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Write, (impf. seldom “wrote:” Tit. V, 1, 106. Hml. V, 2, 32. Hml. V, 2, 32 Cymb. IV, 3, 37: usually writ; partic. seldom “wrote:” Ant. III, 5, 11. Cymb. III, 5, 2. 21; in Lr. I, 2, 93 Qq wrote, Ff writ; usually writ or written); 1) to form characters representing words on paper or other materials: “I writ at random,” Gent. II, 1, 117. “w. till your ink be dry,” III, 2, 75. “they can w. and read,” Ado III, 3, 12. LLL III, 206. Merch. II, 4, 13. Tw. V, 340 (w. from it, i. e. otherwise). H6B IV, 2, 92 etc. Gerund --ing == handwriting: LLL IV, 3, 203.
2) to cover with characters representing words: “till she have writ a sheet of paper,” Ado II, 3, 138. “a paper written in his hand,” V, 4, 86. “a sheet of paper writ o'both sides the leaf,” LLL V, 2, 8. “a written scroll,” Merch. II, 7, 64. “a scroll, and written round about,” Tit. IV, 2, 18.
3) to set down, to form by means of letters (in a proper and figurative sense): “to cipher what is writ in learned books,” Lucr. 811. “a letter writ to your grace,” H6A IV, 1, 12. Lucr. 102. Lucr. 102 Lucr. 102 Sonn. 23, 13. 71, 6. 115, 1. Gent. I, 2, 109. Gent. I, 2, 109 Gent. I, 2, 109 II, 1, 93. II, 1, 93 II, 1, 93 III, 1, 249. Wiv. I, 3, 65. II, 1, 76. V, 5, 73. Meas. IV, 4, 1. Err. IV, 3, 55 “(it is written).” Ado V, 4, 89. LLL I, 1, 117. 156 “(to the laws I w. my name).” IV, 1, 58. Mids. II, 2, 122. As V, 2, 84. Tw. III, 4, 43. V, 293. V, 293 John IV, 1, 37. R2 IV, 275. H4A I, 3, 263. H5 I, 2, 98 “(it is writ).” H6B IV, 1, 99. H6C I, 1, 169 “(over the chair of state . . . w. up his title).” H8 III, 2, 287. Cor. V, 2, 96. Tit. IV, 1, 70. Tit. IV, 1, 70 V, 1, 106. Rom. I, 2, 36. 39 “(it is written).” Rom. I, 2, 36 I, 3, 82. I, 3, 82 II, 2, 57. IV, 2, 1. V, 3, 82. Caes. I, 2, 126. Hml. V, 2, 32 “(wrote it fair).” Lr. I, 2, 93. Ant. II, 6, 4. III, 5, 11 etc. With “down:” Gent. I, 2, 117. III, 1, 357. Ado IV, 2, 13. Ado IV, 2, 13 Ado IV, 2, 13 Ado IV, 2, 13 Ado IV, 2, 13 Ado IV, 2, 13 John V, 2, 4. Cymb. II, 2, 24 etc. Opposed to speaking by word of mouth: Sonn. 26, 3. Mids. I, 2, 68. Shr. III, 1, 70. All's III, 2, 98. H6A III, 1, 2. H6A III, 1, 2 Cor. V, 1, 68. Rom. V, 2, 4.
The gerund --ing substantively == any thing written, as a letter, a note, a schedule: “I'll read the --ing,” Merch. II, 7, 64. “this is not my --ing,” Tw. V, 353. “let me see the --ing,” R2 V, 2, 57. R2 V, 2, 57 V, 3, 49. “--ings all tending to the great opinion,” Caes. I, 2, 322. “how calm and gentle I proceeded in all my --ings,” Ant. V, 1, 76. “peruse this --ing,” Per. II, 5, 41.
Metaphorical use: “let him but copy what in you is writ,” Sonn. 84, 9. “in many's looks the false heart's history is writ,” 93, 8. “the stealth of our most mutual entertainment with character too gross is writ on Juliet,” Meas. I, 2, 159. “there is written in your brow honesty and constancy,” IV, 2, 162. “have written strange defeatures in my face,” Err. V, 299. “the last taste of sweets . . . writ in remembrance,” R2 II, 1, 14. “whose memory is written on the earth with yet appearing blood,” H4B IV, 1, 81. “that I'll w. upon thy burgonet,” H6B V, 1, 200. “--ing destruction on the enemy's castle,” Tit. III, 1, 170. “raze out the written troubles of the brain,” Mcb. V, 3, 42. “that self hand which writ his honour in the acts it did,” Ant. V, 1, 22. “the record of injuries . . . written in our flesh,” V, 2, 118 etc. With down: “that are written down old with all the characters of age,” H4B I, 2, 202. “opinion, who hath writ me down after my seeming,” V, 2, 128. cf. set down in Troil. IV, 5, 61 and Tim. IV, 3, 118.
Compare with the phrase it is written (Err. IV, 3, 55. H5 I, 2, 98. Rom. I, 2, 39) the following expressions: “we did think it writ down in our duty to let you know of it,” Hml. I, 2, 222. “is't writ in your revenge that you will draw both friend and foe?” IV, 5, 141.
4) to make a communication by letter: “some love of yours hath writ to you,” Gent. I, 2, 79. Meas. I, 1, 56. Ado II, 3, 150. LLL IV, 2, 138. R2 I, 3, 186. Caes. III, 1, 278 “(Caesar did write for him to come to Rome).” Oth. I, 3, 46 etc. == to communicate, to tell by letter: Gent. I, 3, 56. Meas. IV, 2, 218. All's IV, 3, 102. All's IV, 3, 102 Cor. V, 6, 63. Rom. V, 3, 246. Cymb. III, 5, 2. Cymb. III, 5, 2 IV, 3, 37 etc.
5) to express, to define in black and white: “if I could w. the beauty of your eyes,” Sonn. 17, 5. “the bill that --s them all alike,” Mcb. III, 1, 101.
6) to compose, to produce as an author; absol.: Sonn. 116, 14. Wint. V, 1, 99. Ant. III, 2, 17. with “of:” Sonn. 84, 7. R3 I, 4, 46. with on: “the star-gazers, having writ on death,” Ven. 509 (?). Transitively: Gent. II, 1, 97. Wiv. III, 2, 69. Ado V, 1, 37 “(writ the style of gods).” V, 2, 4. LLL I, 2, 120. IV, 3, 99. Mids. III, 1, 18. Mids. III, 1, 18 IV, 1, 220. V, 365. All's IV, 3, 355. H5 III, 7, 42. H6B IV, 7, 65. Hml. III, 2, 274 etc. the --ing == the text: “it would neither serve for the --ing nor the tune,” LLL I, 2, 119.
7) to subscribe: “he learned to w. for me under that bond,” Sonn. 134, 7. LLL I, 1, 117. LLL I, 1, 117 “I w., good creature, wheresoe'er she is, her heart weighs sadly,” All's III, 5, 69 (later Ff I right; most M. Edd. ay, right; some I warrant). “who --s himself armigero,” Wiv. I, 1, 9. “the Turk . . . --s not so tedious a style,” H6A IV, 7, 74 (does not use so long a title). “this hand of mine hath writ in thy behalf,” H6B IV, 1, 63 (has underwritten orders tending to thy good).
Hence == a) to declare: “out on thee, seeming! I will w. against it,” Ado IV, 1, 57. “I'll w. against them, detest them, curse them,” Cymb. II, 5, 32. b) to claim a title, to call one's self: “I w. man,” All's II, 3, 208. “as if he had writ man ever since his father was a bachelor,” H4B I, 2, 30. “w. happy when thou hast done,” Lr. V, 3, 35. cf. “my mouth no more were broken than these boys', and writ as little beard,” All's II, 3, 67.
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