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a small Deighton (p. 123): Though Shakespeare often uses ‘small’ where we should use little, it is probable that but for the parentheses he would not have written ‘a small Patience.’ [Shakespeare's phrase is not, I think, as Deighton takes it; the relative clause in the parentheses makes the sentence really read ‘a small of patience.’ Craigie (N. E. D., s. v. small, B. 5) says: ‘A small quantity or amount; a little piece, a morsel,’ and gives the following example: ‘That we might have a small of bred, our carcase to contente.’—Drant: Horace, Sat., Wail Jeremiah V, Ljb (1566). Among other examples of ‘small’ used substantively Schmidt (Lex.) does not include the present line.—Ed.] 132. (of . . . little）] P. Simpson (Sh. Punctuation, p. 93): Compound nouns or adjectives are enclosed within brackets, where we should employ the hyphen if we used any punctuation at all. ‘In ranke, and (not to be endur'd) riots Sir,’ Lear I, iv, 226. [Compare II, i, 100: ‘How now (my faire as Noble) Ladyes.’]
William Shakespeare. Horace Howard Furness, Jr., A. B.; Litt. D. The Tragedie of Coriolanus. Philadelphia and London. J. B. Lippincott Company.
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