Authority, 1) legal and official power: “art made tongue-tied by a.” Sonn. 66, 9. “use your a.” Tp. I, 1, 26. “thus can the demi-god A. make us pay,” Meas. I, 2, 124. I, 4, 56. II, 2, 118. II, 2, 118 IV, 2, 114. IV, 4, 29. Merch. III, 2, 291. IV, 1, 215. Wint. I, 2, 463. II, 1, 53. John II, 113. III, 1, 160. V, 1, 4. H4B IV, 2, 58. V, 2, 82. V, 3, 116. H6A V, 1, 59. V, 4, 135. H6C I, 2, 24 (followed by over). H8 II, 4, 4. V, 3, 35. Cor. III, 1, 23. Cor. III, 1, 23 Tim. V, 1, 166. Lr. I, 1, 308. IV, 6, 163. Ant. II, 2, 49. II, 6, 100. III, 6, 33. III, 13, 90. Per. IV, 6, 96. In the plural: a) == legal powers, lodged in different persons: “when two --ies are up, neither supreme,” Cor. III, 1, 109. b) the several attributes of power: “redeliver our --ies there,” Meas. IV, 4, 6. “so it must fall out to him or our --ies,” Cor. II, 1, 260. “soaks up the king's countenance, his rewards, his --ies,” Hml. IV, 2, 17. “would manage those --ies that he hath given away,” Lr. I, 3, 17.
Abstractum pro concreto: “what a. surfeits on would relieve us,” Cor. I, 1, 16 (i. e. those in office and power).
2) Power in general: “there is no fettering of a.” Alls II, 3, 252. “he seems to be of great a., and though a. be a stubborn bear . . .,” Wint. IV, 4, 830. “the power and corrigible a. of this lies in our wills,” Oth. I, 3, 329. cf. John IV, 2, 211. H6A V, 1, 18. 5, 41. H6B III, 1, 316.
3) Justification, countenance, warrant: “thieves for their robbery have a. when judges steal themselves,” Meas. II, 2, 176. “wilt thou be glass wherein it shall discern a. for sin?” Lucr. 620. “words cannot carry a. so weighty,” H8 III, 2, 234. “yea, 'gainst the a. of manners, prayed you to hold your hand more close,” Tim. II, 2, 147. “by his a.” All's IV, 5, 68. Lr. II, 1, 62.
4) that which is claimed in support of opinions or measures: “small have continual plodders ever won save base a. from others' books,” LLL I, 1, 87. “more a., name more,” I, 2, 70. “O, some a. how to proceed,” IV, 3, 287. “my hope, whereto thy speech serves for a.” Tw. I, 2, 20. “bi-fold a.,” Troil. V, 2, 144. “have studied physic, through which art, by turning o'er --ies,” Per. III, 2, 33.
5) dignity, nobleness, majesty: “O, what a. and show of truth can cunning sin cover itself withal!” Ado IV, 1, 36. “that which I would fain call master. What's that? Authority.” Lr. I, 4, 32. “one that, in the a. of her merit, did justly put on the vouch of very malice itself,” Oth. II, 1, 147.
Shakespeare Lexicon. Alexander Schmidt. Berlin. Georg Reimer. 1902.
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