---

An opening of pages 20–21 from The Thomas Fisher Library’s copy of English Treasury. Reproduced with permission from the Fisher Library, University of Toronto.

---

 About the project

This project aims to provide access to the source information for approximately 1,686 of the 1,701 commonplaces found in John Cotgrave’s 311-page octavo quotation book, The English Treasury of Wit and Language (H. Moseley, 1655). Through meticulous examination, it becomes evident that Cotgrave borrowed passages from 238 plays by 58 dramatists. This determination is based on detailed searches of EEBO, ECCO, Literature Online, and Internet Archive, as well as consultation of the handwritten titles within four heavily annotated copies.

Additionally, the project expands on G. E. Bentley’s tabulation (“John Cotgrave’s” [1943]) by adding the titles of eight plays. These titles are compared to the annotations from the British Library 1 copy (1451.c.49). Moreover, it offers commentary on more than 50 passages and 90 texts, focusing on Cotgrave’s use of materials from lost plays, manuscript sources, and one commendatory verse.

The project reveals the following findings:

PROJECT EVOLUTION

An early version of this project was launched in the summer of 2014. Since then, the project has undergone numerous changes, the most notable being the change of its title from “An Online Reader of Cotgrave’s The English Treasury of Wit and Language” to “Cotgrave Online: An Online Reader of John Cotgrave’s The English Treasury of Wit and Language.” Over the years, the project has been extensively revised, guided by evolving research insights, particularly in the study of extracts from lost plays and the examination of specific editions used by Cotgrave.

The most significant update took place in October 2018. During this time, I was granted access to photographs of several copies, thoughtfully taken by Laura Estill. These photographs proved invaluable in verifying prior research, especially considering that the British Library had previously not allowed researchers to capture photographs of their documents. Additionally, separate photographs provided by our colleague Beatrice Montedoro also played a crucial role in identifying and promptly correcting the following errors.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The realization of Cotgrave Online in its current form would not have been possible without the excellent stewardship of Terry Ross of The Shakespeare Authorship Page. My heartfelt thanks go to him for his invaluable contributions. David Kathman facilitated the addition of the project to the page, and I extend my gratitude to him as well. Sean M. Winslow played a pivotal role in designing the Facet Search, and his expertise elevated the functionality of the search algorithm significantly.

Special thanks are due to Anne Dondertman and David Fernandez for their efforts in expediting the digitization of the Fisher Library’s copy of English Treasury for Internet Archive, which included inserting two missing images from the original digitization. For scholarly feedback, I am grateful to Laura Estill, Matthew Steggle, Stephen Wittek, Ryan Whyte, Ann Blair, and Eleanor Shevlin. Additionally, I am indebted to Estill and Beatrice Montedoro for providing essential photographs of the annotations within the British Library and Bodleian copies.

The project has been supported by grants from several esteemed organizations, including the Shakespeare Association of America (Los Angeles 2018, New Orleans 2016), SHARP: The Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (Sydney 2018 [in absentia], Victoria B.C. 2017), and the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia (Summer 2018, for “Digital Approaches to Book History,” taught by Carl G. Stahmer and Benjamin F. Pauley). Jim Wald’s assistance was particularly valuable in facilitating the last-minute addition of a digital showcase for SHARP 2019, Amherst, MA.

Countless librarians contributed their knowledge and expertise by describing the particular features of their copies of the book. I would like to extend my gratitude to the following individuals who provided diligent correspondence and pleasant assistance: Abbie Weinberg at Folger Research (Folger Shakespeare Library), Richard G. Lamin (Hull University), and Jo Maddocks (Bodleian Library, Oxford University). I am thankful for their support as well as that of the following librarians: Nicolas Bell (Wrenn Library, Cambridge University); Kate Collins (Rubenstein Library, Duke University); Mareike Doleschal (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Library, Stratford-upon-Avon); Jennifer Dunlap (Houghton Library, Harvard University); Elizabeth Frengel (University of Chicago); Caitlin Goodman (Free Library of Philadelphia); Kathryn A. Hall (Birmingham Shakespeare Library); Wayne Hammond (Chapin Library, Williams College); Cynthia Henry (Texas Tech University); April L. James (Kislak Center, University of Pennsylvania); Natalie Kelsey (Kroch Library, Cornell University); Victoria Lane (Shakespeare’s Globe, London); Jay Moschella (Boston Public Library); Aaron Pratt (University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom Center); Emma Sarconi (Princeton University); Mike Saunders (National Library of Edinburgh); Nina Schneider (William Clark Library, University of California); Noriko Sumimoto (Meisei University); Stephen Tabor (Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery); Kyle R. Triplett (New York Public Library); Qona Wright (Brotherton Library, University of Leeds); and Amanda Zimmerman (Library of Congress).