Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

City, a corporate town: Lucr. 1369. Lucr. 1369 Gentl. III, 2, 91. Meas. I, 1, 11. I, 2, 101. II, 1, 243. IV, 3, 103. V, 514. Err. I, 2, 31. V, 4. V, 4 Ado III, 5, 29. Mids. I, 2, 106. II, 1, 215. Merch. III, 3, 30. IV, 1, 39. As II, 1, 23. II, 7, 74. H5 V Chor. H5 V Chor. H6A I, 4, 11. H6A I, 4, 11 H6B I, 1, 121. IV, 4, 47. IV, 5, 6. Ant. IV, 14, 59 etc. Joined to town: “razeth your --ies and subverts your towns,” H6A II, 3, 65. “see the --ies and the towns defaced,” III, 3, 45. “twelve --ies and seven walled towns of strength,” III, 4, 7. “turned out of all towns and --ies,” R3 I, 4, 146. -- Joined to other words: “sometime a blusterer, that the ruffle knew of court, of c.” Compl. 59. “he pierceth through the body of the country, c., court,” As II, 1, 59. “met him in boroughs, --ies, villages,” H4A IV, 3, 69. -- Denoting the body of the citizens: “the c. favours them,” H6C I, 1, 67. “to rage the c. turn, that him and his they in his palace burn,” Per. V, 3, 97. -- Used as a fem.: “the c. cast her people out upon her,” Ant. II, 2, 218. -- Followed by of: “the c. of London,” H6A III, 1, 77. Followed by the name without of: “in the famous ancient c. Tours,” H6B I, 1, 5. I, 3, 53. “their c. Corioli,” Cor. I, 3, 111. “your c. Rome,” Cor. V, 6, 93. -- “Make not a c. feast of it, to let the meat cool ere we can agree upon the first place,” Tim. III, 6, 75.
Figuratively, for female innocence guarded against assaults: “to make the breach and enter this sweet c.” Lucr. 469. “and long upon these terms I held my c.” Compl. 176. “in blowing him down again, you lose your c.” All's I, 1, 137.