Q1, the flattering eye of sleep). “to you they have showed some t.” Mcb. II, 1, 21. “thy t. then be thy dower,” Lr. I, 1, 110. “t. 's a dog must to kennel,” I, 4, 124.
4) genuineness, the state of not being counterfeited or adulterated: “I take all my comfort of thy worth and t.” Sonn. 37, 4 (thy worth and t. == thy genuine, real worth). (time) “feeds on the rarities of nature's t.” 60, 11 (nature's t. == true nature). “no shape so true, no t. of such account,” 62, 6. “so are those errors that in thee are seen to --s translated and for true things deemed,” 96, 8 (cf. True). “she, having the t. of honour in her,” Meas. III, 1, 166. “if the t. of thy love were so righteously tempered as mine is to thee,” As I, 2, 13. “it is the show and seal of nature's t., where love's strong passion is impressed in youth,” All's I, 3, 137. “thou art framed of the firm t. of valour,” H5 IV, 3, 14.
5) faith, honesty, righteousness: “where is t., if there be no self-trust?” Lucr. 158. “such signs of t. in his plain face she spied,” Lucr. 158 “t. proves thievish for a prize so dear,” Sonn. 48, 14. “thy face and thy behaviour, which . . . witness good bringing up, fortune and t.” Gent. IV, 4, 74. “I have spirit to do any thing that appears not foul in the t. of my spirit,” Meas. III, 1, 214. “there is scarce t. enough alive to make societies secure,” III, 2, 240. “what authority and show of t. can cunning sin cover itself withal,” Ado IV, 1, 36. “the errors that these princes hold against her maiden t.” Ado IV, 1, 36 “malice bears down t.” Merch. IV, 1, 214. “even so void is your false heart of t.” V, 189. “I will follow thee . . . with t. and loyalty,” As II, 3, 70. “there is no t. in him,” III, 4, 22. “now will I charge you in the band of t.” All's IV, 2, 56. “by maidhood, honour, t.” Tw. III, 1, 162. “the t. is then most done not doing it,” John III, 1, 273. “the life, the right and t. of all this realm is fled to heaven,” IV, 3, 144. R2 I, 3, 19. R2 I, 3, 19 IV, 171. H4A III, 3, 125. H4A III, 3, 125 H4A III, 3, 125 H4B V, 2, 39. R3 I, 3, 52. III, 2, 94. Cor. III, 3, 18. Mcb. IV, 3, 117 etc.
6) faithfulness, fidelity: “his t. and lasting fealty to the new made king,” R2 V, 2, 44. “long since we were resolved of your t.” H6A III, 4, 20. “in thy face I see the map of honour, t. and loyalty,” H6B III, 1, 203. “in sign of t. I kiss your highness' hand,” H6C IV, 8, 26. H6C IV, 8, 26 “briefly die their joys that place them on the t. of girls and boys,” Cymb. V, 5, 107. Particularly == faithfulness in love: “forced to break a twofold t.” Sonn. 41, 12. 54, 2. 54, 2 101, 2. 101, 2 101, 2 101, 2 Gent. II, 2, 18. II, 7, 81. IV, 2, 88. Tw. III, 1, 170. IV, 3, 33. Troil. III, 2, 181--187. Cymb. III, 2, 7.