Simplicity, 1) plainness, naturalness, absence of everything that seems extraordinary: “grace in all s.” Phoen. 54. “whiles others fish with craft for great opinion, I with great truth catch mere s.” Troil. IV, 4, 106.
2) plainness, artlessness, innocence: “by the s. of Venus' doves,” Mids. I, 1, 171. “love and tongue-tied s. in least speak most,” V, 104. “I am as true as truth's s.” Troil. III, 2, 176.
3) silliness, folly: “simple truth miscalled s.” Sonn. 66, 11. “twice-sod s.” LLL IV, 2, 23. “Love's Tyburn that hangs up s.” IV, 3, 54. “profound s.” V, 2, 52. V, 2, 52 Merch. I, 3, 44. Wint. IV, 2, 55. Used with impropriety by Costard in LLL I, 1, 219, and confounded with simple by Evans in Wiv. IV, 1, 31.
Shakespeare Lexicon. Alexander Schmidt. Berlin. Georg Reimer. 1902.
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